Week 89: College Reading and Writing: Nick Arnold and Lucy McBath

Week 89: College Reading and Writing: Nick Arnold and Lucy McBath

Nick Arnold and Lucy McBath: Annotating, Summarizing, Analyzing, Imitating

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

to summarize: to put something in your own words

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

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

We are doing the first poem and response in our book today, starting on page 1.

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 parts into your own words in notes in the margins or in your notebook.

Exercise: Questions for Comprehension of the Poem

1.     Who do you think is the “normal adolescent” (Arnold 1) that Arnold mentions?

2.     Who is the speaker of “baby, just take another one” (Arnold 1)? What do you think it means?

3.     What does the speaker think about Jordan’s killer?

Exercise: Questions for Comprehension of the Response

1. What do you understand about McBath from the stuff about her in italics?
2. What are some things McBath cries about?
3. What is the thing that makes her “get afraid” (McBath 2)?

                                                                                                             

Exercise: Summarize the poem

Write a paragraph summarizing the poem with quotations, in-text citation, and a Work Cited Page.

Example Summary: Too short, but incorporates quotation and in-text citation:

In Nick Arnold’s poem “Jordan,” Arnold uses rhyme, slant rhyme, and slang to reflect on his cousin Jordan’s death. While the speaker is angry at “Jordan’s killer,” he concludes the poem by stating a want for “this country to head in the right direction” Arnold 1). He believes this direction is “preventing murders” (Arnold 1).

Work Cited Page (for today’s poem)

Arnold, Nick. “Jordan” Bullets Into Bells: Poets and Citizens Respond to Gun Violence. Ed. Brian Clements et al. Beacon Press, 2017.

Exercise: Write a response to this poem. What are your first impressions? How do you connect or disconnect to the subject and speaker? Does the poem remind you of anything from your own life and experience?

Exercise: Summarize the response

Write a paragraph summarizing the response with quotations, in-text citations, and a Work Cited Page.

Exercise: Analysis

Question for analysis: Which of these, the poem or the response, did you find more emotionally affecting? Why? Quote both texts and consider counterargument in your work.

Exercise: Imitation

Write your own poem or short prose piece about someone you have lost or someone you miss. Choose elements of the poem by Arnold or the prose piece by McBath to help shape your piece. For example, you may choose to put your poem into rhyming couplets, like Arnold, or to include a list of things, like McBath’s list of reasons she cries.

Homework:

1. Summary of Poem
2. Summary of Response
3. Analysis of Poem and Response
4. Imitation of Poem

About this class:

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.