At the beginning of class tomorrow, I will collect your blog response assignments. If you were absent when I distributed copies or you have misplaced yours, refer to the directions below.
Directions
- Go to the class blog page, and click on the link for the blog of the classmate whose name precedes yours on the roster. If you are first on the list, go to the blog of the student whose name is last on the list.
- If the student’s blog is not accessible, choose another student’s analysis for your response.
- Read the classmate’s analysis and compose a response (75 words, minimum) that addresses one or more of these elements: the title, the thesis, the support for the writer’s claims, the conclusion, the image documenting part of the writing process away from the screen, the embedded link to a relevant website.
- Does the blog post include an image that documents part of the blogger’s writing process away from the screen? (yes or no)
- Does the post include a relevant embedded link? (yes or no)
Bonus Assignment
Consider how the images and embedded links included on your blog enhance your posts; the pictures offer readers a glimpse of the writing process that isn’t evident from the typed words on the screen, and the embedded links provide readers with valuable additional information about your subject. View your classmates’ posts of their analyses, and carefully examine the images and the pages they have linked to their posts.
Directions
- Determine which of the images and which of the embedded links are most effective. Consider what draws your attention to the picture. Does it include anything in addition to the required element (a portion of the blogger’s handwritten prose)? If so, what is that additonal element? To determine your choice for the most effective embedded link, ask yourself what further information it offers about the subject of the analysis–the essay, article excerpt, chapter, or chapter excerpt–or the author of the text. You are welcome to choose among the posts of analyses by students in both sections eight and eighteen.
- Compose a comment of two complete sentences or more that includes (1) the titles of the analyses enclosed in quotation marks, (2) the first and last names of the students, and (3) a brief explanation of the image’s and embedded link’s effectiveness.
- Post your comment as a reply to this blog entry no later than 9 a.m. Monday, October 27. (To post your comment, click on the title, and scroll down to the bottom of the page. You will then see the image of an airmail envelope with a leave comment option.)
I will approve your responses (make your comments visible) after the 9 a.m. deadline on Monday. Commenters will earn a bonus assignment credit in the course work/short assignments category.
Next Up
Wordplay Day! To prepare for class, revisit the Dictionary and World Builder pages on the Scrabble website, the Merriam-Webster Scrabble Word Finder page, and review the blog posts devoted to Scrabble tips,
Jane Lucas 
Reese Danback’s “Seventy Four Classroom Pets Later”, the picture of the tombstone with all of the things that were said to have died in “The School” was the most effective in my opinion. They included the extra elements of the dog and illustration that gave more insight to the content of the text before reading, which caught my attention. Their embedded links included a biography about the author of “The School”, Donald Barthelme and one of the text itself. These links allow the readers to get to know who the author is better, which can help us understand why he would write this way and the link to the text can give us the opportunity to see what they are talking about in the ananysis for ourselves.
“Foundations of a left tackle” by Jorja Mangeot was one of the blog posts that stood out to me. The image on the blog posts shows not only her rough draft but also a journal exercise. This shows that she potentially used both to complete and come up with her final analysis. Her embedded link goes to a website about the author, which I think gives a really cool insight into the text.
” Finding meaning in Loss” by Ellie Tejada stood out to me as well. The embedded link in her analysis offers a brief description of the author giving a broader insight. The picture in her blog posts shows the text and her rough draft showing her progress.
I believe that Reese Danback’s image in “Seventy Four Classroom Pets Later” is the most effective image of the class analyses. What draws me to the image is Reese’s additional inclusion of the stuffed dog. The dog serves as a nice callback to the puppy that dies in the story that Reese is analyzing and makes me more inclined to read her analysis. Reese also includes a list of everything that died in Donald Barthelme’s “The School,” which gives a visual representation of the absurd death count in Barthelme’s work. The embedded link to the National Women’s History Museum in Bella Richardson’s “A Different Type of Language: Helen Keller’s Evolution” was the most effective link for me. I appreciate how the link provided me with a biography of Helen Keller. This additional information helps me to better understand the subject for Richardson’s analysis.
