Online Readings and Activities
http://www.learner.org/resources/series57.html 6. Langston Hughes
Hughes wrote of the
beauty, dignity, and heritage of blacks in America. Interviews, music, and dance
performances convey his work and influence, discussed by James Baldwin and
biographer Arnold Rampersad.
http://www.learner.org/resources/series41.html 16. Distant Voices: Myth, Symbolism, and Allusion in
Poetry
Four poetic versions of the Icarus myth — those of Sexton,
Spender, Williams, and Field — are dramatized and compared. Marge Piercy
discusses the role of myth in her poetry.
8. The Author's Voice: Tone and Style in Short
Fiction
An interview with Maxine Hong Kingston highlights this
examination of the impact of style on meaning.
9. Suggested Meanings: Symbolism and Allegory in
Short Fiction
Symbolism is prominent in a dramatization of D. H.
Lawrence's "The Horse Dealer's Daughter," while myth predominates in the work of
Native American writer N. Scott Momaday, who is interviewed.
10. The Sum of Its Parts: Theme in Short Fiction
Multiple themes are uncovered in "Everyday Use," a dramatization of
Alice Walker's short story.
11. The Sacred Words: The Elements of Poetry
The role of poetry for the individual and the culture is suggested
through visual essays. An interview with James Dickey includes his reading and
analysis of his poems "The Performance" and "The Lifeguard."
12. A Sense of Place: Setting and Character in
Poetry
The historical settings of "My Last Duchess," "Theme for
English B," and "Dover Beach" convey much about the characters and ideas of
these poems. The New England landscapes of Maxine Kumin echo the themes of her
poetry.
13. Tools of the Trade: Words and Images in Poetry
Poetry readings, visualizations of poems, and an interview with
Lucille Clifton, who reads two of her favorite poems, "This Morning" and "Homage
to My Hips," reveal the beauty and the workings of poetic language and imagery.
14. Seeing Anew: Rhetorical Figures in Poetry
The power of metaphor, simile, and other figures of speech becomes
clear through dramatizations of Anne Bradstreet's "The Author to Her Book,"
Nikki Giovanni's "Woman," and Daniel Halpern's "Snapshot of Hue." Gary Soto is
interviewed and reads and comments on his poem "Oranges."
15. An Echo to the Sense: Prosody and Form in Poetry
X. J. Kennedy discusses and demonstrates the importance of rhyme and
meter in his poetry. Dramatic readings of poems by Shakespeare, Dickinson, and
Hopkins and contemporary poets like Dudley Randall and Leonard Adame are
analyzed to show how prosody and form contribute to meaning.
This session showcases the reader as critic, as the readers step out of the text to reflect on what it all means, how it works, and why. From this stance, the readers look at Alice Walker’s “Revolutionary Petunias” and Langston Hughes’s “Theme for English B” to examine the authors’ craft, the structure of the text and its various literary elements, and the choice of language. Dr. Langer reminds readers of the importance of personal evaluation of the text and encourages teachers of readers to include the techniques explored here in their classrooms.
http://www.learner.org/resources/series197.html
20. Unit 20. Imperial Designs http://www.scctv.net/annenberg/bridging_world_history_20.asx
What
lasting impacts did modern imperialism have on the world? The profound
consequences of imperialism are examined in the South African frontier and
Brazil, where politics, culture, industrial capitalism, and the environment were
shaped and re-shaped.
21. Unit 21. Colonial Identities
How did
colonialism and eventual de-colonization mutually affect the colonizer and the
colonized? From Zanzibar to India, colonial and post-colonial identities are
examined through clothing.
VOD "Peer Feedback." English Composition: Writing for an Audience. Annenberg/CPB. Berkow & Berkow, 2001. <http://www.scctv.net/annenberg/English_Composition_14.asx>.
The Matrix Has You, a flash video at Flashplayer.com, http://www.flashplayer.com/animation/thematrixhasyou.html.
Rogers, Michael, Normal Oder, and Andrew Albanese. "Could Librarians' Help Have Prevented Hopkins Tragedy?" Library Journal 126.14 (2001): 16-17. Persistent link: http://proxy.lib.pdx.edu:2052/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&an=5124760
Missy Ellliott's "Lose Control" video:
Handsome Boy's Modeling School "The World's Gone Mad" video.
Nappy Root's "Trouble of this World" video.