Here is the new schedule, accounting for Monday's absence. I've changed the reading for Monday so please read "Seeing" and in "Praise of Shadows." For your blog entry please choose one essay to write on, and discuss the use of vision in it as it relates to the personal essay. I will email you all a new copy of the syllabus so that you can print it out. Hope you are well and have lovely weekends.
Best,
Laura
Week 1
Wednesday August 27 Introduction
Week 2
Monday September 1 No Class
Wednesday September 3 Introduction – pp. xxiii - liv
Week 3
Monday September 8 No Class due to emergency
Wednesday September 10 Charles Lamb – “A Chapter on Ears” – p. 165
Montaigne – “On Some Verses of Virgil” – p. 58
Blog
Week 4
Monday September 15 Annie Dillard – “Seeing” – pp. 693-706
Junichiro Tanizaki – “In Praise of Shadows” – pp. 335- 361
Blog
Wednesday September 17 First Draft of Analytic Essay Due
Peer Review
Stylistic Essay:
Week 5
Monday September 22 Stylistic Devices – (handout)
Richard Selzer – “The Knife” – pp. 707-714
Blog
Wednesday September 24 Wole Soyinka – “Why Do I Fast” – pp. 422-430
Natalia Ginzburg – “He and I” – pp. 453-457
Blog
Week 6
Monday September 29 No Class
Wednesday October 1 No Class
Week 7
Tuesday October 6 “Meatless Days” – pp. 458 - 475
Blog
Wednesday October 8 No Class
Week 8
Tuesday October 14 First Draft of Stylistic Essay Due
Peer Review
Wednesday October 15 Second Draft of Analytic Essay Due
Peer Review
Blog
Research Paper:
Week 9
Monday October 20 Library Visit
Wednesday October 22 The Lover – pp. 3-38
Blog
Week 10
Monday October 27 Second Draft of Stylistic Essay Due
The Lover – pp. 39- 83
Blog
Wednesday October 29 The Lover – pp. 84 – end
Blog
Week 11
Monday November 3 “The Pain of Sorrow in the Modern World: The Works of Marguerite Duras” – Julia Kristeva (handout)
Blog
Wednesday November 5 Film: The Lover
Research Proposals Due
Week 12
Monday November 10 Conferences
Wednesday November 12 First Draft of Research Paper Due
Peer Review
Personal Essay:
Week 13
Monday November 17 Peer Review
Blog
Wednesday November 19 Peer Review
Conferences
Week 14
Monday November 24 E. B. White – “Ring of Time” – pp. 538-539
Blog
Second Draft of Research Paper Due
Wednesday November 26 Louise Gluck - “On Impoverishment” (handout)
F. Scott Fitzgerald – “The Crack-Up” (handout)
Blog
Here is the new schedule, taking into account Monday's absence. And I've changed the reading - or actually,
Week 15
Monday December 1 First Draft of Personal Essay Due
Peer Review
Blog
Wednesday December 10 Second Draft of Personal Essay Due included in Final Portfolio
Week 16
Monday December 15 Portfolio Conferences
Final Portfolio Due
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16 comments:
Zach Kalatsky
In Praise of Shadows
Junichiro Tanizki
Tanizki begins by comparing the simplicity of a lit of bulb against the complexity of the hidden wiring. This set a plane for the rest of the essay to lay on.
Over the centuries, Japan has moved towards Eastern aesthetics and technology. Even the simple change of an inked brush to a pen has adjust the lives of the Japanese for better or worse.
Lighting is one of the problems written about in the essay. The way light illuminates it surroundings affects how objects are seen.
The Japanese were content with their surroundings and learned to live in the shadows rather than blot out the darkness with electricity.
While describing the light, Tanizaki speaks directly to the reader. "I wonder if my readers know the color of the darkness seen by candlelight."
Traditional light usage has vanished and wasteful western globalization has taken over. Bright lights destroy natures natural luminescence.
The essay is ended with a possible resolution of cordoning off an area where ways of the past are kept and lights will be used 'correctly'.
"In Praise of Shadows"
"[W]e Orientals tend to seek our satisfactions in whatever surroundings we happen to find ourselves, to content ourselves with things as they are; and so darkness causes us no discontent, we resign ourselves to it as inevitable. If light is scarce then light is scarce; we will immerse ourselves in the darkness and there discover its own particular beauty. But the progressive Westerner is determined always to better his lot. From candle to oil lamp, oil lamp to gaslight, gaslight to electric light—his quest for a brighter light never ceases, he spares no pains to eradicate even the minutest shadow." This is the very long quote that captured my attention most from this personal essay. Here is what i understand from it. The first part of the quote is basically saying that Oriental people who are also known as Asian people have the tendency to make the most of everything they have. What they are given is what they deal with and what they make the most out of. The example given in the quote is that if there is no light then there is no light, they will make it through the darkness and see the beeauty that even darkness had to offer. On the other hand there are the Westerners who are people from the West in this case meaning whites, that do not know how to nor do they want to give in to such discomforts and therefore are always on the search for bigger and better things. They are not the type of people to be satisfied with the cards they are dealt. They want the best of everything possible and they are willing to endure even pain to get to where they want to get.
