Reminder: Please post your individual or group response to today's they say I say exercise in the comments below.
Reminder: Watch 4.8-4.11. (Heads up to scene analysis 34-38.) We will view 4.12 in class on Monday the 21st.
Reminder: Don't forget to take a look at potential research topics under "research proposals." You can add more by emailing me or posting a comment below.
Breaking News: The real Snoop Pearson, who plays the character Snoop Pearson on The Wire, has been arrested for drug trafficking. And David Simon has an interesting response. On a similar note, I was able to learn more about Melvin Williams, who plays the Deacon (the church leader with the slow voice who councils Bunny and Cutty). He was apparently the main inspiration for the Avon Barksdale character; Burns arrested him in the 1980s and Simon covered it for the Sun. Oh, and the guy who played Detective Norris used to be Baltimore police commissioner but got fired/arrested for some sort of malfeisance.
Fun: And not at all edifying about dilemmas in American society, I promise. A different take on what wires are good for.
Probably Not So Fun: The following is an explanation of the notation you will see in your grades when I email them to you. I already emailed the first half of the scene analysis grades; the remainder of those will be done before sunrise. The article analysis grades will probably be sent on Thursday night.
Ideas (1/3)
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-logically reversible thesis
-complexity of thought, thesis goes somewhere
-effective article or scene analysis
-answers "so what" convincingly
Argument (1/3)
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-effective use of "they say I say" type moves
-provides appropriate context for claims and method
-uses fitting examples, illustrations
-effective organization, transitions
Language (1/3)
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-audience appropriate
-consistent rhetorical persona/voice
-clear, no overtly distracting usage errors
-smooth incorporation of quotations/citations
Average Score for Scene Analysis: 2.94 (B)
Average Score for Article Analysis: 3.01 (B)
These grades may seem tough, but remember to factor in the automatic A for submitting a completed worksheet and a completed first draft, and consider the whole thing as a composite. (So that 2.94 average is really something more like 3.29. I can't do much better than giving an average grade of B+.) I also want to make it clear that you shouldn't feel like your effort at revision was wasted if you got a lower grade... I assure you the revision raised your grade.
I must apologize for the brevity of my comments on these final essays, but I will offer two partial excuses. One, several decades of research suggests that writing students will carefully read and consider comments at the _draft_ stage, but will basically only pay attention to the grade if one is marked. Two, as I've alluded to before, I work within the bounds of my disciplinary institution and I have 84 students whom I am leading through writing and research intensive classes with multiple versions of multiple essays. This means I must conserve my time and energy, and I have found that it is better spent on proposals, drafts, and conferences, where frankly I am going far beyond what is specifically asked of me. (Try this math... 45 students in English 302 times 30 minutes for each first draft, 15 minutes for each conference, and 15 minutes for each final draft. On top of all other teaching responsibilities. Two 3-credit course sections is supposedly 20 hours of work per week for the instructor, at least in accounting terms. In sum, this course would be far better for everyone involved if the cap was lowered from 23 to something more like 16-18.)
There are all manner of general class discussions to have about what grades mean, and what they are good/bad for. This is one of my favorite topics and you can always bring it up, but I hope to specifically introduce it in the 3/23 session. If you have concerns or questions about your individual grade, email or come to office hours beginning 3/21. Oh, and sorry to dodge you by returning these grades up against the vacation, that was not my intention.
Let me conclude by saying one thing further, because the need to get these grades out quickly also takes away some of the ability to manage emotional connections that I can create more easily in class meetings or in conferences. I am tremendously proud of everyone for the level of effort you are putting into the class, and I know that I am asking a lot of you. You are doing great work, and you are progressing well toward the writing skills needed to tackle the end of semester research project.
The producers argue that they created the character of Omar to break the stereotype of homosexuality in the black community. I argue that The Wire depicts Omar and his sexuality with a secureness and comfort that is unrealistic among African-Americans in the drug game. The producers assert that Omar is realistic and they portray a lot of derogatory language against Omar and his sexual orientation.
