Wednesday-Thursday students will present the papers they wrote in class today. Presentations need not be overly long. I think 5-10 minutes is sufficient.
It is the quality of the presentation that counts, not the length. Students are to bring a copy of the abstract to class, with enough copies for everyone, 21 should cover it. You cannot read the paper--no exceptions. You cannot read your paper from a PowerPoint presentation either. I will stop you. Make sure you rehearse what you plan to say at least once before tomorrow morning. It will make the actual presentation a lot smoother. We are going to ask you questions. This will be in addition to the 5-10 minutes. We will also take time to give you written comments on the abstract.
This is what students do when defending their doctoral thesis. We are serious.
You are defending your thesis or argument. State your thesis and then begin to provide evidence which supports or proves it. It should be fun. You can't fail, well maybe one could --fail, that is, but it would be mighty hard.
If you have a poem, you might want to give us a copy or use a projector so we can follow along. We will meet in A-232 at 8 AM both days. We will use a classroom located inside the larger lab for the presentations. I don't have a podium, just thought about it (smile). Maybe we can borrow one.
We will sign up first come first choice. If we finish with all the presentations in one day, then the final class will be spent working on portfolios and revisions.
Though students can toss one paper, excluding the one written today, all papers have to have a passing grade. C- is not a passing grade. As my grades are not due until next week, if students want to take the weekend to better prepare their portfolios, they are due at the latest Monday, August 1, 2011, at 8 AM.
Post self-reflections here and reflections and comments on classmate's presentation. Everyone should post his or her abstract here as well. If there isn't enough space for a comment and the abstract to share the same post, post multiple times.
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Ricardo Antonio Chavarria
Professor Sabir
English 1B
27 July 2011
Final Essay Presentations
Today’s presentations were interesting and very informative. I learned about various themes, topics and how some of them affect our lives. Most of the presentations today raised interesting discussions about the internet, gangs, immigration, and the various issues that are going on in other countries. The discussions we had after each presentation kept me engaged in the class. The fact that some of the discussions went on a bit too long are indicative of the good choice of topic and argument of the presenters. Two of the presentations I found most interesting were the ones on the internet and immigration. I also remember reading the book Always Running in tenth grade.
B.P
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
27 July 2011
Abstract -
This presentation will go over the topic of the Ineffable Theory and its appearance in Indivisible. The Ineffable Theory was created by the poet and article writer Peter Kivy, and his theory states that poetic meaning is best expressed through poetry because it provides the poet with hidden knowledge of the true meaning of the poem, allowing wide interpretation of the poem. The main topic of the presentation is meaning under the poem, and how this underlying meaning looks beyond what is written. Even though everyone's perspective on a particular poem may differ greatly, it is the act of looking beyond what is on the page of the poem that provides the readers with diverse interpretations. Looking at Peter Lamarque's article “The Elusiveness of Poetic Meaning” and the poems of Indivible, the presentation will go into the Ineffable Theory and what it looks like in poetry. In the end, the Ineffable Theory will prove that there is bigger meaning underneath the face value of the poem. By using the theory when looking at poetry, it will provide an easier look at the meaning of poetry and how this meaning drives the poet to write their poems.
Self-Reflections -
Doing the presentation without notecards to guide you along the presentation is difficult because there is just so many ideas that you have in your presentation that it is hard to touch on all of them while staying in the timeframe, but I felt my presentation was good on staying within the timeframe. Presenting my essay and ideas to the class was an interesting feeling because we've only shared our individual essays with a small group of people, but today we shared our essays to the entire class who is also paying close attention to it, so it was like presenting an idea to a reviewer group.
Ricardo Antonio Chavarria
Professor Sabir
English 1B
28 July 2011
Staying Alive
The focus of my presentation is on the topic of death. For my essay and presentation guide I chose a poem called Death by Thomas Hood. Like love, death is a recurring theme in books, film, songs, poems, and other artistic mediums. There are several reasons for why we fear death, whether it is fear of hell, leaving people behind, the unknown, or having no accomplishments in life. Death is something unique in that it can’t really be studied because no one has come back from the dead to share their findings. What is death? Is it the end of our time on earth or can it be something else? Hood’s poem goes beyond the scientific definition of death. In just fourteen lines, Hood’s summarizes the best parts of life, reminding us of why most of us cherish life, he also establishes what death really is.
Joanna Louie
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
27 July 2011
Abstract:
All But Blind – Walter De la Mare
Thesis: By describing three common animals, this poem reevaluates the perspective you have towards other people, especially their emotions.
“And blind as are/ These three to me/So blind to someone/I must be” (13-16).
Just as animals are blind of some things, we are blind to other people at times. For example, the children working in factories in Indonesia, we see what is going on, we hear about what is going on, but ultimately, we do not understand what we see—and in that sense—we are blind.
This blindness is universal, and even with our full vision we are blinded by the truths that are out there in front of us everyday.
