“Araby” by James Joyce is not a love story. What is “Araby” really about? To submit your post, follow the steps below. 1. Scroll up to the black strip at the top of the screen and click the black “plus” sign inside the white circle. It is located to the right of the course title. 2. In the box that reads “Add title,” type in a title that includes your first name, last name, and the words “Discussion 5” (example: John Hart Discussion 5). 3. Type your response in the text box. Remember that your first post must be at least 150 words in order to receive full credit. 4. Navigate to the right side of the screen and choose the Post Category “Week 3 Discussion.” DO NOT CHANGE ANYTHING UNDER THE BOX THAT READS “CATEGORY STICK.” LEAVE THAT AS IT. (It will read “Select Category.”) 5. Publish the post by clicking the blue button on the right. 6. Please leave a thoughtful reply to the post of one other classmate. Remember that your comments to others should be at least 75 words in order to receive full credit.
Yearly Archives: 2021
In the essay about suspense in her story “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” O’Connor writes that readers, like the ancient Greek viewers of tragedy, “should know what is going to happen in this story so that the element of suspense in it will be transferred from its surface to its interior.” We know what the story is about on the surface. What do you feel the story is about in its “interior?” To submit your Week 8 post, follow the steps below. 1. Scroll up to the black strip at the top of the screen and click the black “plus” sign inside the white circle. It is located to the right of the course title. 2. In the box that reads “Add title,” type in a title that includes your first name, last name, and the words “Discussion 8” (example: John Hart Discussion 8). 3. Type your response in the text box. Remember that your first post must be at least 150 words in order to receive full credit. 4. Navigate to the right side of the screen and choose the Post Category “Week 8 Discussion” (or whichever week is current). Never choose anything in the box that reads “Category Sticky.” Click for screenshot. 5. To add media (optional), click the “add media“ button in between the title box and the text box. Do not add the image directly to the media library. To get the image to show in the tile preview, go to “featured image > add featured image, in the lower right-hand side.” Click for screenshot. 6. Publish the post by clicking the blue button on the right. 7. Please leave a thoughtful reply to the post of one other classmate. Remember that your comments to others should be at least 75 words in order […]
In Oedipus the King, the Chorus functions as the collective voice of the citizens of Thebes. The Odes, sung by the chorus, also exemplify one of Aristotle’s criteria for great tragic theatre: “language enhanced by varying beauties.” Select one passage from this week’s reading (You do not have to discuss the entire ode) sung by the Chorus and write a 150-word post in which you analyze the meaning of the passage and give examples of some of the beautiful language employed. Include the line numbers for us. Be sure to include the quoted material. Please do not use a passage that someone has already used. And please do not Google this. Trust your own intelligence. * To submit your post, follow the steps below. 1. Scroll up to the black strip at the top of the screen and click the black “plus” sign inside the white circle. It is located to the right of the course title. 2. In the box that reads “Add title,” type in a title that includes your first name, last name, and the words “Discussion 6 (example: John Hart Discussion 6). 3. Type your response in the text box. Remember that your first post must be at least 150 words in order to receive full credit. 4. Navigate to the right side of the screen and choose the Post Category “Week 3 Discussion.” DO NOT CHANGE ANYTHING UNDER THE BOX THAT READS “CATEGORY STICK.” LEAVE THAT AS IT. (It will read “Select Category.”) 5. Publish the post by clicking the blue button on the right. 6. Please leave a thoughtful reply to the post of one other classmate. Remember that your comments to others should be at least 75 words in order to receive full credit.
Prompt: How does the theme of the Emily Dickinson poem “The Wife” relate to Mrs. Mallard’s emotional state in “The Story of an Hour?” In order to receive credit, you must refer to the totality of the poem, not just the first four lines. Please include direct quotes from the poem to support your points. Please avoid repetition of what others have already noted. To submit your Week 9 post, follow the steps below. 1. Scroll up to the black strip at the top of the screen and click the black “plus” sign inside the white circle. It is located to the right of the course title. 2. In the box that reads “Add title,” type in a title that includes your first name, last name, and the words “Discussion 9” (example: John Hart Discussion 9). 3. Type your response in the text box. Remember that your first post must be at least 150 words in order to receive full credit. 4. Navigate to the right side of the screen and choose the Post Category “Week 9 Discussion” (or whichever week is current). Never choose anything in the box that reads “Category Sticky.” Click for screenshot. 5. To add media (optional), click the “add media“ button in between the title box and the text box. Do not add the image directly to the media library. To get the image to show in the tile preview, go to “featured image > add featured image, in the lower right-hand side.” Click for screenshot. 6. Publish the post by clicking the blue button on the right. 7. Please leave a thoughtful reply to the post of one other classmate. Remember that your comments to others should be at least 75 words in order to receive full credit.
Please complete all three steps in your response this week: Identify the author and the literary work you are focusing on for your research essay. Please share the actual word-for-word thesis statement of your research essay in your post. Explain what specific kind of secondary source information you feel will support your thesis. Identify the BMCC databases you have explored to date and what the results have been. To submit your post, follow the steps below. 1. Scroll up to the black strip at the top of the screen and click the black “plus” sign inside the white circle. It is located to the right of the course title. 2. In the box that reads “Add title,” type in a title that includes your first name, last name, and the words “Discussion 10 (example: John Hart Discussion 10). 3. Type your response in the text box. Remember that your first post must be at least 150 words in order to receive full credit. 4. Navigate to the right side of the screen and choose the Post Category “Week 3 Discussion.” DO NOT CHANGE ANYTHING UNDER THE BOX THAT READS “CATEGORY STICK.” LEAVE THAT AS IT. (It will read “Select Category.”) 5. Publish the post by clicking the blue button on the right. 6. Please leave a thoughtful reply to the post of one other classmate. Remember that your comments to others should be at least 75 words in order to receive full credit.
In what ways have your ideas about poetry changed or broadened in response to the Week 11 readings and activities? Please be specific and refer to a particular activity and what you took from it. To submit your post, follow the steps below. 1. Scroll up to the black strip at the top of the screen and click the black “plus” sign inside the white circle. It is located to the right of the course title. 2. In the box that reads “Add title,” type in a title that includes your first name, last name, and the words “Discussion 11 (example: John Hart Discussion 11). 3. Type your response in the text box. Remember that your first post must be at least 150 words in order to receive full credit. 4. Navigate to the right side of the screen and choose the Post Category “Week 3 Discussion.” DO NOT CHANGE ANYTHING UNDER THE BOX THAT READS “CATEGORY STICK.” LEAVE THAT AS IT. (It will read “Select Category.”) 5. Publish the post by clicking the blue button on the right. 6. Please leave a thoughtful reply to the post of one other classmate. Remember that your comments to others should be at least 75 words in order to receive full credit.
In the article “How to Read a Poem” from the Poets.org website (linked in both Weeks 11 and 12), the poet William Carlos Williams, in acknowledging the challenges of reading poetry, writes that a reader must “complete” what the poet has begun. With specific reference to one of this week’s poems, explain how you “completed” what the poet set in motion. In your answer, be sure to refer specifically to the article and to quote from your chosen poem to illustrate your response. To submit your post, follow the steps below. 1. Scroll up to the black strip at the top of the screen and click the black “plus” sign inside the white circle. It is located to the right of the course title. 2. In the box that reads “Add title,” type in a title that includes your first name, last name, and the words “Discussion 12 (example: John Hart Discussion 12). 3. Type your response in the text box. Remember that your first post must be at least 150 words in order to receive full credit. 4. Navigate to the right side of the screen and choose the Post Category “Week 3 Discussion.” DO NOT CHANGE ANYTHING UNDER THE BOX THAT READS “CATEGORY STICK.” LEAVE THAT AS IT. (It will read “Select Category.”) 5. Publish the post by clicking the blue button on the right. 6. Please leave a thoughtful reply to the post of one other classmate. Remember that your comments to others should be at least 75 words in order to receive full credit.
Prompt: In her critical overview of “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” (Activity 2) scholar Rena Korb discusses several different interpretative views of the story. One interpretation reads the story as a sort of “inverted fairy tale.” Other critics see the story as “a tale of initiation” into the evils of a depraved American culture. Still others may read the story as a “feminist allegory.” Ideas in these interpretations often overlap, and there is no one simplistic key to understand the story. With reference to the article by Korb, discuss your own understanding of the story, which may include ideas not mentioned by the critic. To submit your Week 13 post, follow the steps below. 1. Scroll up to the black strip at the top of the screen and click the black “plus” sign inside the white circle. It is located to the right of the course title. 2. In the box that reads “Add title,” type in a title that includes your first name, last name, and the words “Discussion 13” (example: John Hart Discussion 13). 3. Type your response in the text box. Remember that your first post must be at least 150 words in order to receive full credit. 4. Navigate to the right side of the screen and choose the Post Category “Week 13 Discussion” (or whichever week is current). Never choose anything in the box that reads “Category Sticky.” Click for screenshot. 5. To add media (optional), click the “add media“ button in between the title box and the text box. Do not add the image directly to the media library. To get the image to show in the tile preview, go to “featured image > add featured image, in the lower right-hand side.” Click for screenshot. 6. Publish the post by clicking […]
Which one of the vignettes from pages 3 – 53 of The House on Mango Street made the strongest impression on you? In a post of at least 150 words, identify the vignette and discuss its theme or central idea, explaining why it resonated for you. Please do not discuss the same vignette someone else has discussed, if possible.
