Tuesday, December 9, 2014--5:30 pm

Greetings,

Just a quick reminder about what to bring to class tomorrow

1. Your grade sheet, filled out completely, minus any work you are waiting to be returned to you. Everything will be graded and returned tomorrow in class.

2. A calculator.

3. All your graded work from the semester.

REVISIONS:
PLEASE FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMITTING REVISIONS AFTER TOMORROW. ALL REVISIONS ARE DUE NO LATER THAN DEC. 19TH.

Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2014--12:15 pm

Greetings,

I deeply apologize for such a very late notice. I taught my three morning classes today and then felt too ill and I am now back home.

Below you will find the prompt for in class essay 2. Please take no longer than one hour and 15 minutes to complete. You can either hand this in on Monday, or if possible (and very appreciated), you can put it into my dept. mailbox in Calaveras 105

For the out of class essay 3 due today, please place it in my dept. mailbox today. I will be on campus again on Friday and will collect them then.

Again, I truly apologize for this inconvenience

English 5, C. FRAGA

In class essay #2—(100 points possible)

The Namesake

READ THE REMINDERS BELOW

BEFORE YOU BEGIN YOUR ESSAY.

Reminders:

• Please write the essay in a blue (or green) book
• If you can remember, please skip every other line. If you forget, no worries! Do not start over.
• Remember when you are writing in response to something you have read or viewed, you must mention that novel or film early on in the essay.
• Please CIRCLE the number of the prompt you are responding to.
• Refrain from completely re-telling the film in your essay. Assume your reader has read the novel and viewed the film. Use moments from the novel or film to support your assertions.
• Be precise and articulate.
Take time to plan (at least 5-10 minutes) your essay before writing. YOU WILL NOT HAVE TIME TO WRITE A ROUGH DRAFT. You will have the entire class session to write your response.
After you have written your essay, please place this paper in your blue book and submit your blue book to me. If you leave before the end of class, please exit the classroom quietly as to not disturb others who may be still writing.

Select one of the prompts below and respond in essay format.

1.  Several themes can be found in the novel. Focus on three and provide at least three supportive examples to support each of the three themes.

2. After reading the novel and viewing the film, discuss what you enjoyed more between the two genres. Support your opinion fully with supportive details. It is possible that you enjoyed both equally. If so, you will obviously still support that opinion with supportive details.

3.  Select a character from the novel that you believe most readers find most relatable and why. You will need to be, of course, very specific and offer logical and insightful supportive evidence.

4. Through his life experiences and due to maturity, Gogol's definition of home changes throughout the novel. What would be his definition of home at each "stage" in the novel, and how do you think he would define home at the close of the novel? Why? Be very specific.

Tuesday, December 2--noon

Greetings,

Reminder: come prepared for the second in-class essay tomorrow.
You will have a choice of prompts.

Here are, briefly, what the choices will be:

1.  You will be asked to discuss three possible themes from The Namesake and provide at least three specific reasons/supports for each theme.

2. You will be asked to make an assertion about your experience reading the novel versus viewing the film--which experience did you enjoy more and why? It is possible that you enjoyed both but for different reasons. You will be required to explain why, specifically.

3.  Select a character from the novel that you believe most readers find most relatable and why. You will need to be, of course, very specific and offer logical and insightful supportive evidence.

4. Through his life experiences and due to maturity, Gogol's definition of home changes throughout the novel. What would be his definition of home at each "stage" in the novel, and how do you think he would define home at the close of the novel?

Monday, November 24th, 2014--6:45 pm

Greetings,

I wanted to clarify a few things.

Since you will not be receiving your out of class essay 2 back until Monday, December 1st, you will have a little more time to revise than first indicated.

The last class session is Wednesday, December 10th. However, if you are eligible to revise out of class essay 1, or if you want to revise out of class essay 2, all revisions will be due no later than the Friday of finals week, December 19th.

If you DO wish to submit a revision after the 10th, you will need to place it in my English Department mail box, located in Calaveras 105. You must also email me and let me know that it is in my mailbox.

Also, below you will find a sample student response to out of class essay #3 on marriage. I would like you to see it as a fairly strong response. It earned an high "B."

Successful Marriage: It’s no Cakewalk

            Marriage for many Americans has become a cliché for the precursor of divorce. Yet thousands of couples continue to make the plunge every year, hoping that their marriage will be the exception to the trend. There are several reasons why marriages fail; however, there are those couples who somehow avoid the treacherous pathways that lead to divorce, and instead, continue for years in a successful and happy marriage. It is an interesting task to pinpoint the tenets of a successful marriage, because it can vary from couple to couple. There are, however a few commonalities that contribute to a successful and long lasting marriage. Four of the most important elements for a successful marriage include open communication, complete honesty, respect for each other’s boundaries, and self-actualization.

            The first significant ingredient for a strong marriage is open communication. Communication is a broad category that sparks much discussion, but is usually defined as respectful, open, and honest dialogue between spouses that fully conveys the meaning of what needs to be said. For example, many couples communicate by talking to each other at various times during the day. However, sometimes all couples are doing is talking at each other. Simply talking on and on about what happened during the day is polite pleasantry between spouses, but that is not the level of communication that strengthens a relationship. Communication where it counts includes eye contact and fully paying attention to what the other person is saying as well as contributing full heartedly with ideas and input from the other party. Communication, however, does not mean that partners always have to agree. According to Ranell (my aunt), “[My husband and I] usually communicate pretty well, but there are times when you just have to back away and let things cool down for awhile.” (Burch, Ranell). Communication can become tricky when people do not agree on the expressed ideas. Couples who were interviewed often expressed that everything is fine when there is no disagreement. However, when it comes to discrepancies, navigating marital life is frustrating. For instance, suppose a husband and wife are trying to communicate financial issues. One feels that forming a joint account would be beneficial whereas the other feels that it would be better to keep the accounts separate. Often when discussing financial worries, things become tense. Dr. Amy Bellows explains: “We often immediately reject another’s perceptions, especially when our views differ.... We find ourselves ready to dispute the things our spouse has to say, to challenge them, or to hear them as threats. Obviously, such an attitude interferes with two-way communication. The first step to improved dialogues is to respect your partner.” This was reflected in my Aunt Ranell’s sentiments: “We don’t force each other to have the same opinion. I mean, if you love somebody, you can’t force him or her to think of everything the same way you do” (Burch, Ranell). The ultimate thing to remember is that communication is a two-way street that both the husband and wife must drive down responsibly.

            The second crucial element for a lasting marriage is complete honesty. This requires full disclosure between partners. Honesty includes fidelity between spouses and no hidden secrets that have the potential to undermine the stability of the marriage. Lack of commitment towards marriage is one of the leading causes of divorce (“Top 10 Reasons for Divorce”). If one spouse can not commit to being sexually active with his or her wife or husband, then there are serious issues between the parties concerned. Often one spousewill try to hide the fact that he or she is having an affair, and leads to irrational acts out of guilt. One of the problems here is the overwhelming guilt. If a man or a woman feels deep guilt about hiding an indiscretion, chances are that he or she shouldn’t be committing these acts, or, at the very least, that person should not be hiding the acts from his or her spouse. My uncle David feels that “if you’re in love with someone, but you’re worried about their relationships with other people, you’ll end up being worried and miserable. If you truly love each other then you don’t worry about it” (Burch, David). However honesty extends beyond infidelity to everyday manners. When I asked my sister what she feels one of the most valued parts of her marriage is, she replied, “Honesty, because not only does it keep my relationship with my husband open and functional, it allows us for a greater understanding of each other as spouses and people” (Lovallo). Clearly, honesty exists in every realm of the marriage is crucial. Lies and secrets only hurt the trust between spouses. Even if the question is, “Does this dress make me look fat?” an honest answer given is a reflection of how committed the two partners are to their relationship.