Self-Reflection:
Presenting in front of the class went well today. I feel like I could have done a little better, but I did the best I could—I tried. The poem I chose has a really deep meaning behind it and I hope my classmates understood this message as well as I did. I got some constructive criticism back and will apply these tips to the next presentation I make.
Class Presentations:
All of the topics that were presented today were very intriguing, genres of writing from poems to novels to articles. All of the topics were well presented and interesting—the class enjoyed them. There were a lot of questions asked and good discussions after many presentations. I enjoyed hearing about immigration and gang and also really liked Gerardo’s presentation on “You and I”. The book he passed around was filled with vivid images, beautiful poems and great quotes; it is possibly a book I will buy. I am curious to hear the topics students discuss during tomorrow’s presentations.
Joanna Louie
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
28 July 2011
Presentations Day Two:
Like yesterday, today’s presentations went well. The discussions after each presentation were not as long, but each topic was interesting and well presented—good job. All of the presentations were good but three stood out to me: Daniel’s, Trang’s, and Michelle’s. Daniel, I really enjoyed how you challenged yourself by studying queer theory in Scott Fitzgerald’s text. I remember reading “The Great Gatsby” in 11th grade and it was my favorite novel that year. Now I am interested to also reread “The Great Gatsby” and see how the queer theory was used. Trang, the graphic novel you chose was interesting. I had the opportunity to flip through the pages of the book and it resembles “Persepolis”. By your presentation, the novel sounds like an interesting read with an exciting storyline. Michelle, I think it is really fascinating how your friend is a poet. It is neat how you have the opportunity to first analyze a poem yourself and then after talk to the poet to compare the poem’s actual meaning. Everyone interprets text differently and the actual message the author intends to tell may get lost in translation.
Daniel Lu
Professor Sabir
English 1B
28 July 2011
Abstract
For my essay, I focused on doing a queer theory reading of The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I wanted to try and find evidence in the text relevant to any character’s actions and behavior that could be interpreted as queer, evidence that could cause the reader to view the character as having homosexual tendencies as opposed to the heterosexual nature the author bestowed upon them. After reading The Great Gatsby, I was able to find ample evidence of underlying homosexual characteristics in many of the book’s characters, choosing to focus on the characters of Nick Carraway, the protagonist, and Jordan Baker, a famous female tennis player affiliated with Nick.
For Nick, many of his actions suggest the existence of his latent homosexuality, namely his relationship with a photograph Mr. McKee and his relationship with Jordan Baker. In one scene, after he and Mr. McKee drink copious amounts of liquor, Nick is described as standing by Mr. McKee’s bedside undressed. The narration of the events by Nick is abruptly cut off and resumes later hours later. This gap in narration is suspicious due to previous mention of an attraction to Mr. McKee and the fact that Nick is usually a reliable narrator. Nick’s relationship with Jordan is also evidence of his homosexuality because he is attracted to her masculine features. There is a passage where he describes a “moustache of perspiration” as her main attractive feature, a typically male feature (Fitzgerald 65).
For Jordan Baker, her position in society, disinterest in men, and relationship with Nick is evidence of her homosexuality. Her position as a golfer, then a male dominated sport, and her gender ambiguous name set her apart from every other female character, making her almost a male in a female body. She is disinterested in men, her only relationship which she cherishes being the one with Nick. Her relationship with Nick isn’t even a romantic one. It is a relationship of fellow homosexuals hiding together from the view of a forbidding society, alleged to by a cryptic response from Jordan stating that she and Nick are one and the same.
Daniel Lu
Professor Sabir
English 1B
28 July 2011
Self Reflection
Before today's presentation, I had rehearsed several times using the old look in the mirror trick. However, at home I couldn't stop walking around and losing my train of thought so when I had to present first today I was VERY nervous. Despite the butterflies in my stomach, everything went better than expected. I thought I enunciated well and expressed my ideas clearly, but that what it seemed to me. How it was for the class I have no idea. A big lesson I learned from this presentation is to slow down. It seemed as if I finished really quickly, a lot faster than everyone else's presentation. (Maybe I waved my hands around too much but I don't know if I can stop myself next time.)
Ricardo Antonio Chavarria
Professor Sabir
English 1B
28 July 2011
Today’s presentations:
I think today’s presentations were pretty good. I liked the interpretations of some of the poems by the presenters. Some of the people did a great job of summarizing the stories, sharing their opinions on their texts, and defending those opinions. The people who presented without any visual or auditory gave pretty good presentations as well; I could not imagine doing a presentation without the help of PowerPoint. Some of my favorite presentations were the Maya Angelou poem and the poem on loss.
Self-reflection:
To prepare for my presentation I made a couple notes and presented to my family. My presentation went better than I thought. I good the majority of the points I wanted to make across. I felt like I stumbled around a bit and repeated myself a couple of times, but other than that everything else went well. I’m glad that my presentation gave rise to the discussion of the brain and the heart, we could have discussed the topic for a bit longer but time was running out.
