U NIT TWO : COMING TO TERMS WITH SPACE

D EFINITION : PLACE

C OMING TO TERMS WITH PLACE :

H OMEWORK : V ISIT MY WEBSITE AND GO THE “E DWARD H OPPER G ALLERY ” FOR U NIT T WO. F IND AND PRINT A PHOTOGRAPH WHICH APPEALS TO YOU, AND BRING IT TO CLASS WITH YOU TOMORROW.

E XERCISE : R EAD “E DWARD H OPPER AND THE H OUSE BY THE R AILROAD ” BY E DWARD H IRSCH. S EE HANDOUTS - P OEM AND B IO

R ESPONSE #1 A S YOU EXAMINE H OPPER ’ S H OUSE BY THE R AILROAD, WHERE DOES HE DIRECT YOUR ATTENTION ? W HAT DETAILS DO YOU NOTICE ABOUT THE HOUSE, ITS STRUCTURE, AND ITS RELATION TO THE RAILROAD TRACK AND THE SKY ?

R ESPONSE #2 W HAT FEATURES OF H OPPER ’ S PAINTING DOES H IRSCH FOCUS ON IN HIS POEM ? W HAT EFFECTS DOES H IRSCH CREATE THROUGH PERSONIFICATION OF THE HOUSE ? D O YOU AGREE WITH H IRSCH THAT THE HOUSE HAS THE LOOK OF “ SOMEONE A MERICAN AND GAWKY ” (38)? E XPLAIN.

A SSIGNMENT : R EFER TO HANDOUT ENTITLED “E DWARD H OPPER WRITING A SSIGNMENT.” C LOSELY ANALYZE THE PAINTING BY E DWARD H OOPER THAT YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN. K NOWING THAT HIS D EPRESSION - ERA WORK EVOKES THE MOOD OF THE TIME, WRITE A RESPONSE TO THE ARTWORK. T HIS MAY IN DEVELOPED PARAGRAPHS, OR YOU MAY CHOOSE TO WRITE A POEM. U SE A THESAURUS TO PLAY WITH DICTION.

R ESPONSE #1 G RAHAM ’ S PHOTOGRAPH PROVIDES AN INSIGHTFUL VIEW OF THE AREA IN A YOUNG BOY ’ S YARD. I N WHAT WAYS DID THE PLAY AREA OF YOUR CHILDHOOD DIFFER FROM THIS BOY ’ S ? W RITE A DESCRIPTIVE ACCOUNT OF THE SPACE YOU PLAYED IN AS A CHILD. T O WHAT EXTENT DID THE TOYS IN THAT SPACE HELP DEFINE IT AND YOUR IDENTITY ? S EE HANDOUT

W RITING A SSIGNMENT R EFER TO HANDOUT ENTITLED “C HILDHOOD P LAY S PACE R ESPONSE.” G RAHAM ’ S PHOTOGRAPH PROVIDES AN INSIGHTFUL VIEW OF THE AREA IN A YOUNG BOY ’ S YARD. I N WHAT WAYS DID THE PLAY AREA OF YOUR CHILDHOOD DIFFER FROM THIS BOY ’ S ? W RITE A DESCRIPTIVE ACCOUNT OF THE SPACE YOU PLAYED IN AS A CHILD. T O WHAT EXTENT DID THE TOYS IN THAT SPACE HELP DEFINE IT AND YOUR IDENTITY ?

C ONSIDER E UDORA W ELTY ’ S PHOTOGRAPH ENTITLED “S TOREKEEPER, 1935” A SSIGNMENT : R EFER TO HANDOUT - E UDORA W ELTY ’ S “S TOREKEEPER.”

R ESPONSE #1 W HAT EXACTLY IS THE PLACE CAPTURED BY THIS PHOTOGRAPH ? H OW DID THE PERSON IN THE BOX CREATE A SENSE OF PLACE ?

R ESPONSE #2 W HAT DOES THE PHOTOGRAPHER GAIN OR LOSE BY POSITIONING THE “ PLACE ” OF THE HOMELESS PERSON CLEARLY IN THE FOREGROUND ? W HAT EFFECT ( S ) DOES THE PHOTOGRAPHER ACCENTUATE IN THE IMAGE BY INCLUDING THE PHRASE “HANDLE WITH CARE” AND THE OUT OF FOCUS B URGER K ING IN THE BACKGROUND ?

A SSIGNMENT : S EE HANDOUT ENTITLED “C ONNOTATIVE L ANGUAGE ”

H OMEWORK : V ISIT MY WEBSITE AND GO THE “D ESERT G ALLERY ” FOR U NIT T WO. F IND AND PRINT A PHOTOGRAPH WHICH APPEALS TO YOU, AND BRING IT TO CLASS WITH YOU TOMORROW.

R ESPONSE #1 D EFINE DESERT.

R ESPONSE #2 A FTER STUDYING THE PHOTOGRAPHS BY M ISRACH, WHAT DO YOU THINK THE WORD DESERT MEANS TO HIM ? W HY ?

R ESPONSE #3 W HAT EVIDENCE DO YOU FIND IN THESE PHOTOGRAPHS THAT ILLUSTRATES M ISRACH ’ S STANCE ON LARGER ISSUES SUCH AS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PEOPLE AND THE ENVIRONMENT ?

A SSIGNMENT : S EE HANDOUT ENTITLED “R ICHARD M ISRACH A NALYSIS ” U SE ONE OF M ISRACH ’ S IMAGES AS THE BASIS FOR AN ESSAY DRAFT IN WHICH YOU SUPPORT OR CHALLENGE HIS CLAIM THAT “T HE HUMAN STRUGGLE, THE SUCCESSES AND FAILURES, THE USE AND ABUSE, BOTH NOBLE AND FOOLISH, ARE READILY APPARENT IN THE DESERT.” V ALIDATE YOUR ASSERTIONS WITH DETAILED ANALYSIS OF THE PHOTOGRAPH.

E XERCISE : S EE H ANDOUTS R EAD “W HEN I G O H OME ” BY L UCILLE C LIFTON, THE SELECTION FROM E RICA J ONG ’ S “C OMING H OME TO C ONNECTICUT,” AND “C OMING H OME A GAIN ” BY C HANG - RAE L EE

A SSIGNMENT : S EE H ANDOUT ENTITLED “C OMING H OME A GAIN.” M UCH OF HIS STORY IS ORGANIZED AROUND LITERAL SENSES OF PLACE - A KITCHEN, A MOTEL ROOM, A BOARDING SCHOOL. W HAT DESCRIPTIVE DETAILS DOES L EE ASSOCIATE WITH EACH OF THESE PLACES, AND HOW IS EACH ONE RELATED TO HIS EXPECTATIONS OF GOING HOME ?

A SSIGNMENT : S EE HANDOUT ENTITLED “C OMING H OME R ESPONSE ” L EE EXPLAINS THAT COMING HOME INVOLVES A SPECIFIC SENSE OF PLACE - IN HIS PLACE, THE KITCHEN TABLE. W HAT SENSE OF PLACE DO YOU MOST ASSOCIATE WITH HOME ? D ESCRIBE THIS PLACE IN DETAIL. S INCE THIS INVOLVES DESCRIPTION AND NARRATION, PLEASE CHOOSE DETAILS THAT EVOKE THE WIDEST AND DEEPEST ARRAY OF EMOTIONS.

E SSAY T OPIC : C HOOSE ANY W RITING RESPONSE FROM THIS UNIT, AND DEVELOP IT INTO A FINAL ESSAY DRAFT.