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 Papers that do not quote outside sources or the text will not pass.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

Obsession and Howard Hughes

All the links below deal obsession:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/24/fashion/obsessed-youre-not-alone.html?pagewanted=all

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/articles/disorders/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deborah-calla/the-difference-between-lo_b_562589.html

http://www.differencebetween.net/miscellaneous/difference-between-love-and-obsession/

http://www.sociopathworld.com/2011/04/power-and-obsessions.html

Howard Hughes:

http://www.biography.com/people/howard-hughes-9346282

http://www.pbs.org/kcet/chasingthesun/innovators/hhughes.html

ESSAY DUE THURSDAY JULY 25 (LATE PAPERS DO NOT GET REVISION AND DROP AN ½ GRADE FOR EACH DAY THEY ARE LATE) A>A- B+>B>B-…

3 PAGES, DOUBLE SPACED, SIZE 12 TIMES NEW ROMAN

USE TWO OUTSIDE SOURCES (NOT INCLUDING THE TEXT!) AND QUOTE THE PRIMARY TEXTS AS WELL.

USE THE EXAMPLE PAPER HANDOUT FOR MLA GUIDELINES!!

This link will also help with MLA questions:

owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01

Refer to the class blog for outside source info: english215summer2.blogspot.com/

 Pick ONE of the essay topics below for your paper.

1. Illusion vs. reality is something that comes up in a lot of literature. We saw some in The Great Gatsby. Pick one aspect of a character’s life, whether it be from the past or the present, and explain how he/she uses illusions to distort their reality. Use examples from the texts along with outside sources to support your thesis.

2.      Pick one or two of the many symbols from the novel and describe why it is important. What does this symbol mean in to this particular text? Use examples from the texts along with outside sources to support your thesis.

3.      How does Gatsby represent the American dream? What does the novel have to say about the condition of the American dream in the 1920s? In what ways do the themes of dreams, wealth, and time relate to each other in the novel’s exploration of the idea of America?

4.      Is Nick a reliable narrator? We do not have much choice but to believe what he says throughout the novel so decide if he is and prove your point. Use examples from the texts along with outside sources to support your thesis.

5.      Compare and contrast Gatsby and Tom OR compare Gatsby to Charlie from Babylon Revisited.” How are they alike? How are they different? Given the extremely negative light in which Tom is portrayed throughout the novel, why might Daisy choose to remain with him instead of leaving him for Gatsby?

6.      Jay Gatsby and Howard Hughes from The Aviator are both men with extreme wealth and clear issues with obsession in their lives. Compare and contrast the two characters. Talk about how obsession ruined their lives. Use examples from the texts along with outside sources to support your thesis.

• Your introduction should include:

1)       Title and authors of primary (stories we have read in class) texts

2)       Your thesis (Which depends on the question you write about from above)

• 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!
• WITHOUT A WORKS CITED PAGE OR OUTSIDE SOURCES THE PAPER WILL FAIL

Slide Show of Gatsby's Expenses

http://visual.ly/was-great-gatsby-broke

More Gatsby

http://www.people.vcu.edu/~bmangum/gatsby.htm

http://mobile.slate.com/articles/arts/movies/2013/05/the_great_gatsby_directed_by_baz_luhrmann_reviewed.html

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/low_concept/2012/07/hemingway_wrote_47_endings_for_a_farewell_to_arms_but_for_the_great_gatsby_fitzgerald_wrote_48_.html

http://onpoint.wbur.org/2013/05/10/great-gatsby-movie

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2013/05/was-the-great-gatsby-broke.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/compost/wp/2013/05/07/in-defense-of-the-great-gatsby/

http://www.firstprinciplesjournal.com/articles.aspx?article=166&theme=home

The Great Gatsby Comic Strip

More Gatsby Links

This link discusses some random facts about the novel and the writer:

http://gothamist.com/2013/05/07/gatsby_facts.php

The Wire breaks down The Great Gatsby (There is some strong language here):

http://www.openculture.com/2012/08/ithe_wirei_breaks_down_ithe_great_gatsbyi_f_scott_fitzgeralds_classic_criticism_of_america_nsfw.html

Footage of Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda:

http://www.openculture.com/2012/11/rare_footage_of_scott_and_zelda_fitzgerald_from_the_1920s.html

Gatsby Links, Movie Reviews and Nintendo Video Game

Taking a few mintues to read some background information on the author will enhance your understanding of the text.

