End of Old School graded discussion

For our seminar prepare notes by writing ideas, connections, reflections, and noting relevant passages for each of the following questions that we came up with. Write these notes on a piece of paper you can bring with you to seminar, not on this blog.

1.        Why does the story end with the Dean and not the narrator? How does the ending relate to the narrator’s story?  How does the theme of honesty/truth relate to both characters’ stories?

2.       Why does the school still honor the narrator after he was kicked out?  Why did Mr. Ramsey seem to hold him in such high regard?

 

3.       Is it possible to have a unique idea?  Can we ever escape the influence of what we read, see, and hear from other writers/thinkers?  What is the difference between influence, imitation, and plagiarism?

 

4.       Why didn’t the narrator go home after being kicked out?  How do you make sense of his life after the incident?  How does he try to make sense of it?

 

5.       Does the narrator feel any guilt about plagiarizing?  Why did Susan Friedman respond the way she did?  What changed Susan’s point of view about writing?  How do you interpret her own life choices?

 

6.       In what ways does truth become relative and elusive?  Does absolute truth matter?

 

7.       What does it mean to discover your voice?  Has the narrator discovered his?

 

8.       Notice continual references to acting, role-playing, and theater.  What does the use of this motif help us to see about the characters, this school, and some larger themes in the book?

 

Side question:  What is Tobias Wolff’s connection to his narrator?  What would be the significance of that connection?  How does that come through in the writing?

Post discussion and "When in Disgrace" chapter blog

Before doing this blog entry, be sure to read the chapter
entitled "When in Disgrace" from Old School. 

Focus your blog on both your reading of that chapter AND something that came up in our graded discussion OR something that didn't come up that maybe should have.

If you need a prompt to get you going, look back at the handout of Blog Questions (essential questions) that I gave you when we started this book.

Be sure to ground your ideas in a close analysis of textual details.  Don't just list quotes; analyze and dig deep!

Finalized list of graded discussion questions for Old School chap. 3-6

These are the questions we, as a class, chose to focus on for our up-coming graded discussion. 

For our discussion you need to prepare notes. 

For each question, write down your ideas, page numbers with passages you want to examine, and connections you want to make.  You should write either a lengthy paragraph or a lengthy list of developed items for each question.

Do your prep work on a piece of paper that you can bring to seminar, not as a comment on this blog.

TOP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR OLD SCHOOL CHAP. 3-6

 

1.       What is Bill White writing that makes him so upset and exhausted?  What is going on with his relationship with the narrator?  Why don’t they really talk?  Why do they hold back so much?  How does that kind of relationship affect them, positively and negatively?

2.       Explore the world of “Randism” and what is would look like in real life.  Is it possible today?  Is it desirable?

 

3.       What is the significance of the scene where Jeff Purcell rejects the chapel visits?  Why is that scene there?  What are his motives?  What role does Big Jeff play in his decision?

 

4.       What is the narrator’s relationship with his school?  Does he value it?  How does that change and why?  Explore the narrator’s decision to use the story he found entitled “Summer Night.”  Why is this his vehicle for revealing himself?  Why is he plagiarizing? 

 

5.       What is the truth behind the narrator’s background and why is it significant?  If he revealed it, would it matter?  How do we know?

 

6.       Why are the school and narrator left unnamed?


On the side:  why is chapter six entitled "The Forked Tongue?"
 

Questions for graded discussion on Old School chapters 3-6

1.  Read and annotate the chapter entitled "The Forked Tongue."

2.  Go back and read your classmates responses to the last blog we did on chapters 3-5 (the one that was due Tues).  Reply to at least  2 of your classmates.

3.  For this blog, think about some of the issues that you see coming up in the blog comments and some of the things you've been noticing and wondering about as you've been reading the following chapters:  "Frost," "Ubermensch," "Slice of Life," and "The Forked Tongue."  Submit 3 possible questions you think would be worth exploring in our next graded discussion.    Post these 3 questions as your comment for this blog.

Old School: chapters 3 - 5

 

                                Use any part of these chapters for your blog: 

                       "Frost," "Ubermensch," or "Slice of Life" 

 

1.  Pick one of the blog questions to explore (see the Old School handout I gave you for the list).

2.  Focus on something specific (a specific scene, character, or idea) and explore it thoughtfully.  Really take the time to EXPLORE possible insights, points of view, connections and interpretations.  Do not feel like you have to cover all three chapters.  Narrow your focus, but go deeper in your analysis.

3.  Don't just list quotes.  Take the time to do real analysis.  Take the time to really examine the language and the way the author presents ideas.  Take the time to ask questions and ponder possible ways to interpret what you see.
 
4.  Remember to include a fitting title as well as your name.