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UNIT ONE: OBSERVING THE ORDINARY
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UNIT ONE: OBSERVING THE ORDINARY
Observing the ordinary is both the simplest skill to start exercising as a writer and a practical means of training ourselves to think and to
write analytically.
Response #1“Television Moon” by Alfred LeslieJot down your impressions of the photograph using observation and inference.
Assignment: Read William Carlos Williams’ “The Great Figure”
The Great Figure the rainand lightsI saw the figure 5in goldon a redfire truckmovingtenseunheededto gong clangssiren howlsand wheels rumblingthrough the dark city
Response #1What senses, in addition to sight, does Williams draw on to describe the fire truck? Point to specific words and phrases to verify your reading. To what extent do you agree with the claim that this poem is Williams' attempt to create with words a compelling image of a fire truck?
Response #2Let’s look at Charles Demuth’s painting. What is your first impression of the painting?
“The Figure 5 in Gold”by Charles Demuth
Response #3Compare the description of the fire truck presented in the poem and in the painting. Which representation do you find to be more compelling and engaging? Why?
“The Figure 5 in Gold”by Charles Demuth
Assignment: Read Larry Woiwode’s “Ode to an Orange”
Response #1Woiwode takes great pleasure in lingering on the special qualities of what most of us would view as an altogether ordinary piece of fruit. What impression of an orange does he create? When, how, and why does he draw on each of the five senses to create this overall effect?
Woiwode was a child in the 1940’s and the 1950’s, the same time that labels such as “Have One” were used to promote the fruit. Note the label on the next slide…
Response #2If you consider the essay and the crate label together, does the way you see each one change? Why or why not?
Response #3Here are other orange crate labels. Note how the graphic elements help to focus attention. Do the images appeal to a certain “audience”? Why? How?
Journal 2“Description of a Fruit”Choose any fruit and describe it in detail. Make your audience “see” what you are writing about. Appeal to all five senses: two paragraph minimum.
Assignment:Read “Shoelaces” by Nicholson Baker, a narrative in which the author reappraises everyday objects and rituals.
Response #1As Baker’s thoughts about shoelaces unfold, what other aspects of ordinary experience do his eye and mind seem to be drawn to? What ties these thoughts together?
Response #2Following Baker’s lead, make a list of your own top ten “moments of life that are remembered as advances.” Prioritize the list. What do the items have in common?
Journal 3Choose one item on your list, and write a response paper in which you concentrate your attention on the details of an everyday ritual to explain what you learned as you “personalized an already adult procedure.”
Observing Closely: Jonathan Schell
Look at the following photographs. Jot down what you see…
Journal :
Assignment: Answer Response Questions for “Letter from Ground Zero” by Jonathan Schell. Refer to handout.
Observing Memories: Carl T. Rowan
Assignment: Read “Miss Besssie” by Carl T. Rowan. Refer to handout.
Journal Write:In a minimum of three fully developed paragraphs and using “Bessie” as a model, describe any teacher or coach who has influenced you. You need to use vivid action verbs, adjectives, and adverbs; also, incorporate at least two descriptive similes.
Observing the Ordinary: HandsTake into consideration the
following photographs…
Writing Assignment: HandsSee handout entitled “Hands.”
Using the photograph of the hands you have been given as a writing prompt, write an essay in which you describe an everyday activity that these hands might perform. Give your piece a creative title.
Homework:Visit my website and go the “Diane Arbus Gallery” or “Richard Avedon Gallery” for Unit One. Find and print a photograph which appeals to you, and bring it to class with you tomorrow.
Take into consideration the following portraits by renowned photographers Diane Arbus and
Richard Avedon. Galleries can be found on my website.
Writing Assignment: Portraits Avedon and ArbusSee handout entitled “Portraits.” Using the photograph of the person you have been given or printed on your own as a writing prompt, write an essay in which you describe this person.
Essay Assignment: MAJOR GRADE!!!Choose any writing response you created in Unit One, and write a fully developed essay in which you truly observe the ordinary. See handout entitled “Unit One Essay: Requirements and Rubric.”