B.P
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
28 July 2011
Comments -
All the presentations were very good, everyone put a lot of work into their projects by putting in sildeshows, youtube clips, and examples. What made the presentations exciting was that many people wrote about topics that related to them, like Trang and the book she presented where she related her life to what the entire book. Virgil also connected himself to the poem he presented, and this made him interested on the topic and helped him present his presentation in a more excited way. The topics were all different so it made listening to the presentations a learning process.
Shipra Pathak
Professor Sabir
English 1B
29 July 2011
Shades of Loss - Abstract
Loss is a personal experience, and it affects each of us differently. Similarly, the two poems, “Time Does Not Bring Relief” by Edna Millay and “Gouge, Adze, Rasp, Hammer” by Chris Forhan share a common theme of loss, but both represent different perspectives. Millay’s poem talks about how time does not heal the pain of losing a beloved, where as the poem by Forhan discusses that initially it does hurt to lose a loved one, but life moves on and we get over with it. In both of the poems, poets use different literary devices, such as diction, imagery, tone to portray the speaker’s feelings on the loss. When juxtaposing the two poems, the reader can clearly tell that the two poems illuminate different views on the same topic.
Shipra Pathak
Professor Sabir
English 1B
29 July 2011
Final Presentations.
Final Essay Presentations were really interesting and informative. From both presentation days, I got to learn about so many different novels, movies, characters and poems. I really liked how everyone presented their essays. The class engaged into really interesting discussions after few presentations. I was fascinated with Mohammad Ali’s world’s smallest poem, Me WEEE. I enjoyed all presentation, but I really liked Trang Trans’s presentation based on a graphic, Vietnamerica: a Family’s Journey, and Sherros’s presentation on Secret life of Bees. The stories touched my heart, and I am going to read both of these novels. Thanks to all for sharing their essays, it really added to my knowledge.
Shipra Pathak
Professor Sabir
English 1B
29 July 2011
Final Presentations: Self-Reflection.
My presentation went well and according to the feedback, my classmates were able to follow throughout my presentation. I was satisfied with my presentation, however, I think I should incorporate more audience participation to keep them interested and engaged. Also, I should try to make my presentation more flawless.
Alex Lam
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
28 July 2011
Abstract:
“The Walking Stick”, from the novelist Marcel Ayme, is a short story of a defunct uncle’s walking stick and its extraordinary power on the maneuverer. The father, Monsieur Sorbier, is tempted to use it but his wife opposes it. Stubborn as a mule, Sorbier takes the stick out of the closet and utilizes it to establish his authority in the house and the outside world. However, as he discovers his own inability to properly hold the stick, it becomes apparent that he has no realistic appeal with the object in hand, and that the real head of the family really is Mathilde Sorbier. The author uses the walking stick, which is a symbol of male power and powerlessness, to indicate two power reversals that occur in the story and to highlight the notion that power is ephemeral and lost through struggle and conflict.
Self-Reflection:
I don’t think I did well. I usually get scared when presenting in front of a class. I am not a good speaker: I just fear that I will make a fool of myself. At least, I said what I wanted to tell the class so I think it was okay. I tried and that’s all that matters to me. Hopefully, after 3 more years of college, I will be a better speaker.
Class Presentations:
All presentations were great! I really liked Stephanie’s: it was interesting and we all asked a lot of questions. Geraldo’s presentation was also really inspiring. Some others did not interest me as much for some reasons but I still liked them all. I wish we had more time to prepare though, but we all tried our best.
Sharron Dawkins
Professor Sabir
English 1B
27 July 2011
Abstract
My review of the novel The Secret Lives of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd, will focus on the Black Madonna as it is a subtle yet reoccurring theme throughout the story. The Madonna is said to have originated out of Egyptian mythology as a Goddess of Motherhood, however, others have said it is really a wood carving of the original virgin Mary that over time has darken; in either case neither has been proven. In the story, the Madonna is an important focal point for women, and provides a source of strength through adversities.
Discovering a paper bag, Lily finds the last traces of her mother. Among the items, and most mysterious, is a wooden picture of a Black Madonna with and inscription on the back, “Tiburon S.C.”. Filled with question about the connection between her mother and the picture, Lily sets out on a quest of discovery, and to find peace and forgiveness; as she carries the burdened of her mother’s death. Little does Lily know that the Madonna is leading her to more than she could ever hope to find?
Sharron Dawkins
Professor Sabir
English 1B
29 July 2011
Self Reflection
Thursday’s presentation was a little well. In hind sight I probably could have chosen a topic that required less research. The genre of choice, The Secret Life of Bees had several symbolic choices, and trying to narrow my topic down was not as easy as I thought it would be. Over all I think I did alright, however, if I have to give another presentation, I will choose a topic I feel more confident with.
Class Presentations:
I found all the topics presented to be interesting, some more than others; however they all were very unique. I thought the topic on “dependence on the internet” was really good and prompted a lot of class discussion as well as the topic of “gangs” was also interesting. Also the presentation on “Loss” gave me something to think about. One thing was very clear with each presentation, when each student was asked what made them choose their particular topic; their conviction behind their chosen topic was very strong. It was apparent they felt passionate about their subject.
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