            A third ingredient for an enduring marriage is respecting one another’s boundaries. It is easy for couples to become so intertwined within each other’s lives that there is no individual space. This can put some extreme stress on the marriage. My father mentions that one of the reasons for his separation from my mother was that “she didn’t allow me enough living room for me to be myself. She was constantly there seemingly controlling everything I did. Sometimes a guy just has to be a guy” (Krawczyk). It is interesting to note the difference between a loving marriage and a smothering marriage. On one hand, many of the spouses I have talked to desire to be around each other as much as possible. However, many of these individuals expressed a desire to have some time on their own. When interviewing my sister whose husband James is currently in Iraq, she expressed, “I have trouble giving my husband privacy. I want to be involved in every aspect of his life which makes it difficult for him to be his own person at times” (Lovallo). It can be difficult for many couples to respect each other’s limitations and personal space. From many of the interviews, I have found that couples feel that having time to think and just be alone can make marriage better as well. Sheri and Bob Stritof state, “People tend to feel guilty about taking time for themselves. Perhaps they wouldn't if they realized that doing so gave them more energy to devote to the ones they love” (Stritof). What it boils down to is that people need time to themselves. In order to have a successful marriage, spouses need to learn to give each other a creative outlet where they can be seen as an individual as opposed to a component of a couple.

            The fourth and quite possibly the most important element of a successful marriage is staying true to oneself. So often, spouses give up and compromise what makes them who they are. Some of my married friends expressed that they do not know who they are anymore because they have dedicated so much to marriage that they feel like they have lost some of themselves in the process. In the April 2006 issue of Glamour, Kristin Armstrong reveals: “If you aren’t careful, [marriage] can tempt you to become a ‘yes woman’ for the sake of salvaging your romantic dream. It can lure you into a pattern of pleasing that will turn you into someone you’ll hardly recognize and probably won’t like” (Armstrong 209). It is easy to commit to a marriage out of love, but sometimes that love turns into control and making the other person bend to your will until that person doesn’t even know who they are anymore. What I have found through second hand research is that people often turn themselves into someone they think their spouse wants and they somehow lose themselves in the process. All of a sudden, that person isn’t who the spouse fell in love with in the first place. This need for someone to be perfect for the person they love changes them into someone that neither person recognizes. If the person in question does not accept the other person for who that person is, then marriage is probably a bad idea. In an interview, my sister relates, “It is liberating to be married to someone who loves you for you.  I have seen people change themselves completely for their husbands only to find out that that isn’t who they wanted to be with anyways, and then things get ugly” (Lovallo).

            The Internet, as well as popular and professional publications, are full of information on how to have a successful marriage. Many may purport contradictory things, but most of them are written with admirable intentions.  I am definitely not in a place in my life where I can dedicate myself to what it takes to have a successful marriage. However, I now know at least four things I will consider if and when I ever get married.

Works Cited

Bellows, Amy. “Good Communication in Marriage Starts with Respect.” Psychcentral.com. 10 Mar. 2009. < http://psychcentral.com/lib/2007/good-communication-in-marriage-starts-with-respect/>

Burch, David. Personal interview. 14 Mar. 2009.

Burch, Ranell. Personal interview. 14 Mar. 2009.

Lovallo, Melissa. Personal interview. 18 Mar. 2009.

Krawczyk, Bill. Personal interview. 13 Mar. 2009

Stritof, Sheri & Bob. “When You or Your Spouse Desire More Space.” About.com. 10 Mar. 2009. < http://marriage.about.com/od/practicalities/a/space.htm>

“Top 10 Reasons For Divorce” Ygoy.com. 19 Mar. 2009. < http://women.ygoy.com/top-ten-reasons-for-divorce/>

Sunday, November 16th-- 9 am

Good morning,

This weekend is proving to be a huge, emotionally draining one.
With the very recent and sudden loss of my husband, the days, as you know, have been a roller coaster.

This weekend is being spent preparing the house for an estate sale next weekend.
I am fortunate to have lots of family and friend support, but as you might imagine, a very tough weekend.

