Behind the formaldehyde curtain questions and answers

Dr. Duncan Hasell Module Readings

1301 Group Reading Assignments

For each module, in addition to the assigned readings in the syllabus you will be required to read the following

specific readings based upon your group letter. Each Group will contain one essay that we discussed in class

and two essays that you will explore and present in conjunction with the in-class essay. In order to fully

participate in group discussions, read some of the essays assigned to other groups, your choice.

EACH GROUP MUST PRESENT ON THE DATES ASSIGNED IN THE SYLLABUS. FAILURE TO DO SO

WILL RESULT IN A FAILING GRADE FOR THAT PRESENTATION. Every Group should be ready to

present at the beginning of the class. Each presentation should be approximately 15 minutes.

All readings are taken from the 13 th

Edition of the Norton Reader

Module 1: DUE-- SEPTEMBER 16/17.

Group A – “Superman and Me” (355); “Clamorous to Learn” (350); “On Writing” (443)

Group B – “Shooting an Elephant” (784); “Salvation” (1059); “Tigers in the Snow” (510)

Group C – “Working at Wendy’s” (25); “Dumpster Diving” (31); College is a Waste of Time and Money” (372)

Group D -- “Confluences” (69); “Once More to the Lake” (79); “Sowers and Reapers” (139)

Module 2: DUE-- OCTOBER 14/15

Group A – “Being a Man” (176); “What is a Homosexual?” (195); “Slogan: ’Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History” (678)

Group B – “Consider the Lobster” (635); “The Case for Animal Rights” (608); “An Animals Place” (615)

Group C – “A Modest Proposal” (790); “The Case for Torture” (647); “Get a Knife, Get a Dog, but Get Rid of Guns” (323)

Group D – “Behind the Formaldehyde Curtain” (254); “Saudis in Bikinis” (272); “In the Kitchen” (260)

Module 3: DUE --NOVEMBER 4/5

Group A – “Learning to Read” (346); “The Library as Survival” (741); “Graduation” (15)

Group B – “Politics and the English Language” (463); “Mommy: What Does ‘Nigger’ Mean?” (420); “Tongue Tied” (401)

Group C – “Decolonizing the Mind” (997); “Language Rules: Witnessing Trauma in South Africa” (455); “How to Tame a Wild

Tongue” (411)

Group D – “The Morals of the Prince” (797); “Declaration of Independence” (804 and 807 start pages); “John F. Kennedy: Inaugural Address” (815)

Module 4: DUE--NOVEMBER 24/25

Group A – “Black Men and Public Space” (314); “Who Shot Johnny?” (316); “Death of the Profane: The Rhetoric of Race and Rights” (423)

Group B – “Why Women Smile” (189); “Looking at Women” (179); “Going to the Movies” (1036)

Group C – “Intelligent Evolution” (949); “Why the Reckless Survive” (940); “My Fall into Knowledge” (1085)

Group D – “Java Man” (248); “This is the End of the World: The Black Death” (692); “Is America Falling Apart” (235)

The pages next to all of the titles are the first pages of the assigned readings, as I simply posted the first pages

to save space. It should naturally go without saying that these pieces need to be read in their entirety.

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Module/Group Readings Guidelines: Apply to Modules 1-4

Successful completion of three required components of this project is entirely in your group member’s

hands! These components include:

1. Written responses to the required questions below in the form of a clean, edited, MLA-formatted

report/document; Be sure all names are listed clearly on an attached final page of the Word doc, along

with the sections each person wrote clearly identified.

2. Completed “Prezi” presentation. It is recommended that everyone in the group be able to access the

prezi so that it can be presented if the prezi creator is late or absent (whoever has primary responsibility

for the prezi must send me an active/”clickable” link to the Prezi via email);

3. A smashing verbal presentation to the class, proportioned as you see fit and fair. These presentations

will be limited to 15 minutes, so be sure your presentation is as “tight” as possible. Rambling, unfocused

presentations will not be received well by your audience or instructor.

Now, in terms of how much each group member contributes or what each person specifically does, I’ll leave that to

you. In general, I’ve found that a spirit of equity quickly emerges and the division of tasks always seems to be fair

among group members! Be sure all names are listed clearly on an attached final page of the Word doc, along

with the sections each person wrote clearly identified.

A word about these groupings and my goal in this assignment: The arrangements of readings you see in

modules do not come from some official grouping template, as I have grouped them together myself. You may

notice some obvious features among the readings in a particular module. Great! You’ll have time to develop those

areas of likeness. In such areas of low-hanging fruit (which is not to say unimportant fruit), I challenge your group

to get past the generic and the obvious. By contrast, you’ll likely find that one or more of the readings in a particular

grouping seems like it shouldn’t be there and/or it just seems too difficult to connect with the others. Great also! I

have what I’d call higher-hanging “fruit” in the trees of these modules that I’m hoping you find and develop

through your critical thinking and analysis skills, combined with team collaboration. Perhaps you may not find

precisely the same high-hanging fruit I have in mind. No problem! Students never cease to impress me by their

discoveries of equal or more valuable high-hanging fruit in the trees that I never knew existed.

