Hi Everyone--Hope you are enjoying the beginning of your Easter / Passover Break.
Here are instructions so that you are ready to work on your writer after the break.
1. Read "Green" by Patricia Engel, "I Stand Here Ironing" by Tillie Olson and "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker.
2. Choose any one of the writers we have read so far, including the three above whose work we will discuss during the week after the break.
3. Find additional information about the writer you have chosen: interviews, biography, website.
4. Write a blog in which you tell your classmates and me why you have chosen this writer, what interests you most about her and her theme(s). Include in your blog at least one source and a brief description of what you learned about the writer through your research.
That's all!
Please post by Tuesday April 2 so I have time to review your posts and so you can see what others have found.
You may write about character, setting, point of view, symbolism, or theme. We will discuss possibilities on April 4. Basically I will ask you to make a claim (thesis) and support it with evidence from the text. Review, if you wish, "Anatomy of an Essay" on page 10 of your coursepak.
I have completely fell in love with Patricia Engel, and her form of writing I have actually read some of her other work like parts of “Vida” and of “It’s not love”. She’s a very creative writer and writes about things that I can relate to in life. For example in Green she speaks about the issues a teenage faces when in school the hard topic of weight, not looking right. Being too tall, too thin, not rich, too rich, nerd, ect. Here writing keeps me grounded and actually allows me to open up my mind and see the same issues in a different perspective. One thing I learned about Patricia Engel from her website l is that she actually a Hispanic writer her parents are Colombian and she was raised in New Jersey. She earned her undergraduate degree at NYU, and her MFA at Florida International University. She even teaches a creative writing class at the University of Miami. I find that completely cool she’s so successful and her writing shows her passion for career. I’m looking forward to doing more research on her and hopefully reading both “Vida” and “ It’s not love” in full by the end of this semester.
ReplyDeletei have actually found many website articles and interview with her. I am looking forward to doing more research on her and find out many more interesting things about her life as a writer.
Stefany--your posting makes me so happy that I kept Engel's story in our syllabus. I have only read "vida" and am interested in learning more about this writer--you have found out a lot which you can share with us--and I agree that she really has a way of making us remember what it was like to be a certain age and feel a certain way about the body!
DeleteI'm interested in doing some research of Kate Chopin because have read a book of hers "The awakening", and I believe it was an interesting book and would like to know some more information about her and about her other works. I enjoyed reading Desiree's Baby" and "Story of An Hour" both of the works had many different symbolism that relate to the story. I found that she has her own website with a list of her different works and also some biography about her life.On the website there was also some Q&A about her that I believe is relevant to write the paper about her.
ReplyDeleteYelena--Great that you have read "The Awakening." In each of the stories we discussed and also in that novel, a female protagonist feels trapped by patriarchal codes. Do share with your classmates what you found on her website that you think is interesting, relevant to our discussion.
DeleteI am absolutely interested in doing reasearch about Alice Walker. I loved her well-known novel, "The Color Purple" and its play on broadway. I also enjoyed reading "Everyday Use" because Walker uses descriptive words to paint vivid pictures. She differentiates each character's personality, especially Dee and Maggie. This connects to the themes of racism and oppression. On her official website, alicewalkersgarden.com, I liked the fact that Alice Walker has been a passionate Human Rights activist throughout her entire adult life. I definitely intend to learn more information about this amazing author.
ReplyDeleteI love Walker too Brianna--her activism has been about female genital mutilation (among other things) and a famous book she wrote about this is called "Possessing the Secret of Joy." There are also a number of short story collections. You might find another story to compare or you might just write about characters in this story ("Everyday Use") and compare to "The Color Purple"...
