Week 2: Return of the Books

This week got the class into our first true project, our group comparative essay. We were tasked with connecting points made about symbolism and theme in How To Read Literature Like A Professor by Thomas C. Foster, to the two books we chose to read over the summer. The pair I had chosen was The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and Obasan by Julie Kagawa. The group I'm working with consists of Melissa Jensen, Ian Recker, and me. A rather strong team if I do say so myself. We have already begun writing rough body paragraphs consisting of the individual ideas we have on the topics we have chosen. Once we are finished with our thoughts, we will mold them together into a final three body paragraphs. Hopefully this method allows us all to be represented and feel satisfied with the end product.
Along with the essay, we have been analysing a poem in class each day. The poem is The Eagle by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Although a short poem (six lines separated into two stanzas), we have dug out a wealth of ideas on imagery, diction, and overall meaning. At this point, I could recite the poem by heart. I'm not complaining, though. It has enhanced the confidence of the class to speak up about our often differing, but always valuable opinion on the piece. Other important details to cover include the introduction of an observing college student, Josephine, to the class atmosphere. I quite like her presence and she seems very nice. The Trial is an incredibly interesting book and I'm glad I chose it for this marking period.
The overall theme of this week is new ideas.

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