I found the image that Luke Simpson uses in “The Falling Man” to be most effective because not only does it emphasize the importance of the true story, but it also shows the importance of 9/11 and how this tragic event left everyone disrupted, leaving no negative opinions. This picture draws me in as a reader because it’s very unique; it does not include any real-life pictures, such as his draft. I believe it creates a more professional addition. The embedded link is very effective in this analysis because it highlights the in-depth background on Tom Junod’s article as well as the historical context.
I think the image composed in the writing “Descending Arrows” written by Nikki Parbhoo offers a compelling image of the story she chose to write about. The image of the main focus of the writing “The Falling Man” crafted into the words contributes the effectiveness of that are written on the page such as “Chilling”, “Terror”, and “Confusion”. The link composed in her writing also offers great insight into the authors writing process and the story being told beyond the words he chose to write on the page.
I chose Reese Danback’s analysis, “Seventy Four Classroom Pets Later” because her image of the teddy bear resting on top of the tombstone with “R.I.P” on it highlights the main topic of death in Donald Barthelme’s, “The School”. I also like how the imbedded link provides the text for the reader’s to be able to experience the story firsthand.
What draws my attention in Casey Burkoms’ paper Life Within Death: Junod’s Perspective of The Falling Man is how he included a picture of the falling man from the moment it happened, and also his reflection. This draws my attention from something that happened a while ago is still relevant in today’s society. The embedded link from The New York Times shows the story behind 9/11.
During my research, I found that all the photos and links are relevant. However, the two that stood out the most are the photo of Annaliese Abboud in her analysis: « Beyond The Image ». It’s a picture from our book Writing Analytically, on page 241, titled “What a Good Analytical Thesis Is and Does.” It’s relevant because Annaliese mentions this page as one of her main reference points when writing her analysis. The link that I find the most relevant is the one used by Grayson Crouch in his analysis: « The Power of Perspective ». This link shows us the definition and explanation of the “Reader Perspective.” I find it both original and relevant because it gives us information about one of the main points in his analysis.
I really liked Nikki Parbhoo’s picture in “Descending Arrows” because in the picture of her notes, there’s the shadow of a falling man. This is relevant to the analysis about the text “The Falling Man” by Tom Junod. The most relevant link in my eyes was by Heloise Richer in “When Falling Becomes Freedom”. The embedded link “the photograph” also shows the perfect image to describe “The Falling Man” by Tom Junod. I also chose “The Falling Man” for my analysis and that’s why I relate the most to both writers Nikki Parbhoo and Heloise Richer.
“Finding Meaning in Loss” by Ellie Tejada and “The Power of Perspective” by Grayson Crouch both include effective aspects that enhance their posts. In Ellie Tejada’s analysis, her emended link gives immense and relevant information and context on the author of the piece in which she is analyzing. Whereas, Grayson Crouch’s analysis includes a visually pleasing and eye catching photograph incapsulating his writing process and piece of writing in which he is analyzing. Both of these factors help to enhance the quality of their blog post as well as intrigue their viewers due to the effects in which they provoke.
In “Finding Meaning in Loss” by Ellie Tejada, I think the image of her handwritten draft really stands out because it feels personal and shows the effort she put into understanding the story. It makes the post feel more real and emotional. The link to Donald Barthelme’s “The School” is super effective too because it helps readers see exactly where her ideas are coming from and understand the deeper message about how loss gives meaning to life.
The most effective image is highlighted in “Literary Analysis: Learning Through Life and Death” by Avery Falor because her photo depicts both her typed and handwritten draft, providing us with a clear look into her writing process and this makes the image effective because it shows development revision and effort.
The most effective embedded link is also found in her essay because her link to The New Yorker gives us access to Donald Barthelme’s original story, “The School,” which makes her analysis a lot stronger by enabling the readers to dive deeper into the text themselves
Overall, these elements make her blog post a lot more informative and it betters the reader’s understanding of her explanation.