Post #7: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (Foer)

An extended metaphor is a sustained symbolic element that an author develops over the course of many sentences, lines, or chapters in a novel. In a novel, it illuminates a greater human truth (or theme) the writer would like readers to understand. Extended metaphors are more complicated than regular metaphors because extended metaphors more deeply explore the similarities between the original symbol and the theme or idea to which it is compared.  

The 6th Borough, the story Oskar’s father told him the night before he died, could be interpreted as an extended metaphor. Today, in an AARDVARK post, you will explore what The 6th Borough could represent.  Choose elements of the novel that the story might relate to, and explain how it connects to the larger idea, theme, message, or concept the book explores.

Post #6: THE CATCHER IN THE RYE Ending

The ending to THE CATCHER IN THE RYE did not seem as extreme as the chapters leading up to it. Did you expect the ending to be more intense, or did you like how it was? Why?  What are we left with, as far as the deeper truths we've been after?

Post #5: Introduction to Holden Caulfield

THE CATCHER IN THE RYE has become an essential selection of American Literature, no doubt due to the unique and complex voice of its narrator, Holden Caulfield.

Being such an interesting voice has its flaws, though, as much of the novel's depth lies hidden in what Caulfield doesn't actually say.  As we begin our study of the novel, I'd like for you to analyze the opening line.  What do you see?  What do you not see?  What do you expect from this person?  How does this line impact your perception of Holden? 

First Line: 
"If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth."

As always, I'd like to see this become a discussion.  Respond to a classmate or two with something meaningful.  Let's see where Holden takes us...

Post #4: Ode On A Grecian Urn (Keats)

For this post, you will create a bulleted list of what you believe to be the 10 most important features of the poem. It may be simple as the rhyme scheme, it may be as minute as the placement of a dash. Note your observation in the list, and briefly explain its significance.

Additionally, please write a brief paragraph (3-5 sentences) reflecting. I’m looking more for “Milton’s commentary on time is significant because…” and less “I like this poem, because…”

After you have done this, please respond to two of your classmates.  Make sure that you are referencing specific insights and/or points of contention here.

Post #3: Hamlet, Act V.1 - Alas, poor Yorick...

In this scene, lines 181-191, we see Hamlet's second most famous soliloquy.  Indeed, the most common portrayal of Hamlet is with him holding a skull.  Break this speech down.  What do you notice?  How does it relate to the rest of the play?  What is he saying, from a philosophical stance?  Does it run counter to anything we've heard from him before?  Does it match up with anything other characters have said?  Take this where you want to go.  We're doing this one in class, so I'm looking for around 7 good sentences worth of commentary.  Afterwards, briefly respond to 1 classmate in detail.  If you like, and time permits, you may respond to more.

Post #2: The Story of An Hour

Almost a Mona Lisa smirk on her face, isn't it?

What do you think about "the joy that kills," as Chopin puts it?  How does her development of these characters impact the ending of this story?  Through a Feminist lens, what deeper truths can you detect?  Are there any symbols or motifs that you find especially meaningful or insightful?  Tell us about it!  And remember to respond to two classmates (in a meaningful way) as well.

Post #1: Sonny's Blues

James Baldwin wants to know if you truly understand his story.  Please put together a detailed and meaningful response to your assigned prompt.  Post it in the comments here.  Make sure that it is 200 words or so in length, and is devoid of filler.  I'm looking for load-bearing words.

After you have posted, I would like for you to respond to two posts.  Your responses needn't be as long as your post, but should be no less detailed.  You may also respond to a response, as long as it is a prompt other than your own.  In discussions of this variety, students tend to lean on comments like "I agree" or "I haven't thought about it that way."  Stay away from statements like this.  James and I want to hear about validity, logic, and alternative analysis.

Partners and Prompts:

Liz and Kilby
1.  Analyze the narrator of “Sonny’s Blues.”  Why do you think he goes unnamed throughout the story?  What is the significance of his profession? What kind of person is he, and how does this impact his relationship with his brother?


Millie and Tucker
2.  Early in the story the narrator says that perhaps heroin did “more” for his students than algebra could.  Do you think the narrator means this statement to be taken literally? Can it be seen as a valid idea?  Can heroin be seen as an alternative way (along with music and religion) to escape from ghetto life?


Addison and Ashlyn
3.  The narrator says that the death of his own daughter made Sonny’s suffering “real” to him.  Analyze the emotional equation at work here.  How does the narrator’s suffering re-connect him to his brother?  In what other ways does suffering serve to connect and reconnect people in the story?  Trace the theme of suffering throughout the story and comment on its impact.


Kaitlyn and Jocelyn
4.  The image of the hunted or trapped animal is prominent in the story, and at the end of the story there is the image of this world “as hungry as a tiger.” Do you find other naturalistic elements at work in “Sonny’s Blues”?   Can it be accurately described as “naturalistic”?  How is it similar to or different from other naturalistic stories we’ve read?


Rollins and Aneri
5.  With respect to the imagery of hunted or trapped animals, who, finally, is trapped and who escapes in the story? At what cost?


Tyson and Sean
6.  Consider the chronology of the story.  Plot out the events on a true, chronological timeline, with the first event being the death of the uncle, through to the end of the story.  Why do you think Baldwin tells this story “out of time,” i.e. non-chronologically?  What, ultimately, is the story really about, and how does the structure of the story reveal this to us?


Erin and TZ
7.  Readers and critics have suggested that “Sonny’s Blues” is a story that can be read, and understood, entirely through its use of imagery.  In fact, it has been described as a story told more through images than plot.  Trace the imagery of darkness and light through this story (beginning with the early images of the darkened bar and the darkness of the subway, and ending with the final image of the “cup of trembling”).  How do these images, taken together, tell a story?
 

Maggie and Abigail
8. What is the “cup of trembling”?  How does it work to resolve the motifs of religious faith and music presented throughout the story?  Does it resonate beyond those motifs?


Amber and Chris
9.  The story keeps coming back to the condition of childhood; the narrator frequently references things that children supposedly do. What’s the narrator’s perspective on childhood? Why might childhood be a recurring point of consideration for “Sonny’s Blues”?

Welcome to THE AARDVARK

AARDVARK = Aspiring for Applicable Reflection and Debate through Variable Analysis and Rigid Konjecture

Your task here is to post careful analysis of our selections, considering the work’s structure, style, and themes, as well as other elements such as figurative language, imagery, symbolism, and tone. To be concise:  Words, Moves, Textuality, and Truth.

Your posts will present coherent analytical arguments, and demonstrate the ability to respond to classmates, agreeing or arguing with assertions by using textual evidence to defend their position.  Posts should be at least 200 words in length.

This is an open forum, and all are expected to participate.  Be respectful in how you disagree with each other, and when those opportunities arise, make sure that you explain WHY you believe differently than someone else. 

Don't be alarmed if I chime in, either.  Just because I'm asking questions of what you've said, don't assume that means you're wrong.  I am not trying to find cracks in your ideas, but to temper them.  As I always tell my classes, if you can defend your assertions with evidence, then you are not wrong.  In this class, X will never equal 4.  X will equal the ineluctable modality of the visible.

Be not afraid.