For Tuesday: Wilson, “How Things Disappear” (183-189)

 

Aerial view of Estepa, Spain 

NOTE: This is our LAST essay! Some of the ideas introduced here will form the conversation of our final paper, so be sure to read it and answer the questions.

Answer TWO of the following:

Q1: What makes the author fall in love with the idea of Estepa, and what was supposedly so great about it? When he finally gets there, is it all that he hoped for?

Q2: Why does Estepa vanish from modern editions of Europe Through the Back Door? What does it seem to lack that other, more touristy destinations, still offer to the traveler? Does the author seem to agree?

Q3: Why is travel writing “dying” in recent years, at least compared to the past 20? In a way, why has travel writing itself become like Estepa, a genre of writing that most people no longer want to visit (or don’t even know about)? What makes it less exciting considering that people still love to travel and explore the world?

Q4: Somewhat related to Q3, what makes travel writing such a unique form of literature, different than many other forms of writing? And why is reading about someone’s travels always different from going there yourself?

For Thursday: Persepolis (Film)

NOTE: If you misssed the film, or simply want to re-watch it, you can find Persepolis in the following link to watch for free (with ads) on You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRTzV9m5YP0

We watched all but about 15 minutes of the film in class, so we'll finish it on Thursday and then do a Writing Workshop which will bring us into the conversation of the film--how it connects to the other essays in class, and what other issues it brings up related to the "Ugly Truth" theme of your Paper #2.

Here are some ideas to consider as you think about the film (you do NOT have to respond to these as homework):

* Why do you think they told this story from mostly a young girl's perspective? Since she's an adult at the beginning of the film, why not stay with that perspective? What do we gain from seeing her world change as she's still maturing herself?

* Related to our last essay, "Unsafe Passage," why doesn't Marjane's family leave Iran when it becomes more and more dangerous? And related to this, why does she eventually leave toward the middle of the film?

* How does life change the most for normal Iranian citizens from the Shah's government to the Islamic Republic? Whose life changes the most?

* Why do so many people risk their lives for small freedoms which seem unimportant compared to jail time or exceution? For example, why would Marjane risk buying tapes on the black market when getting caught with them could get her arrested and/or killed?

* How does the government instill a very strict form or propaganda to the masses through the media and in schools? What are they learning about their new government? 

* Why does she have a nervous breakdown in Vienna? Though she has all the freedom she longed for in Iran, why doesn't it set her free?

* Similarly, what makes it hard for her to adjust back in Iranian society when she returns? What no longer 'works' for her, at least at first? 

For Tuesday: Toha, “Unsafe Passage” (149-163)

 

For Tuesday: Toha, “Unsafe Passage” (149-163)

NOTE: We only have one more essay to read after this one, so be sure to catch up on your questions—and do these ones—so you don’t lose points on your Reading Responses grade (which is 30% of your final grade).

Answer TWO of the following:

Q1: Many people—and especially families—would want to flee an area like Gaza that has become a war zone. Ultimately, that’s what the author and his family try to do. But what keeps him, and many other people in Gaza, from abandoning the city? In other words, what makes it difficult to leave, both practically and personally?

Q2: In our last essay, the mother of a slain teenager complained that “The people that killed him reduced him to one thing and one thing only” (36). How does this essay show the same kind of racial stereotyping between one group and another? How is the author personally affected by this?

Q3: What ultimately saves the author from his incarceration and torture? Is he merely found innocent of his alleged crimes, or is it some other X factor that frees him? Why not everyone arrested in Gaza be able to count on the same kind of support?

Q4: How does this essay try to humanize the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which has long been a headline in the news, but which many Americans don’t really understand? Especially given that many people associate Palestinians with Hamas, terrorism, or even anti-Semitism?

For Wednesday: Deepak, “India’s Beef With Beef” (29-36)

 

For Wednesday: Deepak, “India’s Beef With Beef” (29-36)

Answer TWO of the following:

Q1: We usually think of food preference as a personal or even a ethical thing (being a vegetarian, vegan, etc.), but in India, why is it also a religious concept as well? Why might politicians and even priests support what the essay calls “cow-related violence” (30)?

Q2: According to the essay, “more than 60 percent of India eats meat” (32), yet many Hindus claim that anyone who eats meat is not Indian. Why does a minority control the concept of national identity in India? Wouldn’t that be like saying that anyone who eats peanuts in America isn’t American because those with peanut allergies say so? Or does the problem lie deeper than that?

Q3: One of the people interviewed in the essay claims that eating or not eating meat isn’t simply a personal or religious choice. As they explain, “the Hindu vegetarian’s idea of a “balanced meal”—including only lentils, rice, vegetables, and dairy—[is] a construct of privilege, catering to those who have constant access to food” (34). Why might “privilege” play a significant role in this debate, especially given the fact that the majority of Indians live in poverty?