Here are a few quotes to also think about from the text:
 “ Whenever you feel like criticizing any one…just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had” (1).

“”a single green light, minute and faraway, that might have been the end of a dock” (22).

”He smiled understandingly-much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced–or seemed to face–the whole external world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself” (48).

“Everyone suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known” (60).


Below is the link to a number of outside sources for the second essay:
http://www.literaryhistory.com/20thC/Fitzgerald.htm

The game looks like the whole Nintendo video games. Kind of like Super Mario Bros.
Here are some links about the game:
http://theweek.com/article/index/212144/the-great-gatsby-video-game

http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/07/the_great_gatsby_now_a_video_g.html

http://boingboing.net/2011/02/16/great-gatsby-nes-gam.html

This link provides a link to where you can play the game:
http://arts.nationalpost.com/2011/02/15/play-the-great-gatsby-video-game/

Here is a youtube video of the game:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjWKrz7yogM

Here is a list of sites about Fitzgerald:

A Brief Life of Fitzgerald

http://www.sc.edu/fitzgerald/biography.html

The quote “The dominant influences on F. Scott Fitzgerald were aspiration, literature, Princeton, Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald, and alcohol” begins this biographical sketch of F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Contains:Commentary, Sketch

Keywords:F. Scott Fitzgerald, life, history, biography

 

A Fitzgerald Capsule History

http://access.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/9609_fitzgerald/fitztime.htm

This site, made by Minnesota Public Radio, commemorating Fitzgerald’s 100th birthday, provides a chronology of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s life.

Contains:Timeline

Keywords:F. Scott Fitzgerald, life, history, biography

 

A Fitzgerald Chronology

http://www.sc.edu/fitzgerald/chronology.html

This site provides a chronology of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s life.

Contains:Timeline

Keywords:F. Scott Fitzgerald, life, history, biography

 

Fitzgerald’s Obituaries

http://www.sc.edu/fitzgerald/obituaries.html

Fitzgerald’s obituaries were mixed. There was a general tendency to associate him with the excesses of the Twenties. The respectful obituaries expressed a sense of regret for Fitzgerald’s failure to fulfill his promise. None of the assessments predicted that Fitzgerald would be accorded a safe place among the greatest American authors.”

Contains:Obituary

Keywords:

 

The Fitzgeralds

http://www.zeldafitzgerald.com/fitzgeralds/index.asp

This site primarily contains biographical information about F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda Fitzgerald.

Contains:Extensive Bio, Timeline, Webliography, Works List

Author:Professor Ruth Prigozy

Keywords:

 

 Other sites about F. Scott Fitzgerald

Authors on Fitzgerald: How others past and present view the man and his works

http://access.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/9609_fitzgerald/fitzauthors.htm

This site contains quotes from other famous authors about F. Scott Fitzgerald. Some of these authors include Ernest Hemmingway, T. S. Eilot, and Dorothy Parker.

Contains:Commentary

Keywords:

 

F. Scott Fitzgerald Bibliographies

http://www.sc.edu/fitzgerald/bibindex.html

This site contains links to “F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Publications,” “Principal Works About F. Scott Fitzgerald,” and “Works by Zelda Fitzgerald.”

Contains:Bibliography, Works List

Keywords:

 

The F. Scott Fitzgerald Centenary

http://www.sc.edu/fitzgerald/index.html

Sponsored by the Board of Trustees of the University of South Carolina this comprehensive site includes links to works by F. Scott and Zelda Fitgerald, voice and film clips, quotations, and scrapbook, articles and critisim and more.

