102: Dylan Thomas Thesis Statements

Two possible thesis statements.

“Do Not Go Gentle” is quoted in the movie "The Rundown" and in "Dangerous Minds." Write a paper that examines the meaning of the poem in either or both of the movies. Based on our classroom explication, did the screenplay writer understand the meaning of the poem?

or

Make the case for “Do Not Go Gentle” being not only a poem to his father, but a commentary on himself. Is Thomas the “wild man?” Research Thomas’ background to support your case.

In addition, here is a link from the BBC where the poem is examined. There are comments on the poem from people all over the world. I only read half of them but found them to be a rich source of ideas for thesis statements. Finally, take a look at the Wikipedia entry on the poem. You may find ideas there.

101 Blogger URLs

For both 8 and 10 a.m. classes.
Please put this link in your bookmarks:

http://tinyurl.com/2khwl2

This is the link to visit other student blogs. For now, visit only the blogs of students in your class. You should comment back after you read a post. If you can't think of anything to say, that's fine. Move on and visit more posts and comment on the ones to which you have a reaction.

At this stage, we are not critiquing. I will show you how to critique at a future class.

Attn: 101 and 102 Students

8 a.m. 101: In the very last section of the notebook, the notebook handout says to put in two categories, "Research Paper" and "Literary." Do not make these categories. Instead, make one category for this second section. It should be called "Rhetorical Forms."


102: Dylan Thomas thesis statements will be posted here (after 5 p.m.) for the desperate. All papers for this class will be due on Wednesdays

Note: 102 students in need of a thesis statement: I cannot find the Dylan Thomas thesis statements and will have to search hard copies.

102 students will also receive the file called "How to Read a Poem" by 9 p.m. this evening. The email list is not complete so I will be sending the "Poem" file later this evening.

Writing Topics for 101 Students/Mon-Tues

Monday: write a detailed post about your high school English courses. Discuss the literary works you read and the types of papers you wrote. Tell about the teachers and their techniques. What were some of the assignments that helped you learn the most?

Tuesday: Why is writing important? Why should you be a good writer (or not)? In what area would you like this course to help you the most?

Entries should be approximately three paragraphs each.

Forward This Article to Whomever is Financing Your Education

Important:

Congress Passes Overhaul of Student Aid Programs
By DIANA JEAN SCHEMO

WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 — Congress gave final approval to a broad overhaul of federal student loan programs Friday, sharply cutting subsidies to lenders and increasing grants to needy students.

...It also raises the maximum Pell grant, the basic federal grant for middle- and low-income students, to $5,400 from the current $4,310 over the next five years. To pay for the changes, the bill reduces federal subsidies to lenders by roughly $20 billion over the same period.

This is a positive development. It means that money that was going to the banking industry is being redirected back to student aid.

Read the rest of the article.

Note: NY Times. Registration required. If you don't want to register to get the complete article, go to www.bugmenot.com and enter NY Times for a quickie password.

Gardener's Car Goes to the Car Wash

The laughs alone were worth the $20!

Full of leaves and twigs from its many hauls to the recycling center, the Garden Car needs to turn from a pumpkin back into a carriage. School starts in two days. Before I left I said to Jim, "How many minutes into the car wash do you think it will take for someone to say 'Lady, you don't need a car wash, you need a leaf blower'?"

I thought about cleaning it myself but a more considered look told me the car wash was a better bet.

The Main Street Car Wash taught me all about the body language of car wash guys. There is, for example, a look that tells the others that "this one's a disaster!" There was a cluster of guys to clean it but there were others doing different tasks around the premises who sauntered over to take a look. The looks on their faces were priceless as they meandered by, trying to look inconspicuous. I could hardly stand it: I burst out laughing.

Pretty soon the vacuum guy announces "The vac's plugged up!" He had to take it apart to fix it.

Next they looked at the trunk. It was $1 extra for this service and well worth it. They were so puzzled over how to handle the leaf detritus that they assembled a conference of six guys. The trunk cover can be removed, they discovered, so that's what they did; then they cleaned and shampooed it.

The rest of the car wash was pretty much routine, and I drove out of there in a clean car. I was so disoriented from the new environment that I went out the entrance and a lady in a station wagon gave me a rude gesture. A clean car! I barely found my way home!

p.s. I did tip them well. Like I said, the laughs alone were worth the $20.

Links to Textbook Sites, Others

Students should bookmark these sites:

All Students in 101, 102, and 1402:

Persuasive Topics List


Writing 101 students:

Assignment Sheet for Argument and Persuasion

Sources Worksheet for Argument and Persuasion paper (due Oct. 31)

You will need this link for various grammar exercises. Hacker.

About our textbook author, Cheryl Glenn. Text web site for Making Sense.

Student blogs.


Writing 102 students:

Literary Works:

How to Read a Poem (.rtf file)
Page 1416 (How to Explicate a Poem)

"Do Not Go Gentle"
Project Gutenberg
Short Story Index
Academy of American Poets
Selected Shorts

Noah Lukeman's A Dash of Style

Grammar exercises, usage guide, MLA (& other) style guide: Hacker

Speech 1402 students:

Group Symposium: China files 1; China files 2

Maybe: My Communications Lab

Speech topics.