Q4: As always, the important question in this essay is “why does this matter,” especially to American readers? Besides being a religious issue, how does this problem affect other aspects of Indian life? And how might it change the way we look at our own society’s ideas of food and identity?

NOTE: Small Schedule Change--see below

 Since only one person came to class out of our three on Thursday, I'm pushing everything back one day so we don't get behind. The questions for Taub's essay "The Titan Submersible Was "An Accident Waiting to Happen"" will be discussed on Tuesday instead of today. So the questions (in the post below this one) will be due on Tuesday instead. Please read the essay since it will be very useful for your Paper #2 assignment, and it's very interesting as well. You have extra time to read it now, so you have no good excuse not to! :) 

We'll also talk about finding sources for your Paper #2 on Tuesday. See you then! 

For Thursday: Taub, "The Titan Submersible Was "An Accident Waiting to Happen""

 

For Thursday: Taub, “The Titan Submersible Was “An Accident Waiting to Happen” (130-148)

Answer TWO of the following as usual:

Q1: What’s so important about the opening paragraph, and how does it become a kind of ‘thesis’ for the entire essay? Similarly, what does it say about Stockton Rush’s approach to underwater exploration?

Q2: A passenger on one of the trips to the Titanic in the Titan submersible says that “she had delayed buying a car, getting married, and having kids all “because I wanted to go to Titanic”” (145). And she really did have to choose, since buying a seat on the vessel cost 250,000! Do you think this is worth it, as she and many others did? Why are people spending so much money, and risking their very lives, just to get a glimpse?

Q3: Rush thinks that using carbon fiber is the future of underwater exploration, even after people raise doubts about its reliability. According to the essay, why was he so married to this idea? What about it appealed to him? And what did he tragically overlook about its suitability to submarines?

Q4: One of the biggest “why does it matter?” answers comes from another question: why didn’t anyone try to stop Rush when so many people felt he was doomed to fail? For over a decade he continued to build his submersibles and take people down to the Titanic, even though there were multiple whistleblowers. What prevented him from getting in trouble or simply being regulated more carefully?

Paper #2: The Ugly Truth, due Wed, June 9th by 5pm!

English 1113

Paper #2: The Ugly Truth

INTRO: In each of the essays for this section, the writers explore a topic from a different angle, the one that isn’t ‘touristy,’ and shows us the ugly truth behind these beautiful places and activities. For example, traveling to an ancient temple in the Guatemalan jungle reminds Melissa Johnson that no civilization lasts forever, even her own; likewise, Mosab Abu Toha shows how a city where he grew up and had a normal life can suddenly become a nightmare, where the horrors of history are blindly repeated. The closer we look at a place or an activity (such as Titanic tourism), the more of the ‘ugly truth’ we can see, which helps us understand who we are, and why our society works the way it does, for good and ill.

PROMPT: For this paper, I want you to write about an ‘ugly truth’ that you’ve seen, experienced, or learned about in our daily lives. It should be about something that is normal, that people do every day, but maybe don’t see the other side of. Explain what people normally see, and how people can even enjoy/interact with it, but then explain what they don’t often see, and why that’s just as important. FOR EXAMPLE, many people go to places like Sonic for a cold drink or something quick to eat, and don’t think twice; but if you’ve ever worked there, you know the struggles of what it’s like to be a carhop, or the frustration of having ice cream machines break down, or a co-worker who never shows up to work. Your paper should ask, in some way, “why does the ugly truth matter? What do we learn from seeing inside this activity?” You can also show us the ‘beautiful truth’ as well—the important, powerful things that most people don’t see about a place or activity.

REQUIREMENTS: You should have at least FOUR sources for this assignment, TWO of which should be essays from class. Even though the essays might be more serious than your topic, you can compare ideas and observations about Titanic sightseeing to your own job at Sonic (you might have a boss like Stockton Rush, for example). Use the essays to help us see the conversation and understand why it matters. TWO or THREE sources should be from outside class (we’ll talk about how to find good sources) relating to your place/activity that can help us understand and can give you more to respond to. If you’re writing about the volunteering at a local animal shelter, for example, you can find articles that you can compare your experience to, or help bring out other ‘truths’ people might not know about (facts, statistics, etc). Find your sources FIRST, so you can respond to them in your essay, rather than trying to stick in random sources later.

REVISED DUE DATE: Despite what the course calendar says, I’ve moved this back a day, so it’s now due in TWO WEEKS, on Wednesday, July 9^th by 5pm.