DeleteMy favorite short story was "Boys and Girls" by Alice Munro. She was born in Wingham, Canada. Munro writes Fiction books and short stories. "Alice Munro found reading - then writing which was an escape from a difficult home life. Described as a 'shy housewife.'" Reading the short story made me realize that there are people who you can share similar stories with. After reading a small history about her, I realized that she is similar to me, except a few would know. I learned that Munro lived two different lives, which is very difficult to live because it's like being two different people at the same time. She grew up in a small town exploring human relationships through ordinary everyday events. From a critical perspective, Every fiction or short story Munro writes is not wasted or irrelevant. Every word glows. Munro is able to capture the shape and mood, the flavour of a life in 30 pages. She tells us what it is to be a human being. Doing research for almost two hours I learned so much about Alice Munro that it has got me hooked on to know more about the life she lived. There is a book she wrote that I am interested in reading called "Too much Happiness." Its more about religion and women.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you got hooked doing research on Munro, Sharona! And also that you found personal connections and thought about how one can be more than one person at the same time. . .do see what other text you would like to read of hers such as the one you mention above.
DeleteThe writer I chose to research on is Louise Erdrich, the writer of the short story "The World's Greatest Fisherman". Louise was born in Little Falls, Minnesota in 1954 from a Chippewa Indian mother and a German-American Father. Erdrich researched a lot on her ancestors and most of her works were inspired from her learnings. I chose Louise because I loved the style of her writing she used a lot of metaphors throughout her writing, the way she spoke about the egg and how it somehow typified the main character's dilemma on finding herself. I truly enjoyed the story and the way the literal meaning of the story also had it's own metaphoric meaning as well.
ReplyDeleteFranchesca--I agree that the egg works as a powerful symbol/motif through the whole story. There is another story that is easy to find online from the same collection. It is called "Saint Marie" and you might find some equally interesting symbolism in that one to compare...
DeleteI'm going to write about the Canadian writer, Alice Munro. An interesting point is that in an interview with Deborah Treisman, in "The New Yorker", Munro - in relation to writing her stories - admits: "I have used bits and pieces of my own life always". If Munro puts some of herself into her stories, then the work she did in "Boys and Girls" may have her own experiences being tossed back and forth through idiosyncratic constraints. In fact, my interest with her is primarily in "Boys and Girls" where Munro shows the fluidity and rigidity of gender (fluid because one may move back and forth through boy and girl; rigid because "boy" and "girl" form a closed system). Perhaps one may be able to call the nameless narrator "Alice".
ReplyDeletevery intriguing idea at end of your post Joseph--good interview to find. See if you can find at least one other story to compare or possibly test your thinking about Munro's thinking about gender. . .
DeleteIt was a toss up between Kate Chopin and Patricia Engel. Chopin's style of twists at the end always makes for me reading a story more enjoyable. Engels' style is refreshingly candid and contemporary. I finally decided on Engel because she is a fairly new novelist with two books published so far "Vida" and "It's Not Love, It's Just Paris", she will be an interesting author to watch as she matures as a writer. A little about Miss Engel: according to an official web site http://patriciaengel.com/ she is an American Colombian with a BA from NYU and an MFA from Florida International University who teaches at the University of Miami. She has won numerous awards and praise. For example, "Patricia was also named a “Latina Who Shaped 2010″ by The New York Daily News".(Website) The main reason I chose Miss Engel over Chopin is because although I'm not a woman nor an American Colombian, I am a minority and immediately could relate with the character Sabina's emotions in the chapter "Green". With Chopin the time period makes this a little more difficult for me to do. I also like the fluidity which Miss Engel writes. I've read a short story which can be read on the official web site that further demonstrate her writing style. I prefer this style compared to a lot of symbolic settings or perspectives because it doesn't leave me unsure of what the writer wants me to understand. I look forward to comparing and contrasting her literature and possibly gaining more insight of her as a writer.
ReplyDeleteGreat Cecil--all good reasons to choose her and I like her style too--some of her language about the body in "Green" is really interesting--how women see their bodies, how they are jealous of others, or ashamed of their own...will be good to hear about the other story you found on the website. Very good post!
