Week 68: College Reading and Writing: Jack Myers and Khary Penebaker

Week 68: College Reading and Writing: Jack Myers and Khary Penebaker

Annotating, Summarizing, Imitating, Analyzing, Synthesizing

to annotate: to make notes on something to help you understand it better

to summarize: to put something in your own words

to imitate: to create an original piece of writing based on something you have read

to analyze: to consider a question on the text, providing supporting examples from the text

to synthesize: to connect two or more texts in your own writing

We are on page 126 of the book today.

Exercise: Read and annotate

1. Read the poem and response out loud and underline any words you need to look up

2. Write any questions you have in the margins or in your notebook

3. Put tricky sentences into your own words in notes in the margins or in your notebook

Exercise: Questions for Comprehension of the poem

1. What does the speaker feel split away from? And why?

2. How do you think the world can become “more meaningless and precious” (Myers 126)?

3. Whose eye is the speaker “stick[ing] a thumb” into (Myers 126)?

Exercise: Questions for Comprehension of the response

1. What does the speaker wish?

2. What burden does the speaker carry?

Exercise: Summarize the poem

Write a paragraph summarizing the poem in your own words, with quotations, in-text citation, and a Work Cited Page.  Don’t include your opinion, just summarize the poem.

Example too-short summary, incorporating quotation and in-text citation:

Jack Myers’ poem “In the Dark” tells the story of “[a]nger and sorrow,” a father’s experience of living with the grief of “what’s left of my boy” (126). The poem ends with a provocation to death: “I have sworn to stay alive just to spite death” (Myers 126).

Work Cited Page

Myers, Jack. “In the Dark” Bullets Into Bells: Poets and Citizens Respond to Gun Violence. Ed. Brian Clements et al. Beacon Press, 2017.

Exercise: Summarize the response

Write a paragraph summarizing the response in your own words, with quotations, in-text citation, and a Work Cited Page.  Don’t include your opinion, just summarize the response.

example summary, incorporating quotation and in-text citation:

Khary Penebaker’s response to Jack Myers’ poem “In the Dark” begins by stating: “[m]y mom, Joyce, sat...in the dark, alone” (127). He goes on to explain his life’s purpose “to do everything [he] possibly can” to stop people from shooting themselves (Penebaker 127). He concludes by stating “I carry this burden so fewer people have to” (Penebaker 127).

Work Cited Page

Penebaker, Khary. “Response to ‘In the Dark" Bullets Into Bells: Poets and Citizens Respond to Gun Violence. Ed. Brian Clements et al. Beacon Press, 2017.

Exercise: Synthesizing Analysis

Question for synthesizing analysis: The poem and response explore suicide and the what it means to be left behind by a parent or child. Both authors write about what “the dark” holds (Myers 126, Penebaker 127). What do you think are the similarities and differences between the two darknesses? Remember to use quotations from the poem to make your points, and cite them!

Exercise: Imitation

Write your own “In the Dark” poem. There are many types of darkness, some are full of thrills and others fears. You can write about a memory, vampires and other monsters that go bump in the night, the idea of darkness in society, your own inner darkness, whatever you like. Use elements from Myers’ poem that you admire to make your own story stronger.  

For homework, revise these in a blue book or on loose paper; do not turn in your notebook or rip out pages to turn in.

1.         Summary of Myers

2.         Summary of Penebaker

3.         Synthesizing Analysis

4.         Imitation

About this class:

Your notebooks belong to you; you can write first drafts in them, and make notes for yourselves.  To turn in homework, revise your work in a blue book or sheets of paper you can get from your instructor. In this class, you are welcome to submit homework for a grade. If it’s not strong enough to earn an A, I’ll give you some comments to help you revise it, and let you do it over again. You have as many chances as you want to complete and perfect the work in this class, and you are welcome to do more than one week’s worksheet for homework at a time; ask me for sheets you’ve missed. Students who complete 15 weeks of graded assignments and a longer paper can qualify for college credit. When you get close to completing 15 weeks, I’ll help you get started on your longer paper.