Contains:Criticism, Commentary, Pictures, Timeline, Full Bio, Works List, Bibliography, Webliography

Author:J. Baughman

Keywords:

 

Fitzgerald: Voice and Film Clips

http://www.sc.edu/fitzgerald/voice.html

This site contains sound files of F. Scott Fitzgerald speaking and a film clip of him as well.

Contains:Interview

Keywords:

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/05/opinion/sunday/dowd-in-a-gaudy-theme-park-jay-z-meets-j-gatz.html?smid=fb-nytimes&WT.z_sma=OP_IAG_20130506

 

Babylon Revisited

Criticism:
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00144940.1990.9934031

http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-94-007-0773-3_8?LI=true

Themes found in the story:

• Facing the consequences of one’s actions
• The struggle to change

Symbols found in the story:

• Honoria’s doll
• Snow

This link has some background information and criticism of the story (there is a lot of info here that could be used if you choose to write your first essay about this story):

http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~tdlarson/fsf/babylon/chap_3.htm

In two weeks we will discuss The Great Gatsby which “Babylon Revisited” shares many themes and issues with. Here is a short description of how they are similar:

“Babylon Revisited”: Similarity to The Great Gatsby
In both works, the main character is trying to create a new identity. In the case of Jay Gatsby, he has reinvented himself by a name change and by becoming rich through criminal acts to win Daisy. In Charlie’s instance, he has made a serious effort to reform to gain custody of Honoria.
Both The Great Gatsby and “Babylon Revisited” are also statements about the twenties, the pursuit of wealth and careless living of that generation. Gatsby’s pursuit of wealth, hoping it will bring him happiness and fulfillment, is the embodiment of the American Dream gone wrong. “Babylon Revisited” makes a statement not only about Charlie’s his personal dilemma but the irresponsible seeking of pleasure that was characteristic of the post-war Roaring Twenties generation.

From: http://vickie-britton.suite101.com/babylon-revisited-summary-and-analysis-a204727

Syllabus

Modern Literary Masterpieces

ENG215 Essex County College Summer 2 2013

Prof. Sean O’Connell                                                  M/T/W/R 2:00-3:40

Email:soconnel@essex.edu     

Phone: 973-877-1926                                                   Office: 1141

Office Hours: Tues/Thurs 1:00-2:00              Room: 2116                    

                                                                                   

Texts: YOU NEED TO BUY THE TEXTS!!!

• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
• Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

*In class assignments will be handwritten; all homework assignments should be typed and double spaced using 12-point Times New Roman font.

Class Blog: Visit the blog in between classes for assignments/outside sources and more.

english215summer2.blogspot.com/

THERE ARE NO LATE PAPERS. IF YOU DO NOT HAND IN A PAPER ON THE DAY IT IS DUE, YOU WILL RECEIVE AN F FOR THAT PAPER.

YOU MUST HAND ME EACH PAPER. EMAIL IS NOT GOING TO WORK FOR FORMAL ESSAYS.

Below is subject to change:

M 7/8 INTRO

T 7/9 Babylon Revisited

W 7/10 The Great Gatsby (1-2)

R 7/11 The Great Gatsby (3-4)

M 7/15 The Great Gatsby (5-6)

T 7/16 The Great Gatsby (7-8)

W 7/17 The Great Gatsby (Finish Novel)

R 7/18 Outside Sources Discussion

M 7/22 (Film)

T 7/23 (Film), Assign Essay

W 7/24 Death of A Salesman

R 7/25 Death of A Salesman

M 7/29 Death of A Salesman

T 7/30 Death of A Salesman , Essay Due

W 7/31 The Pursuit of Happyness  (Film)

R 8/1 The Pursuit of Happyness  (Film)

M 8/5 Fight Club

T 8/6 Fight Club

W 8/7 Fight Club

R 8/8 Assign Essay, Fight Club

M 8/12 WORK ON PAPER

T 8/13 WORK ON PAPER

W 8/14 WORK ON PAPER

R 8/15 FINAL ESSAY DUE