The Winsome Scholar

I’m not a big fan of playing the numbers game when it comes to your educations. This game draws attention toward the numerical value of assignments¹ and away from the stuff you want to know. This is why you cannot do extra work to raise your grade, but are welcome to re-work anything (read: master the material and make an improvement). This is why your practice essays are not in the grade book. This is why your multiple choice tests are not in the grade book. In turning your backs on the (potentially) high-anxiety grading system in favor of one that promotes self-reflection and improvement, you have made great strides in your writing.² By taking risks and viewing all of your work as steps toward mastery, even if you falter occasionally, you have become true students.³

However, even with that polemic against the current number-centric grading system…

I couldn’t be more excited about those three title numbers. Why, you ask?

The middle column is based on your previously discussed multiple choice scores. The right column is based on your MC scores from today. Whereas before, the 5 would have been out of your average² reach, based on the current evidence of your mastery, I’m confident that you will all pass this test with flying colors.

In the past few weeks we have blown through several exams worth of multiple choice questions, learning new vocabulary, reading/skimming skills, and (ugh) test-taking strategies. And it has paid off.

</hypocrisy>

More important, though, you have become engaging writers and skeptical readers. You have the skills to continue learning about arguments, to create your own, and to improve upon those of others. This is a great achievement. I hope you will move forward with these skills and learn with an unceasing eagerness.

Good work, guys.

1. We’ve discussed the “how many points do I have to score on the final to get an A” game before. [↩]
2. I realize I’m committing my second least-favorite teacher offense by lumping you all together, but this proud moment wouldn’t be happening if you all hadn’t made some progress. [↩] [↩]
3. L. studere, “to be eager, diligent” [↩]

Your outlines for the first three sections will be due Monday. Be sure to print it out before class, as we’ll be discussing them. If you’d like, email a copy to me and we can help you on the board.

Just a reminder based on what we discussed in class today:

You have until tomorrow to get in those long-overdue assignments and such.

We will begin discussing Lord of the Flies by Wm. Golding when we return from Fall Break. You may pick up a copy at Gardener’s on the cheap (though they may not have many copies in stock) or at any other fine bookseller in the area.

We will be journaling as we go, so start as soon as you open the book. We’ll be focusing on themes of power and democracy, as well as social interaction. Keep in mind our discussion of money in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead:

PLAYER: Everything has to be taken on trust; truth is only that which is taken to be true. It’s the currency of living. There may be nothing behind it, but it doesn’t make any difference so long as it is honored. One acts on assumptions (51-52).

Here’s our schedule for the remainder of the semester. Of course, this is subject to change with advance warning:

All missing or reworked assignments must be turned in by Monday, the 26th of this month—there will be no exceptions.

Update: I’ve received a few questions about our plans after my absence. We’ll continue the schedule as laid out, but I’ll be looking over your journals on Monday the 19th. Thanks, JS

Love in the Time of Cholera is not for the faint-of-heart, as I’m sure you’re all aware by now. I’ve posted a reading schedule below. It would be wise to read ahead (and journal all the way) over the weekends and breaks if you’re afraid of falling behind. (For those who find themselves lost in discussions of passages they’ve read beyond, the reading journal is a good way to refresh your memory.)

Journaling is vital to the creation of a solid paper towards the end of this novel. If you scroll to the end of the schedule, you’ll notice that we end the novel on a Wednesday (the 28th) and turn in a final draft of your term paper the next week (the 3rd). By journaling as you go, you are keeping track of patterns that emerge (see “Some things,” below). When you formulate your thesis, you are explaining what these patterns say about the work as a whole. From there, creating an outline is a matter of going through your journal and grouping quotations and insights that support your thesis, then putting them in a logical order. Writing a rough draft should be mostly copying your comments and their accompanying quotations from your journal.

It is not a simple process, but most of the insight work should be done while you’re reading and during our discussions. The writing process is communication work: organizing, working on flow, reinforcing your points.

I’ll work with each of you as we go, but I can’t read/journal for you; I can merely guide you in the right direction.

Possible essay topics:

• Explore the use of water imagery and how it reflects the themes of the novel.
• Contrast the characters of Dr. Urbino and Florentino Ariza using the symbolism that surrounds each.
• Explore the many types of love found in this novel. Are there any commonalities?
• Explain Marquez’s use of setting to reflect the tone of particular scenes.
• Explain the parallels between the city and the characters (particularly Dr. Urbino) as they age.

These are only ideas; let me know if you come up with another one.

Some things to be journaling:

• All liquid imagery (particularly water, but all other fluids)
• Mixed metaphors or images that seem contradictory
• First impressions and sketches of Dr. Urbino, Fermina Daza, and Florentino Ariza
  • As the characters interact, note how they compare or contrast. (“Would Urbino react like Florentino does in this scene?”)
• Keep tracking the different types of love!
• Always
  • Questions
  • Vocabulary
  • Cool passages
  • Your interpretations/reactions of events

We will have a brief quiz on Monday. If you are having difficulties keeping up with the reading, see me and we’ll work it out.

To check your understanding, check out this site, which has a list of basic questions about each section. This isn’t an assignment, though it would be beneficial to read over them after you finish a section.

Reading/writing schedule: