Senior English 08: Third Assignment

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Third Assignment

1. My book does not seem original to me. I've read several other books that seem to follow the same pattern as this one, at least so far. At the same time, I really don't think that it's a bad thing. This book practices the dystopia style in an interesting way.

2. What make this book a good example of an old style, is the complete way in which Orwell has constructed the world. He places his character in a society that is so constrictive and then gives him some freedom of thought. It's a wonderful way to look at the things that may be wrong in our society.

3. I don't think that there will be any new stories, at least not any time soon. The greatest writers that I know of have used material from other authors. Tolkien based many of his characters and mythologies on ones that he'd studied. Even Shakespeare, the Bard himself, borrowed material from previous authors. It's not important that the material is brand new. Rather, it's important how the author uses that material and how that author shows some of her or his own style.

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Fourth Assignment

Answer these questions as fully as you can before 11:59 p.m. on sunday night

Find 3 elements in your text that you feel are especially important. The elements you choose could be symbols and/or metaphors and/or allegories and/or characters and/or settings and/or moods and/or plots and/or conflicts. If you've written about an element in class or online, you can use it for this assignment.

For each element, write what it is and describe it a bit. For example, if you found a symbol, write that it's a symbol, describe where you see it, and describe what it means.

How do you know that it is what you say it is? For example, if you found a metaphor, how do you know it's a metaphor?

Describe what each element you chose does in the text. You don't need to describe how that element works in general, you should have already done that. In stead, describe what that particular example does in your book specifically. That is, what's the element's job?

Do you know the project of your book? If so, what is it?

Third Assignment

Due 11:59 pm on Sunday the 16th

Answer these questions as fully as you can as a post on your blog, remember to title your response "Third Assignment," and have a good spring break.

A professor by the name of Dr. Thomas Foresters says, "... there's only one story." He goes on to explain that he thinks every book is just the same story told over and over again in different ways, in different settings, with different characters, and with a few of the same conflicts. He thinks that all stories borrow from each other.

Is your book's story completely original and new? Or, do you recognize pieces of familiar stories in your book?

What makes your book's story original, or old news?

Do you think that a writer in this day and age can make a completely new story?

Second Assignment - Character