DeleteThe writer that I’m interested in writing about is Kate Chopin. After reading her short stories “Story of an Hour” and “Desiree’s Baby”, I was intrigued by her idea of freedom among her two woman characters. It was also interesting how she was able to capture in the innocence of Desiree and the new life Mrs. Mallard believed she had. In her main website, I found that she started out writing by doing simple diary entries, which later became sketches for short stories. There are also interviews that told everything her personal life, like her married life to her professional life as a writer to simple questions like how to pronounce her last name. It was interesting to find things about her life and how she became a writer.
ReplyDeleteAmanda--good that you found out more about Chopin's personal life and also her writing practice--can you share link to these things on the blog?
ReplyDeleteI've decided to do my research on the writer, Kate Chopin. I admire her work and her central theme on feminism. What attracted me to her writing were the characters in her stories that went through liberating and life changing situations that impacted their independence and sexuality. I also admire her style of prose in one of her most celebrated books, "The Awakening," in which she gives the protagonist, Edna a mind of her own, "A certain light was beginning to dawn dimly within her,—the light which, showing the way, forbids it." I'm excited to research more about this amazing writer.
ReplyDeleteI made my decision on which author based on how much I could relate to the story or felt it resonate in my own life and beliefs. I felt Tillie Olsen was a good choice. In "I Stand Here Ironing", I couldn't help but compare the mother with my own mom. My mom also regrets many of the things that happened in my childhood, and blames her ignorance for not being able to give me everything I needed. She tried extremely hard for me, but long hours, etc made it difficult for her to pay full attention like she would have wanted to me. I have read that "I stand Here Ironing", is just one of four short stories in the collection called Tell me a Riddle. I have also found out that the work is somewhat semi-autobiographical. Tillie Olsen was a high school drop out, had several children and raised them by working low-paying jobs. I feel as if she would be a good choice. And although not much happens in I Stand Here Ironing in terms of actin, or build up, the introspective, retrospective nature of it really appeals to me.
ReplyDeletethoughtful post!
DeleteI decided to do my writing on Patricia Engel. In “Green” she really captured my attention in the way she described what took place in her life. With this I mean how she was able to remember such little things that her supposedly friend Maureen had said to her. I’m interested in her because the writings are clear and it gives the writer a notion of her position at the moment these events occurred. She bases her short story in her actual life events and this makes the story even more stimulative to curiosity. She is a Colombian/American born and raised in New Jersey by her immigrant parents. Her official website is http://patriciaengel.com/ and in here many of her novels can be found. The reviews of her works are all simply comparing how her real life experiences reflect on her wonderful and inspiring writings. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/10/books/review/Lear-t.html
ReplyDeleteI decided to do my writing on Patricia Engel. In “Green” she really captured my attention in the way she described what took place in her life. With this I mean how she was able to remember such little things that her supposedly friend Maureen had said to her. I’m interested in her because the writings are clear and it gives the writer a notion of her position at the moment these events occurred. She bases her short story in her actual life events and this makes the story even more stimulative to curiosity. She is a Colombian/American born and raised in New Jersey by her immigrant parents. Her official website is http://patriciaengel.com/ and in here many of her novels can be found. The reviews of her works are all simply comparing how her real life experiences reflect on her wonderful and inspiring writings. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/10/books/review/Lear-t.html
ReplyDeleteThe writer I decided to write about is Patricia Engel. When I finished reading her story “Green” I wanted to read more. The way she wrote her story was very real to real life situations. She also can relate to a lot of girls who are going through these situations. It’s a part of life where teenage girls have self-esteem issues and react in different ways. It’s also great the way she recalls her moments with her ‘frenemy’. She seems like she overcame those obstacles and is trying to move forward with her life and not let the past affect her. Patricia Engel is of Colombian roots and was raised in New Jersey. She teaches creative writing at University of Miami. Engel mostly writes stories which have been published in many articles throughout the country. She also has two novel books out called “Vida” and “It’s Not Love, It’s Just Paris”. I’m looking forward to researching her more further and getting to know her more. http://patriciaengel.com/ , http://bocamag.com/blog/2013/01/23/festival-of-the-arts-patricia-engel/ , http://www.aarp.org/entertainment/books/info-09-2010/portrait_patricia_engel.html
