1. Read the short story "Girl" by Jamaica Kincaid.
*Note: The story is supposed to be read all in one continuous paragraph. Consider the reasoning behind this. Who is the narrator? What is the point of view of the story? What is the conversation that is taking place, and why? What type of language is being spoken?
Wash the white clothes on Monday and put them on the stone heap; wash the color clothes on Tuesday and put them on the clothesline to dry; don't walk barehead in the hot sun; cook pumpkin fritters in very hot sweet oil; soak your little cloths right after you take them off; when buying cotton to make yourself a nice blouse, be sure that it doesn't have gum on it, because that way it won't hold up well after a wash; soak salt fish overnight before you cook it; is it true that you sing benna in Sunday school? always eat your food in such a way that it won't turn someone else's stomach; on Sundays try to walk like a lady and not like the slut you are so bent on becoming; don't sing benna in Sunday school; you mustn't speak to wharflies will follow you; but I don't sing benna on Sundays at all and never in Sunday school; this is how to sew on a button; this is how to make a button-hole for the button you have just sewed on; this is how to hem a dress when you see the hem coming down and so to prevent yourself from looking like the slut I know you are so bent on becoming; this is how you iron your father's khaki shirt so that it doesn't have a crease; this is how you iron your father's khaki pants so that they don't have a crease; this is how you grow okrbafar from the house, because okra tree harbors red ants; when you are growing dasheen, make sure it gets plenty of water or else it makes your throat itch when you are eating it; this is how you sweep a corner; this is how you sweep a whole house; this is how you sweep a yard; this is how you smile to someone you don't like too much; this is how you smile to someone you don't like at all; this is how you smile to someone you like completely; this is how you set a table for tea; this is how you set a table for dinner; this is how you set a table for dinner with an important guest; this is how you set a table for lunch; this is how you set a table for breakfast; this is how to behave in the presence of men who don't know you very well, and this way they won't recognize immediately the slut I have warned you against becoming; be sure to wash every day, even if it is with your own spit; don't squat down to play marbles. you are not a boy, you know; don't pick people's flowers. you might catch something; don't throw stones at blackbirds, because it might not be a blackbird at all; this is how to make a bread pudding; this is how to make doukona; this is how to make pepper pot; this is how to make a good medicine for a cold; this is how to make a good medicine to throw away a child before it even becomes a child; this is how to catch a fish; this is how to throw back a fish you don't like, and that way something bad won't fall on you; this is how to bully a man; this is how a man bullies you; this is how to love a man; and if this doesn't work there are other ways, and if they don't work don't feel too bad about giving up; this is how to spit up in the air if you feel like it, and this is how to move quick so that it doesn't fall on you; this is how to make ends meet; always squeeze bread to make sure it's fresh; but what if the baker won't let me feel the bread?; you mean to say that after all you are really going to be the kind of woman who the baker won't let near the bread?
2. This will take you some time. Be creative, and follow the instructions carefully. In your comment, follow each of the following steps. Label each step:
Step a) Find and describe one example of logos, ethos, and pathos in the story. What is the purpose, and what is the intended effect?
Again this week, each sentence in your original comment and your comments to your peers must start with a different word.
Example: The word "I" may not be used to begin a sentence more than once in a single post. Choose your words carefully. Make each one count.
Check out this resource:
The Owl is Your Friend
Step b) Write an original short story of your own modeled in the style of Jamaica Kincaid. I want you to give advice or directives to another person or group of people, but follow as many rules of grammar/spelling as possible. Have fun with this! Minimum: 500 words.
Word of caution: You may want to do this in a Word Document first and save it. This may end up being too long for a single comment; therefore, you might need to post one or more comments.
*Deadline: Monday, October 18th at midnight
3. Respond to at least two of your classmates' comments by completing the following steps:
Step a) State whether you agree or disagree with the writer's standpoint about the logos, ethos, and pathos, and/or post what you like or dislike about their story and why.
Step b) Provide any three concrete examples of your choice to support your decision. They need not be lengthy, but there must be three. Why? THREE = BALANCE.
Step c) End your comment with a question for the writer to consider.
-->Remember: Each sentence in your comments to your peers must begin with a different word.
*Deadline: Friday, October 22nd at midnight
4. Remember the guidelines for grammar, spelling, propriety, etc.
