WritingSeminar:WestofEverything

Assignment#2
Assignment2 68pagesorthereabouts Firstdraft(threecopies,please)dueTuesday,March5 SeconddraftdueTuesday,March12 Almostallacademicwritinginvolveswhatwevebeendoingnowforaboutfiveweeks:somethingcalledtextualanalysis, whichreallyjustmeanspayingcloseattentiontotextsandtryingtoengagewiththeircomplexmeaningsinanorganized way.Asitispracticedinacademics,textualanalysisusuallyboilsdowntotwobasicgestures:closereadingand comparison.Thefirstessay,formostofyou,wasanexerciseinclosereading:thatisthemostfundamentalgestureof expositorywriting,theactofsittingdownwithatextandtryingtotakeeverythinginitseriously. Everythingelseyoudoasanacademicwriterwillbuildfromthatbasicgesture:ifyoureadjustaboutanyofthearticlesIve givenyouJaneTompkins,say,orRichardSlotkinasexamplesyoullseethatevenverycomplexargumentsarereally onlyaseriesofclosereadingsthatareconnectedtoeachotherandbuilduponeachother.Sorememberthatasyou embarkonthenextpaper:youmaychoosetodosomethingmorecomplexinthisdraftthanyoudidinthefirstone,butthat doesntmeanyouredoingsomethingsubstantivelydifferent.Itsjustmorecomplex,inthesamewaythatdancingismore complexthan,yetfundamentallythesameas,walking. Sointhesecondpaperyouhaveachoice:youcaneithercontinuetodoclosereading,inwhichcaseyoumaychooseto writeapaperfocusingcloselyonjustonetext,oryoucanopenuptheprocessalittlebitbycomparingonetexttoanother one.Justrememberthat,whicheveryouchoosetodo,yourestilltryingtogodeepandnotbroad,andevenifthispaper turnsouttobe8pageslong,thatsstillnotalotofroom.Donttrytodoeverything,anddonttrytocrowdthepaperwith texts:oneisfinetwoisplenty.Threeisalot.Toomany,infact. Andonemorething:ifyouchoosetowriteabouttwotexts,trynottothinkofthispaperasacomparison/contrastpaper. Paperslikethatatleastastheyreusuallyconceivedtendtostartwiththesingularlyuninterestingpremisethatapples andorangesaredifferent.Theyarebothfruits,thepaperargues,andyetsodifferent.Andhereshow...Ifyousetupa paperthatway,youregoingtobeveryquicklyboredbyit,andthatboredomwillmakeitdifficultforyoutowrite.Itsmuch bettertothinkofacomparisonlikeanythingelseitsinterestingtowriteaboutasdrivenbyarealquestion:like,for instance,whyisitthatLeslieMarmonSilkosrelationshiptothelandscapeissodifferentfrom,say,OwenWisters?Letme boilthatdowntoaruleofthumb:everypieceofwritingthatisworthadamnistryingtoansweraquestion,andthe writingwillbeinterestingandrealtotheexactextentthatthequestionisinterestingandreal. Justkeepthatinmind.Now,herearesomeideasyoumightuseasstartingpoints: Writeapaperinwhichyouconsidertheideaofconsumptioninoneofthebooksweveread.ButchersCrossingwould makeagoodplacetostarthereyoucouldeithercompareittoanearlierwestern,oryoucouldjustexamineitby itself.Butasktherealquestions:whatisitthatthepeopleinButchersCrossingarelookingfor?Whereandhowdo theyfindit(ornotfindit)?Andhowisitrelatedtotheirprimaryoccupation,theexploitationofresources? Writeapaperinwhichyouconsiderthatsameideaconsumption,ownership,propertyinCeremony.Again,you couldproceedbycomparison,oryoucouldjusttrytogodeeplyintoSilkosnovelanddrawyourconclusionsfrom there. WriteapaperinwhichyoutrytoexplorethequestionswithwhichwestartedourdiscussionofCeremony.Whatis Tayosproblem?AndwhatishisREALproblem? WriteapaperinwhichyoutrytoexplaintosomebodyoutsidetheclasshowtoreadLeslieMarmonSilko.Use Ceremonyasyourprimarytext,andLandscape,HistoryandthePuebloImaginationasthelensthroughwhichwe viewit.WhatdowehavetounderstandaboutthePueblowayofseeingtheworldtounderstandCeremony? Trysomethingalittlefunky.PretendtobeJohnWilliamswho,Ithink,isstillalivesomewhere.Youhavebeenasked bytheNewYorkReviewofBookstowritearetrospectivepieceonWistersTheVirginian.Writethatpiece,from Williamsspointofview.HowwouldJohnWilliamsreadthebookthathelpedtodefinethegenreinwhichhewrites? (YoumightalsotrythisasLeslieMarmonSilkobutthatwouldbeslightlytrickier.) Thoseshouldgetyoustarted.Iam,asalways,opentootherideas.Butthemostimportantthingisthatyouaskan interestingquestionandthencommittoreallyansweringit.Ifyoudothat,youllbefine.