ReplyDeleteLouise Erdrich is the author whom I have chosen to do more research on. I admire her dedication to depicting indigenous Americans in American literature and the hardships of being of mixed races. Born in Little Falls, Minnesota in 1954 to a Chippewa Indian mother and German American father(Poetryfoundation.org), Erdrich has first hand experience with such hardships. Erdrich also has a way of creating complex characters that are so relatable because they are not confined to the context of an event or a plot, but tied to the composite aspects of full lives that unravel as surprisingly as our own realities. I find her development of characters intriguing. Having been compared to Gabriel Garcia Marquez and William Faulkner, her use of multiple narratives and magical realism tells the story of families with vantage points that offer insights which suggest the compassion that we should have for our own. The Poetry Foundation quotes an essayist for Contemporary Novelists, who states, "Erdrich’s accomplishment is that she is weaving a body of work that goes beyond portraying contemporary Native American life as descendants of a politically dominated people to explore the great universal questions—questions of identity, pattern versus randomness, and the meaning of life itself.” The fluidity of her story telling is born of the constant encouragement from her father to write and the innate gift of story telling in her family as she felt that she was surrounded by. In an interview with Henry Louis Gate for Faces of America on PBS.org, Erdrich speaks about how her father would offer her a nickel per story that she would write. Louise Erdrich is as committed to the survival of independent bookstores as she is to her role as author and mother, as is indicated in the website birchbarkbooks.com, which is dedicated to her own bookstore in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
ReplyDeleteHello all, the writer I chose was Kate Chopin. Here’s a little introduction:
ReplyDeleteKate Chopin was a successful writer that emerged during the late 19th century. Her literature was known for being feminist and also criticized by her community back in the day as unethical, degenerate and simply “wrong.” However, several years after her death her writing became popular and her literature was acclaimed one of the most creative and inspirational pieces of writing. It encouraged other woman see the reality of their lives, or better said society. Kate Chopin surprisingly had six kids with Oscar Chopin and who she helped with his business in Louisiana. After her husband’s and mother’s death, which tragically happened significantly at the same time, Chopin fell into a depression. When her therapist encouraged her to write as a way of rehabilitation, all the years she lived with her husband worked as a motivation to start writing her stories.
Kate Chopin writing style was mimicked from Guy De Maupassant, who was a French writer known for his detail oriented writing and his efficiency at doing it. However, Kate Chopin seemed to create a new kind of writing for she also mixed her own ideas with De Maupassant’s style. Kate Chopin writing style plus her themes made of her writing exquisite to read and critically deep enough to discover many puzzling messages in her stories.
Scholars and critics like reviewing her job and have come up with several themes that she had mostly focused on during her life. One of the themes is explained as “women's search for selfhood, for self-discovery or identity” Like we see in “Desiree’s Baby.” Another theme is explained as “women's revolt against conformity, often against gender conformity or against social norms that limit women's possibilities in life,” which is really well portrayed in “The Story of An Hour.” Many more of her themes focus on women’s disabilities to cope with life situations as how they are suppose to instead of how they feel or want to responds to.
…The reason why I want to write about Kate Chopin is because her life story is so interesting and motivating that it makes me want to know more. Also, the fact that many of her stories were based on her feelings and her life experiences makes her stories more fun to analyze and connect to her as well. Kate Chopin’s writing was a way to confront reality and not only did she use it just to express herself, but also to heal herself. Writing plays a really big role in Kate Chopin’s life and that is something I can connect with.
