Archives for September 13, 2016

Due 9/14: Class Forum

1. Class Forum–Six Word Poem/Story (Remember, you should print YOUR response before class). Due by midnight tonight!

For Sale: Baby Shoes, Never Worn

Tonight, you will write  your six word poem/story. Consider each word and consider the story you want to communicate through those six words.  In the example above (attributed to Hemingway) there is great depth to that narrative. Imagine the joy, the anticipation, the inspiration, the anxiety, the tragedy, the despair behind those words… All of that and more communicated through six words. Be scrupulous in your selection of words, be thoughtful in your arrangement, be authentic in holistic composition.

2. College Office visits tomorrow!

3. Thursday, September 15–In-Class writing assignment on Letters to a Young Poet. So, be sure to have the book in class!

Due 9\14: Class Forum and More

1. Be sure you are properly registered for the site!
2. Class Forum–Five things you know to be true. Be sure to post in the appropriate class forum. So, if you are in my H band class, post in that forum to the thread that has already been started. DO NOT start a new thread!
3. In-Class Writing Assessment on Purple Hibiscus–English 10H on Thursday and English 10B on Friday. More info during next class period.

Man’s Search for Meaning In-class Essay Tomorrow

1. Wednesday, September 14th–MSM In-Class Essay

Per Man’s Search for Meaning, what is Viktor Frankl’s view of the human condition?

Ultimately your objective for this essay is to craft a thesis reflecting Frankl’s view of the human condition. In doing so, you will demonstrate control of logotherapy. Feel free to show your thesis to me to get some feedback.

The following are major players in his argument:

  1. Frankl titles Part II of his text “Logotherapy in a Nutshell.”  Scholars suggest his thesis here can be reduced to the Freidrich Nietzsche quote (Remember, Frankl himself cites it on numerous occasions):

“He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how.”

  1. Inner life/value and spiritual freedom
  2. Discovering meaning in life in three different ways:
  • By creating a work or doing a deed
  • By experiencing something or encountering someone (Love)
  • By the attitude we take toward unavoidable suffering

*These are key elements and they are, frankly, obvious. Certainly, you can discuss them in your essay; however, do not limit yourself to the obvious. Engage the nuances of his argument (i.e. Noo dynamics). The more nuanced your discussion, the more textual control you have. That is what I am looking for. The less nuanced, the more I will call into question your actual reading of the text.

*In this essay do not merely write that Frankl believes we can attain meaning in three different ways. That is a gross simplification of his existential view and logotherapy. While I do not expect to see mastery in this essay, I do expect to see sophisticated control of his argument.

Your essay should demonstrate control/understanding of both Part I and Part II of the text. So both parts of the book should be explored in your essay. This essay is unlike English essays of the past!  Your thesis is actually what you believe to be Frankl’s argument. There should be no critical discussion!

You are more than welcome to outline your discussion in preparation for tomorrow.