FINAL PAPER DUE TODAY MONDAY 12/9

NO CLASS NEXT WEEK

ALL GRADES WILL BE POSTED BY THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK.

Prof. O'Connell

Outside Sources and Vale

Consumer culture:
http://www.libraryindex.com/pages/126/American-Consumer.html

http://teachingamericanhistorymd.net/000001/000000/000129/html/t129.html

http://www.albany.edu/jmmh/vol1no1/peiss-text.html

http://www.libraryindex.com/pages/1305/American-Consumer-RISE-CONSUMER-CULTURE.html

Violence:
http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/teaching/eecd/Learning%20Environments/Health%20and%20Safety/edudev_art_00107_072305.html

http://chronicle.uchicago.edu/961205/violence.shtml

http://www.research.vt.edu/resmag/sc99/media_violence.html

Identity:
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/identity/

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/focus-forgiveness/201212/who-are-you

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/insight-therapy/201309/your-happiness-and-health-dont-belong-you

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/sold/201309/we-are-what-we-consume

Follow this link and create an account (it is free) so you have access to the database (it contains many, many outside sources):

http://www.valenj.org/

FINAL PAPER DRAFT DUE NEXT MONDAY (NOV. 25)

FINAL PAPER DRAFT DUE NEXT MONDAY (NOV. 25)

If you do not hand in a draft next week, hand in your final draft on Dec. 9th

3 PAGES

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 Papers that do not quote outside sources or the text will not pass.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

 

4)       Explore how deceiving appearances played a role in “Lola.” What did the main character decide about Lola based solely on her appearance? How does this turn out for him? See the class blog for sources on deceiving appearances.

 

5)       Explore the role of obsession in “Lola.” The main character clearly had an unhealthy obsession with Lola and it got him in a lot of trouble. Use outside sources to define his obsession.

 

6)       Stereotyping and profiling played a role on ‘A Bag For Nicholas,” explain how the main character falls victim to this profiling and use the sources on the blog to define what “If you see something, say something” is supposed to do to keep people safe.

More Fight Club for Final Paper

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

This podcast speaks about the novel Fight Club and its impact on culture. Skip to about the 39 minute mark:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/ttbook

Click on the one entitled "Film and Philosophy"

The below link will take you to Google Scholar's links for Fight Club:

http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=fight+club&btnG=&hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C31

Fight Club

Interview 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

"Lola" and "A Bag for Nicholas"

Deceiving Appearances

http://www.personal-development.com/chuck/appearances.htm

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23645413

http://invisibledisabilities.org/educate/invisibleawareness/lookscanbedeceiving/

Immigration

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2013/11/jersey_city_touts_first_in_state_immigration_affairs_department.html

http://blog.nj.com/njv_guest_blog/2013/11/immigration_debate_can_learn_f.html

If you see something, say something

http://www.dhs.gov/if-you-see-something-say-something%E2%84%A2-campaign

http://ifyouseesomething.org/





Obsession

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/happiness-in-world/201004/obsession

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/lets-connect/200910/obsessions-small-and-monstrous

http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/108647/psychology/the_psychology_surrounding_obsessive_personalities.html

New Jersey Noir

http://oneminutebookreviews.wordpress.com/2012/08/12/new-jersey-noir-taking-the-final-exit-in-the-garden-state/

http://www.thewhitonline.com/?p=27451

http://www.nj.com/gloucester-county/towns/index.ssf/2011/11/award-winning_author_visits_gl.html

ESSAY TWO DUE MONDAY NOV. 11

ENG 215

Essay 2

Due Monday November 11^th

3 pages

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

Some sources can be found on the class blog: english215fall13.blogspot.com/

1>    We have discussed the impact of the assembly line and the development of the automobile on the life of Americans at the time of Ragtime.  Using examples from the text and from other outside sources explain how these two developments changed America. (You can write about both or just one of them)

2>    The characters in Ragtime all lived through a time of great change and turmoil in America. Pick one of the main characters and explain how he or she dealt with that change. Consider how their social standing helped or hurt their ability to change.

3>    Use examples from the text and outside sources to discuss the appeal of Harry Houdini.

4>    Take a closer look at the sections where Freud is present and do some research into how he felt about America at the time of his visit . Just be sure to include examples from the primary texts as well.

5>    What role does race play in the novel? Obviously this is a big question but try to narrow it down to a few examples to illuminate this very large issue.

 

 

 

·         Make sure you quote and cite TWO OUTSIDE SOURCES and Ragtime.

·         Be sure to include a Works Cited oage.

·         Do not start or end a paragraph with a quote:

o   Your words

o   Quote

o   Your words

·         DO NOT TELL ME WHAT HAPPENS IN THE NOVEL, STICK TO YOUR THESIS AND TELL ME WHY THINGS HAPPEN.

