Today we reviewed the short story: The Dance Boots. In groups students developed a character analysis of the protagonist Artense. Post a reflection on the discussion process at the link for the assignment. Also post the group narrative there along with everyone in the group's name.
Other homework is to read: Three Seasons and the first section of The Portable Guide (1-42). Don't forget to annotate the selections. I let you go early by mistake--don't worry, it won't happen again (smile).
If there are any questions, call me (smile).
5 comments:
Alexander Jung
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 201 B
31 August 2011
Dance Boots Discussion Recap
I found that the way the discussion process for what the class did for the story “The Dance Boots” was very informative and a good way to go over the important aspects of the story. It was interesting how we split the discussion into 3 parts. First we talked as a whole class which was then followed up by breaking up into small groups. We then came back as a class to listen to narratives. I found this method to be pretty useful and it allowed the different groups to hear what the others had to say. Now the way the discussion was being led was methodical. By opening the discussion with going over the main characters it made it easier to transition into the other points of the story such as where the story took place, the plot, and the significance of the events and interactions within the plot. With the information we got as a whole class it made the discussion in small groups a whole lot easier which made coming up with a group narrative not too difficult.
Now my thought on the narrative part of the discussion is that it went pretty well. Although all the groups came up with the main points, it was nice to see the variation in how people wrote their narratives. Some groups used quotes from the story while others recalled an event that took place. Incorporating quotes and examples from the story are important and being able to hear them used in a narrative reminded me to make sure to use examples in upcoming writings.
With all that being said, I think the process in how we do discussion on a story is fine.
Jacqueline Diulio
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 210 B
31 August 2011
Dance Boots Response
The in class discussion of "The Dance Boots," by Linda Legarde Grover, was very useful because it helped the class comprehend the characters of the story. Hearing everyone's individual narrative on Artense, the main character, gave me a better understanding of the story. Each narrative pointed out an overlooked detail of the story that was missed by the previous group. All of these presentations combined gave a great overview of the story and its characters making the stories much more enjoyable.
Nick Malecek
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B 9-9:50am
31 August 2011
Our group consisted of:
-Myself (Nick Malecek)
-Al Stabler
-Jay Vargas
Our group found the discussion to be very beneficial to understanding the more profound intricacies of Artense' character. Many of the more obvious aspects of the story and of Artense such as age, setting, and plot were similar or identical to what we wrote. But what stood out was the interpretive views of the class. The interpretations of the different groups brought up ideas that we hadn't thought of.
We started out with a list. These were the more obvious details:
Artense:
-Main Character
-Mid-thirties
-Mother of two girls
-Native American
-Married
-Born around 1950, so story may take place in the late 1970's
-Community College Student
-Concerned with other's opinions
-Recovering alcoholic
Deeper in the story, we found Artense to be more of an introspective person. She's a listener and a watcher. And although she would get "caught up" in a sense with daily responsibilities, sometimes thinking "about not picking up the telephone" when her aunt Shirly called, she would always make time to listen. This curiosity may be a result of her relatively sheltered childhood. In her own words, Artense was "protected from the sorrows of the past by its invisible swaddling". This perhaps created a void in her life that she subconsciously longed to complete. During the broad time period that her aunt Shirley divulges their family story, Artense wonders why her aunt chose her to tell this story. It very well may be the other way around. Artense chose the story.
Tia Gangopadhyay
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 201 B 9-10:50 AM
31 August 2011
I thoroughly enjoyed our discussion last class as I got the opportunity to hear different perspectives from my classmates on “The Dance Boots.” I particularly liked the emphasis of learning by rote versus learning by heart and the interpretation made by one group on how Aunt Shirley prepared Artense for life by teaching her about her culture.
Our group came up with the following character profile:
Artense begins her narrative as a thirty plus woman living in Mesabi with her husband, Stan, and her two daughters, Anjeni and Michelle. She is a member of the Ojibwe tribe. At the beginning of the story, Artense has a very low self-esteem, primarily because of her husband’s critical attitude of her. In order to prove her self-worth, she works a series of jobs; at the hospital switchboard, at the drugstores and sometimes even at the concession stand at the movies. In addition to working, she is also taking history and biology classes at a community college. She begins the narrative as an alcoholic, mainly because she wants to drown her sorrows. She spends her days and nights on the run. Her mother’s name is Patsy and her father’s name is Buster. Artense does relatively well in her classes, receiving an A on a test. She wants to be an associate of the arts. By the end of her narrative, Artense develops into a self-confident woman aware of her culture. She is a grandmother now, having taught her children and her grandchildren about her culture and immersed them in such a way that they are participating in a powwow with her. She has gained her husband’s respect as well.
In the start of her narrative, Artense describes how in the Ojibwe culture, the people believe that God gives everyone a talent and each person is supposed to contribute that talent to the world (Grover 1). By the end of the narrative, Artense has matured and developed and finally realized her true talent at teaching her culture and passing on her tradition. That is her gift and that is what she contributes to the world. Similarly, in the start of the narrative she mentions how she learns by rote and remembers by heart (Grover 1). She finally has an epiphany at the powwow as an older woman “and now it is this moment, another of the many so unexpectedly profound that they turn instantly tangible, another moment that I learn by rote and remember by heart” (Grover 19). This shows her dramatic growth and her true personal development.
Our group consisted of:
Hsiaolin
Angela Stokes
Michael Nickaloff
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 201 B
31 August 2011
Dance Boots Discussion Recap
The process of getting into small groups and profiling the short story "The Dance Boots" was in a number of ways more effective than having a class-wide discussion. I was able to ask the other members in our group questions about specific parts of the story which I hadn't interpreted as intended by the author. I feel that I learned more by working together with my classmates.
Specifically for me, the story touched on a few soft subjects. There have been a number cancer-related deaths amongst my family and friends. Even my girlfriend, who was only 23, passed away because of cancer. Reading the story brought up a whole bunch of bad memories, and I was not able to pay much attention to the details. While profiling the story in a small group, I was able to clarify some of the small details in the story, thus helping me to create a better understanding of the characters and plot. I doubt that the original method of writing on the whiteboard and asking individual students questions one-by-one would have yielded very many positive learning experiences. In my opinion, Professor Wanda Sabir made a wise choice by breaking down the class.
Post a Comment