Blog 5

First, go view many (if not all) of your classmate's Blog 4s.  Then write a blog commenting upon what you find...

First, I have to say that the Blog 4s were my absolute favorite blogs this term, and possibly the best thing that's happened to me in weeks... OK, months.  I live a sad life, ok?
What's really interesting is that you can immediately tell the difference between those who are analyzing their primary source and those who are trying to do a reenactment of their entire topic.  See the difference? If, as, for instance, Jeremy did, you are actually taking your primary source and twisting it, interpreting it, reimagining it, you probably have a good primary source.  If, instead, you are trying to create a collage of a topic, you know you don't have a primary source yet.
I'm excited to read Blog 5s and see if you all are making this connection.  I want you to choose primary sources that put YOU in the driver's seat.  You have this thing, this artifact (possibly a text, possibly not), and YOU have to analyze it, and see the things the average person won't see, and pull them out for us.  This is exciting work, once you figure out your approach.

Blog Four

Overview:

Part of a really close analysis of your primary source means understanding it on many levels.  The assumption of this assignment is that what is important to you, the analyzer, about your primary source will translate to other forms of your primary source that you create.  Therefore, your reenactment will help you to understand what is important to your primary source, but also what its essential rhetoric is.

Assignment

Please create a reenactment of your primary source.  Your results are limited only by your own creativity.  A reenactment is really, on many levels, an interpretation (think Civil War reenactments—what is important to the scene? It’s not really just like it was during the Civil War).  Some possibilities include: drawing a cartoon, creating a video of a reenactment of a scene from your source, creating an audio file of you reading your source (or a portion of it), writing a poem or short story, a drawing that re-imagines your primary source, a website that details the important aspects of your primary source.  These are just examples, not directions.  Please think carefully of your own creative response.

Lastly, please write a two paragraph response to your reenactment in which you think about the choices you made in your interpretation.  What was brought to the forefront?  What was lost?

Steps to Success:

ü  Create a reenactment of your primary source

ü  Post your reenactment to your blog

ü  Quickly communicate to me any difficulties you are having.

Blog 3

For blog 3, please do the following.
First, make sure you are following everyone's blogs. The list is on our Carmen page.
Secondly, read a good sample of those blogs (5-10) and comment on at least four of your classmates' blogs (either one or two).  Please note, comment does not mean "Good job, buddy!" I mean for you to engage with the ideas, perhaps ask a question or two.
Third, after you have done all of this, write your own blog about that which you found.  What are your responses to your classmates?  What do you make of this "community" of 110 you are suddenly a part of? Do you fit? What's your place? What do you make of the ideas you've read?

Blog Two Prompt (due Monday, April 11)

So, is it true that there's no such thing as an original opinion, as Twain argues? Think about this question in terms of one of your communities. What happens when someone has an original opinion? Is it ok to go against the norm? What's your part in all this? Do you support original opinions, or are you a supporter of corn pone opinions?