Course Recap
At the beginning of class, we had the chance to hear Catherine Bailey's presentation on the services available to you at the WMU Writing Center and on the strategies that you could use to study for and to take an essay exam. As Catherine explained, you can sign up for an individualized session in the writing center by following the links on the writing center homepage. If you missed class today, you can get the handouts that Catherine used in her presentation -- I saved copies for you and will bring them to class next Tuesday.
During the second half of class, I gave a short presentation on the history of children's poetry: Download ENGL 3820 History of Children's Poetry Sp 12
I wanted to be sure that you understood that Shel Silverstein was part of a group of 1960s and 1970s poets who created believable child speakers and showed them positing ideas and desires that would be typical of most children. That said, Silverstein's The Giving Tree is a bit different -- it departs from Silverstein's typically jovial and irreverant poetry to tell a fable. The question we will be answering as we consider his text involves just what sort of message or messages that Silverstein might be trying to convey in the text.
Homework
For homework, I would like you to fill out the following handout -- if you were in class, you already have a copy, but if you were not, you can access a copy here: Download ENGL 3820 Silverstein Exercise Sp 12 Like most of the picture books we are reading this semester, The Giving Tree does not include page numbers. I would like us to use the following numbering system: Page 1 will be the one that contains the text, "Once there was a tree...". By my calculation, the book ends on page 52, with the text, "The End."
Also, I would like you to take a few minutes and watch this video, a 1970s production in which Silverstein reads The Giving Tree.
Finally, in class, I said that I wanted you to read a short excerpt from scholar Lisa Rowe Faustino, but I have decided that I would rather share her ideas with you in class next time. That way, as you do the exercise, you will be reflecting on your own ideas, and then later, you can see how they matched up with Faustino's.
Next week, we will move from Silverstein right into Seuss -- so please also be sure that you have read Seuss' The Lorax and bring it with you to class on Tuesday, along with your copy of The Giving Tree. We will probably only spend about 20 minutes on The Lorax, but at least we can get a start.
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