·         Read over your work or better yet have someone else read over it for you!

·         Bring your work to the Learning Center.

·         Hand in the paper when it is due (NEXT MONDAY) so you can take advantage of improving your grade.

MLA Help WIth Papers

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

The above link will help you with any formating questions with your paper.

http://www.dustball.com/cs/plagiarism.checker/

The above link will help check your paper for plagiarism.

Is his novel the Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald creates Gatsby as a character who becomes great. He begins life as just an ordinary, lower-class, citizen. But Gatsby has a dream of becoming wealthy. After meeting Daisy, he has a reason to strive to become prominent. Throughout his life, Gatsby gains the title of truly being great.

Even before Gatsby is introduced, he is hinted at being out of the ordinary. The first evidence of this is when Nick says, "Gatsby turned out all right at the end." (2) Nothing was known about Gatsby at the time and Nick is already saying Gatsby was okay. There's a air of mysteriousness surrounding Gatsby. Everyone knows of him, but no one knows who he really is or where he comes from. Even at our first glance of Gatsby, he's reaching out for something only he can see.

Plug this above passage in to the dustball link to see how it works.

Assembly Line 100th Anniversary Article

Assembly Line 100th Anniversary Article

http://www.nydailynews.com/autos/ford-assembly-line-turns-100-changed-society-article-1.1478331

http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2013/10/07/todays-ford-plant-starkly-different.html

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/fords-assembly-line-turns-100-how-it-really-put-the-world-on-wheels-feature

This article discusses how the industrial revolution changed the average American's way of life:

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/work/articles/030224/24lede.htm

More Ragtime

Assembly Line:

http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/ford.htm

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/fords-assembly-line-starts-rolling

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/dt13as.html

Industrial Revolution:

http://www.history.com/topics/industrial-revolution

http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&q=development+of+unions+during+the+industrial+revolution&btnG=&as_sdt=1%2C31&as_sdtp=

Ragtime and Houdini

NYTimes review of Ragtime:

http://www.nytimes.com/1975/07/08/books/doctorow-ragtime.html?_r=0

More Articles:
http://observer.com/1998/03/hey-grandpa-was-rightdoctorow-stole-ragtime/


Bio of author:
http://www.notablebiographies.com/newsmakers2/2007-Co-Lh/Doctorow-E-L.html

Interview with author;
http://weberstudies.weber.edu/archive/archive%20B%20Vol.%2011-16.1/Vol.%2011.1/11.1Wutz.htm

This is a program from a version of the musical that offers a good amount of background info:
http://www.pcs.org/assets/uploads/resource-guides/ResourceGuide-Ragtime.pdf







Harry Houdini info:

http://www.biography.com/people/harry-houdini-40056







Ellis Island:

http://ellisisland.org/

http://www.ellisisland.org/photoalbums/ellis_island_photo_album.asp

Essay 1

ENG 215             Essay 1                                                                               Due Monday Oct 21

LATE PAPERS DO NOT GET REVISION AND LOSE POINTS

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

Refer to the class blog for outside source info: english215fall13.blogspot.com/

ONLY RELIABLE SOURCES!

Pick ONE of the essay topics below for your paper.

3-4 pages

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

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 what 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.      Explain the relationship between Jinx in “Live For Today” and the victims that come into the morgue. Why does she seem to relate so well to them? What about her past makes her so sympathetic towards these people? Use examples from the texts along with outside sources (links about identity on blog) to support your thesis.

7.      There are a number of links on the blog that discuss the issues Newark faces as a city; use two of them as outside sources and make connections to the situations we see in “New Day Newark.” Use examples from the texts along with outside sources to support your thesis.

"Live For Today" and "New Day Newark"

Below is the graffiti that inspired the title of "Live For Today." I believe it has since been erased and is no longer visible but you used to be able to see on the PATH train between Newark and Journal Square.


This link below has a wide variety of articles on how we construct identity. 

www.psychologytoday.com/basics/identity

Here are some links that discuss crime in Newark:

http://money.cnn.com/gallery/real_estate/2013/01/23/dangerous-cities/6.html

http://www.politifact.com/new-jersey/statements/2013/aug/25/steve-lonegan/cory-booker-has-overseen-five-years-row-increases-/

http://www.areavibes.com/newark-nj/crime/

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/01/gang_violence_on_par_with_viol.html

http://www.policymic.com/articles/22686/america-s-10-deadliest-cities-2012

This article discusses Cory Booker who is not directly mentioned in "New Day Newark" but he is eluded to:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/04/cory-booker-newark-crime_n_3870508.html

More Gatsby

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

Fitzgerald and The Great Gatsby

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:

More Gatsby

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