Please understand that I need some time to recover, so I have decided, with the encouragement of concerned family members, to cancel classes on Monday.

I will return on Wednesday. See you then.

And again, I so appreciate your understanding during this very challenging time in my life.

Thursday, November 13th--8:45 pm

Hello,
below is a copy of the out of class essay assignment #3, distributed and explained in class yesterday.
Have a wonderful and safe weekend.

English 5, Fall 2014

C. Fraga, Instructor

Course Theme: The Significance of Home

Out of Class Essay Assignment #3

Assigned: Wednesday, Nov. 12

Optional RD due: no later than Wednesday, 11/26, via email, by midnight

Final Draft due: Wednesday, Dec. 3

TOPIC: What are the best ‘ingredients’ for a successful marriage?

A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person. (Mignon Mclaughlin)

Marriage is not just spiritual communion, it is also remembering to take out the trash. (Joyce Brothers)

To keep your marriage brimming,
With love in the loving cup,
Whenever you're wrong admit it;
Whenever you're right shut up. (Ogden Nash)

Assignment: Even with the current high divorce rate in the United States, couples continue to choose marriage as a way of life. Most couples marry with the intention and confidence that their marriage will be successful and will last forever.

Write an essay in which you explore the ingredients (or elements) required for a marriage to be successful and long lasting. Focus on a minimum of four ingredients/elements.

Conduct research and talk/interview those who you feel might have some helpful, interesting and relevant opinions and experience with this topic.

The most important thing to remember about this essay is that you will need to be very SPECIFIC. Avoid rambling and using mostly vague terms. Your essay will benefit from specific examples from professionals as well as interviewees.

Suggestions for people to interview: your parents; your grandparents; relatives; siblings; teachers; neighbors; marriage counselors; family friends, etc.

Information/opinions about what constitutes a successful marriage is quite simple to locate. I spent only 20 minutes doing a cursory search on the Internet and found many intriguing articles.

Your Game Plan:

1. Research and read read read as much as you can about the topic.

2. Interview at least three people about this topic.

3. From your research, reading and interviews, select the four elements YOU feel are the MOST ideal and necessary ingredients for a successful, lasting marriage.

4. Write your thesis statement—an assertion based on your findings. UNDERLINE YOUR THESIS STATEMENT.

5. Plan the organization of your essay.

6. Write your essay.

7. Proofread and edit very carefully and thoroughly.

Reminders:

• Follow MLA format.

• Double space entire essay; 12 point font

• Must have in text citations and a Works Cited page.

• Use at LEAST three outside resources and information from at least three interviews. In other words, these six minimum resources will be found on your Works Cited page as well as cited within your essay. (AT LEAST TWO OF THE THREE MINIMUM OUTSIDE SOURCES MUST BE FROM PROFESSIONAL OR ACADEMIC JOURNALS OR BOOKS).

Second posting for Tuesday, November 11th--3:10 pm

Greetings,

Below you will find the assignments for Essay Packet 2 & 3.

ALSO, a reminder of what I announced in class yesterday:

The DVD of The Namesake is now available for check out (3 hour limit) and viewing in the university library, Media Services. The film is 122 minutes in length.

Please be sure to make room in your planner to view this film by the due date on the syllabus. Our second in class essay will focus on the novel and the film. (as discussed yesterday, you may choose to find and view the film on line)


Essay Packet #3
1. "Rethinking the term 'illegal immigrant'..." (this is an approximately 17 minute video)
http://blog.ted.com/2013/04/08/rethinking-the-term-illegal-immigrant-because-people-cant-be-illegal/

2.  "Immigration Reform--Pros and Cons"
http://apecsec.org/immigration-reform-pros-and-cons/

Essay Packet #4
1. "At the Crossroads for Immigration Reform"
http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2014/02/24/at-the-crossroads-for-immigration-reform/

2. "The Negative Effects of Illegal Immigration..."
http://www.defendcoloradonow.org/perspective/art_negative_effects.html