"Seeing" by Annie Dillard
"Seeing" is a fascinating essay by Annie Dillard. She uses beautiful imagery to really give the reader a sense of what she is trying to show. I think the main point of Dillard's essay is to show that people usually don't appreciate the visual beauty of the things around them and often take them for granted. Annie shows the reader her love of nature by talking about things that might look ordinary to an average person but when you examine it, it becomes something extraordinarily beautiful. She says that beauty is all around us in nature, it is just a matter of keeping your eyes open and looking. I think this is a very good personal essay because not only is Dillard able to tell the reader about her love for nature, but she gives us insight into how she views the world. As I was reading, I felt like I was at the places she was describing and seeing those places through her eyes.
"Seeing" Annie Dillard
From the initial paragraph of this essay the speaker was able to grab the readers attention. By starting this essay with a memory of the speakers childhood, it allows the reader to feel as though they are remembering along with her. She continues throughout the essay to use vivid imagery to engage the reader. This imagery which Dillard creates make the reader appreciate they beautiful creatures and creations we as humans are able to experience and see. The constant references to nature, animals, sun sets and clouds allow the reader to feel as though they are able to see all of these images right in front of them as she is speaking. I think that Dillards technique of imagery increased the level of trust and the belief that this was a personal essay. Since the reader was able to see and unique aspect of the speakers views on the things she sees happening around her, I felt that I could trust what she was telling me because I was able to see things through her eyes. However, since what she was describing were things such as animals and nature, the speaker was simultaneously able to make this essay universally relatable. Everyone can remember at some point in their life seeing birds fly from a tree or can remember watching a beautiful sun set. She was able to show the reader how important our sight is to us on a daily basis and show us that there are certain things, like “seeing”, that we don’t appreciate because we may take simple things like looking at a picture or a caterpillar for granted. I really enjoyed reading this essay and I think that the way in which Dillard choose to write this essay was crucial to making this an interesting personal essay.
Kwong Ho Wai ( Gary )
"In Praise of Shadows" -by Junichiro Tanizaki
From the story told by Tanizaki, he was absolutely a insame people. He gave a full description of his house clearly, and his description was good enough made me feel I was really inside his house, however He stated he even couldn't accept the toilet to be made in porcelein, how crazy he was. But of course, this is the most successful element to be a personal essay, Yes, you did it. I know you are a crazy people now.
In another way to think about the meaning of this essay, Tanizaki discusses how Japanese live diferently from Westerners. I think it is all about the tradition and how people survive in the old days. In the past, basically, western countries dominated the world in many ways, such as military, technology or knowledge and so on. Asian countries like Japan, China are all rated as under-developed. As long as they were weak, they had to get used to the situation they had, thereby, if you do not try your best to work something out, you can not do it. Just like the bathroom example he mentioned, if you do not get used to go to the cold bathroom during the mid-night, do not drink down your soup in the dark, fine, get ready to wet your bed. And because of this, people in bad situation can always be stronger than people living in the greenhouse. Like you can not stay under sunlight for 10 hours while most 3rd World contries are still doing this at this moment.
After reading his essay, did you ever think you are spoiled too? The most important thing for personal essay is to let reader understand the writer's mind and take it to the next step, apply it to reader's mind to try to change their mind too, then this is a good personall essay.
Maria Molina
I agree wih Satwant when reading "seeing" by Annie Dillard, i think the author appreciates the little things that other people consider not so important but which are part of everyday life. I think that is very interesting how the author uses the birds, insects, trees and the solar system to express her experience in life. Dillard's personal essay is the perfect example of how her view about life could be universal since i personally realte to this way of thinking in details.
Seeing by Annie Dillard
This essay uses vision to connect with the reader. The essay starts off about saying that as a kid, she would make paths for people to follow, and at the end of the path there would be a penny. For everyone who saw that penny, it meant something different, because they saw it differently. Anne talks about nature, and the way you see it when standing still, but when moving closer to that object, everything changes, and you realize things that you wouldn't have noticed before, such as the birds on the branch of the tree. Anne tries to give a exact image of what she saw when she was looking at the trees, if when she was looking at the stream, to give you a sense of what she was feeling at that moment. She also talks about how important sight is in the sense of seeing things that you would not have realized before.
Erika Matos
erikammatos@gmail.com
“In Praise of Shadows”
The word “vision” can mean several things. In different contexts, it can refer to the ability to see, or foresight as to what the future may hold, along with a plethora of other meanings. Junichiro Tanizaki’s “In Praise of Shadows” uses vision in both of these senses. Not only does the author discuss aesthetic beauty, comparing Eastern and Western ideals, but he also mentions what he thinks the future holds in store for his country. Both definitions are important to the personal essay. Seeing, the sense of vision, and being able to appreciate what one sees is a quality that a majority of people can relate to. In the personal essay, the author tries to establish a relationship with the audience, and Tanizaki does this by discussing all of the consideration that goes into making one’s ideal home, which, in this case, is a traditional Japanese house. He describes how hard it can be to make design decisions, which is something that many homeowners can relate to. In terms of foresight, Tanizaki believes that although many things have been lost in the transition from old to new, there is hope in the future (361). Although his essay can be read as a critique of Western influence and the effects of the Meiji Restoration, the author chooses to end his piece in a hopeful and optimistic manner. As a result of this, the reader is not caught in the author’s critique, but rather gets advice as a result of his vision. As a result of vision, the reader has a closer bond with the author, which helps make it an effective personal essay.
"Seeing" -Annie Dillard
Annie Dillard is such a beautiful writer. Her essay on "seeing" reminded me of my childhood. The most simplest things in life are right in front of your face but people ignore them because they see past "it". She brilliantly describes scenery with such detail and feeling that you can actually see the picture she is painting for the reader's mind.
One section actually cut close to home. Dillard describes going to visit her aunt and uncle in Wyoming and how a simple drawing of a horse set her apart from her cousins. Because of, maybe growing up in the city she never really knew what a horse looked like, therefore wasn't able to draw them properly. She was made fun of but you could help but sympathize with her it you grew up in the city.
The most beautiful things is life are there if you look closely enough. She couldn't have stressed that enough in this essay, and i would have to agree.
Taylor Crabill
"Seeing" Annie Dillard
I thought that this essay was interesting. Dillard made this essay relatable with the subject of seeing. Dillard made it easy to imagine what it would be like to see through her eyes and to understand how it made her feel. For example when she saw the tree witht the lights on it you could understand how much that menat to her because of the way that it was described. Also through her describtion you could understand what a person who was seeing for the first time felt and how they reacted to what they saw. For example when Dillard tells the story of the girl who first opened her eyes after surgury and then closed them for two weeks I could imagine how overwhelming that must have been. I thought that this describtion was an important part of the personal essay because it helped me understand better what the people feeling.
In Praise of Shadows.
This obviously is a personal essay. The writer Tanizaki wrote a lot personal opinions on how the house should be build, and the way he preferred. The detail was very specific about every single detail he wanted. From the material of the whole house to the design of the bathroom. The writer is very traditional Japanese, that he wanted everything to be perfectly fitted as the old japanese style. However, he is too specific which already reached the level which is kind of picky. He wanted everything to be perfect. The essay is successful because the writer used his own thought and ideas, and comparing with other people's thoughts. It seems very realistic to me.
"Seeing" by Annie Dillard
I believe that Dillard is trying to get the reader to see what she sees. She describes her experiences in such vivid detail it is almost as if you can imagine yourself in her position. She repeatedly states in various ways that we have to keep our eyes open in order to appreciate what is around us. We have to open up and literally look around to see and to appreciate. You almost want to immediately find trust in because it is so clear and so innocent. This is an ideal personal essay. She switches between the universal- talking about topics that most people can relate to and then switching back to her personal experiences that apply to those topics. Overall in the essay the reader feels that they are right there beside her and that they are seeing what she is seeing.
In Praise of Shadows
Junichiro Tanizki
I know its late, but I would like to give my 2 cents. I really enjoyed this personal essay because it talked about simple things but in great details. Also it makes people realize that the world is moving away from the traditional ways and in to the "westernize". It is really sad to me, that the world is moving in a direction where our customs are outdated and it is replaced by a more “efficient” one. The author also writes a great deal about the lighting and how it effects the image we perceive it. I think that this is very true, in my opinion. Some things just are not the same in a bright room where the light becomes the center of attention. Sometimes the light has to be toned down to truly see the real beauty of your surroundings .
In his essay "In Praise of Shadows" Tanizaki expresses the general idea that beauty is sometimes harder to see than we think and that sometimes it is found in the most unlikely places. He starts out by describing how he chose to design his house and how he tried to keep his style as traditional Japanese as possible. He then goes into detail about things that Americans don't really consider beautiful, but that his culture appreciates. Finally, he finishes by saying that he hopes sometimes people will be abloe to turn off the lights and still be able to appreciate beauty without them
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