Assignment2 68pagesorthereabouts Firstdraft(threecopies,please)dueTuesday,March5 SeconddraftdueTuesday,March12

Almostallacademicwritinginvolveswhatwevebeendoingnowforaboutfiveweeks:somethingcalledtextualanalysis,whichreally justmeanspayingcloseattentiontotextsandtryingtoengagewiththeircomplexmeaningsinanorganizedway.Asitispracticedin academics,textualanalysisusuallyboilsdowntotwobasicgestures:closereadingandcomparison.Thefirstessay,formostofyou, wasanexerciseinclosereading:thatisthemostfundamentalgestureofexpositorywriting,theactofsittingdownwithatextandtrying totakeeverythinginitseriously. Everythingelseyoudoasanacademicwriterwillbuildfromthatbasicgesture:ifyoureadjustaboutanyofthearticlesIvegivenyou JaneTompkins,say,orRichardSlotkinasexamplesyoullseethatevenverycomplexargumentsarereallyonlyaseriesofclose readingsthatareconnectedtoeachotherandbuilduponeachother.Sorememberthatasyouembarkonthenextpaper:youmay choosetodosomethingmorecomplexinthisdraftthanyoudidinthefirstone,butthatdoesntmeanyouredoing somethingsubstantivelydifferent.Itsjustmorecomplex,inthesamewaythatdancingismorecomplexthan,yetfundamentallythe sameas,walking. Sointhesecondpaperyouhaveachoice:youcaneithercontinuetodoclosereading,inwhichcaseyoumaychoosetowriteapaper focusingcloselyonjustonetext,oryoucanopenuptheprocessalittlebitbycomparingonetexttoanotherone.Justrememberthat, whicheveryouchoosetodo,yourestilltryingtogodeepandnotbroad,andevenifthispaperturnsouttobe8pageslong,thatsstill notalotofroom.Donttrytodoeverything,anddonttrytocrowdthepaperwithtexts:oneisfinetwoisplenty.Threeisalot.Too many,infact. Andonemorething:ifyouchoosetowriteabouttwotexts,trynottothinkofthispaperasacomparison/contrastpaper.Paperslike thatatleastastheyreusuallyconceivedtendtostartwiththesingularlyuninterestingpremisethatapplesandorangesare different.Theyarebothfruits,thepaperargues,andyetsodifferent.Andhereshow...Ifyousetupapaperthatway,youregoing tobeveryquicklyboredbyit,andthatboredomwillmakeitdifficultforyoutowrite.Itsmuchbettertothinkofacomparisonlike anythingelseitsinterestingtowriteaboutasdrivenbyarealquestion:like,forinstance,whyisitthatLeslieMarmonSilkos relationshiptothelandscapeissodifferentfrom,say,OwenWisters?Letmeboilthatdowntoaruleofthumb:everypieceofwriting thatisworthadamnistryingtoansweraquestion,andthewritingwillbeinterestingandrealtotheexactextentthatthe questionisinterestingandreal. Justkeepthatinmind.Now,herearesomeideasyoumightuseasstartingpoints: Writeapaperinwhichyouconsidertheideaofconsumptioninoneofthebooksweveread.ButchersCrossingwouldmakea goodplacetostarthereyoucouldeithercompareittoanearlierwestern,oryoucouldjustexamineitbyitself.Butaskthereal questions:whatisitthatthepeopleinButchersCrossingarelookingfor?Whereandhowdotheyfindit(ornotfindit)?Andhow isitrelatedtotheirprimaryoccupation,theexploitationofresources? Writeapaperinwhichyouconsiderthatsameideaconsumption,ownership,propertyinCeremony.Again,youcould proceedbycomparison,oryoucouldjusttrytogodeeplyintoSilkosnovelanddrawyourconclusionsfromthere. WriteapaperinwhichyoutrytoexplorethequestionswithwhichwestartedourdiscussionofCeremony.WhatisTayos problem?AndwhatishisREALproblem? WriteapaperinwhichyoutrytoexplaintosomebodyoutsidetheclasshowtoreadLeslieMarmonSilko.UseCeremonyasyour primarytext,andLandscape,HistoryandthePuebloImaginationasthelensthroughwhichweviewit.Whatdowehaveto understandaboutthePueblowayofseeingtheworldtounderstandCeremony? Trysomethingalittlefunky.PretendtobeJohnWilliamswho,Ithink,isstillalivesomewhere.YouhavebeenaskedbytheNew YorkReviewofBookstowritearetrospectivepieceonWistersTheVirginian.Writethatpiece,fromWilliamsspointofview.How wouldJohnWilliamsreadthebookthathelpedtodefinethegenreinwhichhewrites?(YoumightalsotrythisasLeslieMarmon Silkobutthatwouldbeslightlytrickier.) Thoseshouldgetyoustarted.Iam,asalways,opentootherideas.Butthemostimportantthingisthatyouaskaninteresting questionandthencommittoreallyansweringit.Ifyoudothat,youllbefine.

Lastmodified:Tuesday,February26,2013,12:08PM