Welcome to Week 16 of our online class. This is the last full week of our online course, but the semester extends through Monday and Tuesday of next week. Final Exams begin on Thursday, December 15th. Our final quiz will be available from 9:00 Thursday, December 15th through 5:00 p.m. Sunday, December 18th. For this week, please finish reading the short novel The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros and take part in the discussion board. Next week, there will be a general discussion about the course.
Welcome to Week 12 of our course. This week we will be continuing our segment on Poetry, looking at various forms, including lyric, narrative, and dramatic poems. There is no quiz this week.
Welcome to Week 8 of our online course. We are now at the halfway mark of the semester. Thank you again for your insightful and in-depth responses in last week’s discussion on Oedipus the King. That was my favorite discussion forum so far. This week we will be reading “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor, a story which combines tragedy with elements of dark, laugh-out-loud humor. Please be sure to complete all assignments on the page. I also look forward to more of your interesting comments in this week’s Discussion Board. There are officially no classes on Monday in observance of Columbus Day. There is no quiz this week.
Welcome to Week 6 of our online course. This week will be exploring one of the great tragedies of Western literature, Oedipus the King. I look forward to reading your comments in the discussion board as we examine the complex character of the doomed king and ponder timeless questions about the human condition. There is no quiz this week. Essay Introduction is due Sunday, October 2. See Activity 4 on the Week 5 page for directions. BMCC is officially closed on Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 26-27, in observance of the Jewish New Year Rosh Hashana.
Welcome to Week 5 of our OpenLab course. This week will be reading “Araby” by the renowned Irish writer James Joyce. I look forward to hearing your responses to this dark and soulful story. “Araby” will be accessed through the Commonlit website, which we will be using frequently during the term. If you have not yet created an account with Commonlit, please review the easy directions in COURSE INFORMATION. Note: You do not have to write the answers to the short questions on the CommonLit website; however, I do suggest that you review them to enhance your understanding of the story and in preparation for future quizzes. Essay 1, which is only a one-paragraph introduction, will be assigned this week. Please follow directions with utmost care. Be sure to complete Quiz 4 by 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. Note: Please be careful when posting on the discussion board. Do not change anything in the “Category Sticky” box on the right side of the screen. Leave that to read “Select Category.” If you check that box, my instructions do not appear first. Under that box is the one where you will add a check next to the current week. Also, please title your post: First Name Last Name Week 4 Discussion. Thank you!
Welcome to Week 4 of our OpenLab course. This week will be reading “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara, a story that is both funny and deeply serious. The story is written in African American Vernacular English (AAVE) rather than standard English. This will probably present no problems for most students; however, those for whom English is a second language may find the grammar and language a bit strange. I think you’ll all agree that the use of AAVE adds realism, authenticity, and humor to the narration. Please be sure to complete Quiz 3 by 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 18th. Note: Please be careful when posting on the discussion board. Do not change anything in the “Category Sticky” box on the right side of the screen. Leave that to read “Select Category.” If you check that box, my instructions do not appear first. Under that box is the one where you will add a check next to the current week. Also, please title your post: First Name Last Name Week 4 Discussion. Thank you!
Welcome to Week 3 of our online course. The week’s reading is the very short story “Salvation,” which is an excerpt from Langston Hughes’s memoir The Big Sea. We will also be looking at concepts of irony, which are at play in this story. Don’t forget to take Quiz 2 by 5:00 p.m. Sunday, September 11. Enjoy!
Welcome to Week 2 of our Open Lab class. This week we will be reading the beautiful and mysterious story “The Most Handsome Drowned Man” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I’m sure you will be entranced by the story and will enjoy the week’s tasks and activities. I look forward to hearing from everyone this week in the discussion board. Be sure to complete Quiz 1 by 5:00 p.m. this Wednesday (August 31)..
Welcome to Week 1 of ENG 201 Introduction to Literature on the BMCC OpenLab platform. I look forward to an interesting semester of reading, thinking, talking, and writing. Before exploring this website, please be sure to complete the E-Learning Orientation on your Blackboard home page. Next, please browse through the main menu above, which includes: Home, Announcements, Course Information, Help and Resources, Professor Conway, Questions, Shared Student Essays, and Discussions. Please pay special attention to Course Information. Now navigate to the Weekly Folders on the side menu. Click on Week 1 and complete the activities on the page.