Websites:
http://www.katechopin.org/themes.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kate_Chopin
I really wasn’t sure what writer I’m going to research about until I read the bibliography about Alice Walker . The thing that caught my attention is that she’s the author of the most famous novel “The Color Puple”. I know that novel is amazing and most likely this women that wrote this novel too. Alice walker is the American short story writer, novelist, poet and political activist. She the author of seven novels, four children’s books, four collection of short stories etc. She also wrote other novels called “The Temple of My Familiar” and “Possesing the Secret of Joy”. She focuses on the racism issues and African American literature, women of color in culture and history. She is currently writing awesome stories and the upcoming works ( two books ) are coming up this year in 2013, one of them are poems. The story That I began two read is “Everyday Use” which also about African Americans woman Meggie and her daughters , that had to stick with the problems as culture and heritage at those times. The story was told by a mother. I want to get to know more of her works and read more of her stories. http://alicewalkersgarden.com/
ReplyDeleteSo far this semester we have read several interesting stories but the one that caught my attention the most was Green by Patricia Engel. This story caught my attention because she is recapping what it was like to be a young girl/ teenager which i find myself doing often as well. Most of all I chose this story because i can strongly relate to her and how she felt about her body as a teenager. In the story she explains everything she did to try to improve her body and i went through the same situation in highschool. Also, what i really liked about Patricia Engel is that the way she writes is very modern and understandable so i can be on track the whole time im reading. Im happy that i finally found an interesting story and writer i can really relate to.
ReplyDeleteBefore reading this story i have never heard of Patricia Engel and i already love her writing, she has a published book "Vida" and another releasing in August called "Its not love, its just Paris". Patricia received her under graduate degree in NYU and MFA in Florida International University. Also, i learned that her grandmother was also a writer but was never published.
On her website site i was able to email her, hopefully she responds..
http://patriciaengel.com/biography/
http://www.aarp.org/entertainment/books/info-09-2010/portrait_patricia_engel.html
good research and I like your focus on the body--this is definitely central to teen issues; how young women feel about their bodies seems to rule their emotional state...and Engel does great job of describing the competition, shame, and beauty of the body.
DeleteThe writer I have decided to write about is Kate Chopin. I love how her stories leave you thinking and surpised me. She gives the women in her stories a sense of empowerment and freedom. I think its also interesting how she was able to write these type of stories in her time. Reading about her it states how she had a really close relationship with the women in her life. I admire that her stories seem to be very far ahead of her time and women were not allowed to express themselves in that way. I am also looking forward to reading her other stories. Kate Chopin concentrated alot on womans lives and struggles.
ReplyDeleteyes her interest in women's empowerment, freedom, and their confinement by social codes is fascinating--way ahead of her time--talk tomorrow.
DeleteAfter doing some light research on Kate Chopin and I am very interested delving further into who she is and her background. According to her biography on her website, she was raised surrounded by women. “Mentored…by her mother, her grandmother, and her great grandmother, as well as by the Sacred Heart nuns” (Koloski). This lead to her writing as an adult deeply reflecting “on the nurturing she received from women as she was growing up” (Koloski). Though she lived through the civil war and her brother enlisted in the confederate army, Kate continued to write through hardships (Koloski). From what is inferred from what I’ve read so far her surroundings were deeply influential to her throughout her works. Like any great writer, she wrote what she knew. Her website describes her as someone that felt as though she had married the right person for her, and she later went on to have 6 children, “five sons and a daughter,” then later her husband past away in 1882 (Koloski). I am interested as to what inspired her to write about desperation within a marriage or the theme of abandonment, since in her diary writings noted on her website, she wrote highly of her own relationship (Koloski) I want to find out if there is a correlation between her lifeline, for example when she was having children and her themes in her writings, like the desperation felt within The Story of an Hour.
ReplyDeleteKoloski, Bernard. "Kate Chopin Biography." KateChopin.org The Kate Chopin International Society. Kate Chopin International Society., n.d. Web. 2 Apr 2013. .
Audra--it is really fascinating that she was happily married, had many children, and yet sensed how lonely women can feel in a marriage--good theme to pursue--though you may have to base essay on fiction as it is very difficult to read enough into bio to know or prove connections...talk tomorrow.