Areas to Analyze and to Answer . . . both in writing and in your Prezi presentation to the class

I. Provide a unifying title for these readings collectively, followed by a few statements that support the

message, or argument, you see emerge from these readings as a whole.

II. Whom Did You Read? Name the assigned authors/readings (be sure to name their respective locations and dates), along with a brief summary of the context for each work and where it was first published. Section II is an overview, for the most part, which provides a foundational reference point for all of the discussion and analysis to follow in the sections below.

III. What Were Some of the Group Members’ “Gut Reactions” to the Works as You First Read Them? This

section is not about facts, objective analysis, or even interpreting the abstract; rather, it is all about the first

impression and “gut” reactions members of your group specifically had upon first reading the pieces. Did you and

others maintain that first impression after you spent time with the work and re-read again? NOTE: This is not

asking for only the person who writes the document to say what his or her gut reaction is to the works; all group

members must be addressed, but exercise brevity when presenting this area (you can select certain members’

comments or you can group members’ comments together).

IV. What “rhetorical modes” are represented among the readings? Use specific details from the

chapter/rhetorical mode introduction to explain how a particular narrative essay, for example, demonstrates the

rhetorical mode of narration. Also, discuss what other modes are used in conjunction with that mode and

provide examples. Using the narrative essay as an example again, do you see how narration is not exclusive, as the

rhetorical modes of “description” or “exemplification” (examples) are being used by the author as well? See the

1301 Study Guide for further descriptions of “rhetorical modes.”

V. What Connects the Works? This is a very important question to answer! To answer this question about the

combined works you’ve read, you have a few areas to explore: first, there is content. Do you see “common

denominators,” to use a mathematical term, between the works regarding any aspect of content in the essays? Keep

in mind the fact that exploring this area does not have a fixed course, nor is there any sort of “Instructor’s Key” to

all of the connections you “should” find between various works! Be open to the fact that these works have likely

not been explored together in this way ever before, so you will likely make very unique observations and have unique

insights…which is precisely the point! The second area to look for connections is in the lives/biographies of the

authors and/or in the general context around which the works were written. For example, perhaps two or

three works were all first published in magazines or they were part of a collection of works by the author? Perhaps

the authors were both from the same geographical region? The third area to explore for connectivity is the writing

styles of the authors and the stylistic qualities of the works at the sentence/paragraph level. For example,

do they both utilize the same rhetorical modes or do they both write with the same sense of voice? Do they both

have predominately long/short sentences, or do they both give the same attention to detail? There are dozens of

other aspects to consider in this third area, so explore freely!

VI. What Ideas or Content Emerges from the Works? This is another important question!! In contrast to

the “concrete” material in the works that can be obtained through observation and factual information (like section

II and III above), this section asks you to examine ideas essentially—which are less tangible and harder to nail-

down with absolute certainty. Your job is to use “inference” (assumptions about the unknown based on the known)

and examples in order to make the case for the existence of abstract content. It is safe to say that each work

contains some degree of at least some philosophical, ideological, political or spirtitual assertion; so, once you identify

the presence of this abstract content, then discuss it at length, interpret it, and argue for or against what the author

proposes in his or her ideological/philosophical/political/spiritual assertions. Another way to answer this question

is to explain how the ideas or content of these works are in agreement or in conflict with each other and ideas held

in the wider culture.

VII. What about the works, if anything, did you find interesting, difficult to accept, or generally

challenging? If the work merely confirmed your beliefs and ideas, tell your audience how. This can pertain

to either content or form. This is question is similar to Section III, but should be answered with some thought and

consideration after reading and discussing the text in your group.

VIII. What Are Some of the Best Vocabulary Terms Among the Works (Collectively)? For this section, it is

recommended that all group members use a highlighter to mark great vocabulary terms in all of the assigned works.

What do I mean by “great” you ask? Well, you tell me. “Great” might mean something as simple as words that are

unique and fresh; it may be words that are pregnant with meaning beneath the surface. It might also mean words

that are remarkable choices for the author, given his or her level of formal education or other socio-economic

limitations. You decide, but be sure to give a brief statement of rationale for the terms you choose (required: select

3-4 terms from each reading)

IX. Does these works remind you of/relate to something else you have read, seen, or heard? Which

Motion Pictures, Works of Visual Art/Music, or Other Literary Works (Novels, Poems, Plays) Do You

Associate With These Assigned Readings? Be selective if you’d like and think outside the box (or the book,

rather) for connections to works of art that go well beyond the assigned readings (or even all the other works in the

text for that matter!) Does the work generate any other associations in your mind? Go out on a limb here—it is

okay!

X. Which of the readings was best, and why? If your classmates could find the time to read one of the works in

your module, what would it be and why? Why should your classmates—or college students in general--read it?