FINAL ESSAY***I WILL BE IN MY OFFICE MON 8/12 FROM 11-2

FINAL RESEARCH PAPER

DUE THURSDAY AUGUST 15

3 PAGES

english215summer2.blogspot.com

·         You must use at least 2 outside sources to support your thesis.

·         You must use examples from the texts we have read in class and the outside sources. Papers that do not quote outside sources or the text will not pass.

·         Follow MLA guidelines we have discussed all semester

·         Works Cited Page

·         Never end a paragraph with a quote.

·         Cite outside sources within in your text; if it appears on your works cited page it has to be used in the paper (direct quotes or paraphrasing).

·         Always keep in mind: is this quote proving and supporting my thesis? If not, do not use it!

Fight Club

1)       Pick one of the following themes and using 2 outside sources and examples from the text explain what role they play in the novel:

Vanity

Identity

Violence

Consumer Culture

Death

Masculinity

2)       What are the men in fight club searching for? Why do their everyday lives fail to satisfy them? How does being in the Fight Club give more meaning to their lives?

3)       What does Tyler Durden represent in the Narrator's mind? Why does he need to create him to be with Marla Singer? Essentially I am asking you to compare and contrast the two sides of the narrator here.

Remaining schedule:

W 8/7 NO CLASS

R 8/8 Fight Club

M 8/12 IN MY OFFICE 11-2 FOR ANY QUESTIONS/ISSUES WITH FINAL PAPER

T 8/13 Work on paper, NO CLASS

W 8/14 Work on paper, NO CLASS

R 8/15 Last class, FINAL ESSAY DUE (COME TO 1141 TO HAND IN PAPER)

Next Week's Schedule

Monday 8/12 

I'll be in my office (1141 in the red area) from 11-2 to answer any questions about the final paper. 

Tuesday 8/13 and Wednesday 8/14

NO CLASS either day

Work on final paper. 

Thursday 8/15

Drop paper office in my office (1141 in the red area) between 11-3

More Fight Club

High School Fight Club:
http://gothamist.com/2013/03/27/nj_high_school_officials_get_freake.php

Link to author's essays on writing:

http://litreactor.com/essays/36-writing-essays-by-chuck-palahniuk

Fight Club : A Ritual Cure For The Spiritual Ailment Of American Masculinity

http://www.thefilmjournal.com/issue8/fightclub.html

Fight Club: An Exploration of Buddhism

http://www.unomaha.edu/jrf/vol11no2/ReedFightClub.htm

Fight Club and the Effects of Anger

http://usf.usfca.edu/pj//fightclub_cairo.htm

Fight Club

terview with the author:

http://chuckpalahniuk.net/files/features/fight-club-anthology-intro.pdf

Consumer Culture:

http://www.businessinsider.com/birth-of-consumer-culture-2013-2?op=1

http://www.apa.org/monitor/2009/12/consumer.aspx

http://www3.nd.edu/~olizardo/papers/jcr-fight-club.pdf

http://www.hartman-group.com/hartbeat/understanding-consumer-culture

Narrator-The narrator is the protagonist of the book and co-creator of Fight Club. The Narrator works as a recall specialist for the automobile industry, a job he despises. He attends support groups for individuals struggling with terminal diseases, though he is physically healthy.

Tyler Durden-Co-creator of Fight Club, Tyler is the charismatic and vicious leader of Fight Club who eventually starts Project Mayhem. He starts out as the Narrator's friend but…things become complicated.

Marla Singer-A young woman who the Narrator encounters at the support groups. She too attends them searching for some sort of meaningful human interaction and, like the Narrator, is faking her illnesses. She begins a relationship with Tyler, which upsets the Narrator.

Big Bob/Robert Paulson- A middle-aged former steroid abuser who the Narrator meets at a testicular cancer survivor support group. Bob is the first to encourage the Narrator to cry at the support group meetings.

Emasculation

It asks the question: “What have men been reduced to? Why do all people accept things they way they are?”

Violence

The novel is called Fight Club for a reason; there is such an underground club that exists. It starts with Tyler and the narrator but quickly spreads. The fighting is supposed to serve as a spiritual reawakening. The fighting itself reminds the men that they are alive. As part of Tyler's philosophy, it also reminds them that they will die.

Chaos & Societal Breakdown

Tyler has named their group Project Mayhem and the philosophy of the group is that through chaos a better world will be achieved. He wants to destroy what mankind had done to the planet in hopes of cleansing it.

The Threat of Death

Tyler preaches the importance of knowing that one’s life will come to end. He believes only at that point will people really seek to improve their lives.

Consumer Culture

The Narrator complains about the emptiness her experience from consumer culture and how we as individuals are tied to our “stuff”. He hates his job and doesn't appear to have much of a social life. When he deems a product worthy of purchase it is the only real power he feels over his life. If he can buy more, he can improve his life

Just A Reminder...

 NO CLASS MONDAY 8/5

READ FIGHT CLUB FOR TUESDAY 8/6

More Death of a Salesman and Quoting A Play!!

Interactive Map of Upward Mobility in America:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/22/business/in-climbing-income-ladder-location-matters.html?_r=0

Disillusionment Links:

http://www.psychologysalon.com/2011/04/disillusionment-as-goal-for-therapy.html

http://family-marriage-counseling.com/mentalhealth/relationship-basics.htm

http://www.articlesbase.com/wellness-articles/disillusionment-213699.html

http://reis.socialpsychology.org/

NYTimes review of a recent production:

http://theater.nytimes.com/2012/03/16/theater/reviews/death-of-a-salesman-with-philip-seymour-hoffman.html

http://www.doollee.com/PlaywrightsM/miller-arthur.html

Quoting a Play!

Quote dialogue between two or more characters by also using block format and putting the characters' names in all capital letters. Don't forget a lead-in and a citation that includes all speeches being quoted. Willy's delusions consistently show how much Happy and Bernard idolized Biff, especially when they argue over who will carry his football gear:

BERNARD. Biff, I'm carrying your helmet, ain't I?
HAPPY.  No, I'm carrying the helmet.
BERNARD. Oh, Biff, you promised me.
HAPPY. I'm carrying the helmet. (Miller 34)

Notice that there is a period after the character’s name not a colon. So it is the author’s last name followed by the PAGE numbers. Remember again that you are always explaining quotes in your own words. 

Death of a Salesman

This link provides a number of links from the NY Times on the play:

http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/16/teaching-death-of-a-salesman-with-the-new-york-times/

Death of a Salesman (1949) Death of a Salesman relates the story of Willy Loman, a down-on-his-luck traveling salesman. In order to cope with his failures in life, he retreats to the past in his mind and seems to be losing touch with reality. He tries to relive the good times, but keeps coming up against things that went wrong. His family try to help him by lying about their prospects, but when Loman loses his job, after a lifetime with the same company, he becomes desperate. His depression is exacerbated by the guilt he feels from a past infidelity which has estranged him from his older son, Biff. Rather than accept that his life has been a failure, and that Biff is not interested in big business, Loman decides to commit suicide in hopes that the insurance money will help Biff become successful. The play ends with his family and only friend, Charley, grieving by his graveside. 

Here is a really long look at Death of  A Salesman:

http://www.ibiblio.org/miller/DeathofaSalesmanMAThesis2004.pdf

Symbolism in Death of  A Salesman:

http://www.ibiblio.org/miller/gardens.html