DeleteAfter hours of research i have chosen the writer Alice walker. I have found out that she is also a poet and acitvist. Her works are written from a female feminist point of view.Alice is known for her outstanding work writing the color purple. Alice grown up in the during the jim crow laws when black people were not allowed to read or wright, growing up Alice was forced to hide her writings from her family she began writing at the of eight years old. Being tormented in school Alice turned to reading and writing for solace. Being that this is a woman writers class i think Alice Walker would be a perfect author to write about.
ReplyDeleteyes she is an excellent choice--now you need to think about theme or character that interests you--see my essay guide.
DeleteI want to write about Katie Chopin because I am in love with her stories like “Story of an hour” and “Desires baby”, in both of her stories I found a female protagonist trap by the male domination. I found that Kate Chopin was born in St Louis Missouri in February 8, 1850. She was an American author and she is now considered by some to have been a forerunner of feminist authors of the 20th century. I would love to do more research about her life so I can understand deeply her full of symbolism stories. I also think that Kate Chopin and her feminist ideas were too far ahead of her time, but and excellent beginning so she is an interesting person to write about.
ReplyDeleteYes she is--especially because she was banned in her lifetime and had a lot of courage--keep reading!
DeleteThe writer I found most interesting was Patricia Engel. Her work was different from the previous writers we had read so far the story “Green” was forward, unhinged, sarcastic, and relatable. The second person narrations made it personal to the reader yet created a visible disconnection between the writer and the story at the same time. As I read on Green I identify with both the writer and the character, it reminded me clearly about the experiences women overcome as they become of age. Every word, each feeling, forgotten thoughts, and constant regret transmitted through out Engel’s work. I found refreshing information about Patricia Engel as I started researching her background, upbringing, roots, and inspiration. She is the daughter of Colombian immigrants, has a Bachelor from NYU, and MFA from FIU. The book Vida a series of short stories was her first published book and became a total success in the United States. I found mostly Reviews of her work from her page and an interview she gave to a Colombian Magazine in Spanish. Furthermore, I am eager to learn more about Patricia Engel, her inspirations and her favorite books growing up.
ReplyDeleteSources
http://patriciaengel.com/news/
http://www.revistaarcadia.com/libros/articulo/palabras-recobradas/23562
Izabella--interesting the way you describe her writing as "unhinged" and the way you see disconnection in second person--pursue that thought...
DeleteIm very interest in doing my research on Alice walker. Alice Malsenior Walker is an American author, poet, feminist, and activist. She is best known for the critically acclaimed (Alice walker-Bib) novel The Color Purple for which she won the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize. i am very interested in finding out what is the reason for her style of writing and what is her motivation
ReplyDeleteRomerson--let's talk about how you define, or would describe her style of writing--what is it exactly that is interesting to you?
DeleteI have fancied the work of Patricia Engel. Her writing style interests me because in her short story she writes in third person. It is very rare that a writer composes a story in third person. The way she wrote her story made me want to keep reading. I didn't find her style boring at all. I have found an article on Patricia Engel and a biography with some pictures. Although she is a new writer, her pieces are very interesting. I know that it will be a little hard to write a research paper on her because she has only written two books, one of which is going to be available August 2013.
ReplyDeletehttp://patriciaengel.com
http://patriciaengel.com/biography/
http://www.examiner.com/article/on-the-spotlight-patricia-engel-author-of-vida
hi Shikeera--she writes in second person--think about why you find that interesting--how it makes story different from third person or first...looks like you found good material.
ReplyDeleteSorry that im late in this blog response however I'm interested in doing research on Kate Chopin because i like the way she finish her stories off with twist.I did enjoyed reading Desiree's Baby" and "Story of An Hour" in class because it showed the ironic situation that ocurr at the end of each story. also i saw that she has her own web site the shows most of her works and blogs.
ReplyDelete