ReplyDeleteGreg Yorgen and Rachel Semenov
ReplyDeleteAs the directors of The Wire, we believe we've created a realistic depiction of the inner workings of a police department. Some may object to the show's portrayal of corrupt of immoral cops as a common occurrence in the police force. While we realize that the majority of police are competent and moral, we wanted to focus on the many ways a good police can go bad.
Many television shows focus on maybe a handful of characters, however in The Wire David Simon focuses on numerous characters through out each season. Some might say that there is no need for so many characters and that too many characters confuses the viewer, however Simon would say that each character is linked to other characters in some way, and every character is integral in the plot development of every season.
ReplyDeleteThe creators of the wire create a "delinquent" character like Lester Freamon to show that challenging authority, although certainly disruptive to an institution, can actually help one's career when it is used to bring out truth and end corruption. Some may agree, but at the same time argue that in reality, it is very unusual to find a case in which challenging institutional authority may help one's career, and that most of the time, the challenging may end one's career. The creators would most likely agree, but would then argue that their intention in the creation of a "delinquent" character like Lester was to show that in some cases, good does come out of challenging one's authority and that it may not only benefit one's career, but in turn also benefit the overall organization by bringing the truth forward and ending organizational corruption.
ReplyDeleteCourtney & Monica:
ReplyDelete-We don't like how women are depicted in The Wire.
-We, the creators of The Wire, argue that women are depicted this way to enhance the drama of the show.
-We agree that the way women are depicted enhances the drama of the show but we feel like it's on sided and an extreme depiction of women.
This last one is fine logically speaking, but I would prefer the remaining people post in paragraph form and name the "we/they" separately. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteHannah Powers and Tyler Lawrence
ReplyDeleteWe, David Simon and Ed Burns, say that the character Namond illustrates that families play monumental roles in day to day decisions.
A possible objection is that at his age, peers have a stronger influence, due to the fact that he spends more time with his peers.
While Namond does spend teh majority of his time with peers, the connections his family has to the drug game have casue him to grow up in that environment, and have subconsciously steered him to make the same destructive decisions.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAbigail Perez and Sarah Werner
ReplyDeleteWe (David Simon and Ed Burns) say that we use the depiction of Edward Tilghman Middle school to emphasize the condition of under-performing schools in Baltimore.
Viewers of The Wire may say that depicting only one school doesn't accurately portray the entire educational system in Baltimore. Looking at only one school creates the misconception that all the schools in Baltimore are the same, when in fact they may be very different.
We say that although it would be better to portray more than one school in order to more accurately depict the educational system overall, the portrayal of more than one school would cause the show to lose its focus on the characters that we feel capture the essence of children living a life caught between education and drug culture.
The producers of The Wire intend to show a very realistic view of the urban lifestyles of African American men. Some would say that The Wire is almost "too realistic" that it starts to become a little unrealistic to the viewers who can't let themselves into the story line. The producers insist that the show is completely realistic and that people really do connect with the show.
ReplyDeleteThought this was interesting to post : Snoop gets arrested.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.wbaltv.com/entertainment/27144977/detail.html
Yeah, I saw that too! You guys would find this more interesting/ironic if you'd seen more episodes with her.
ReplyDeleteThe creators of The Wire believe that characters like McNulty who put their job above everything else, want to go after the greater good, and use their job to be a hero exist.
ReplyDeleteHowever some would say this is not realistic for two reasons. First one person alone can not accomplish everything on their own and second the characters like McNulty are not in a position with enough power to do everything that they set out to. The creators insist that they try to show how when those characters come together like in the detail units, then they are able to achieve their goals.
We David Simon and Ed Burns argue that the elimination of key characters is vital to the progression of the series.
ReplyDeleteSome might argue that the audience may lose interest after a character they have developed a bond with is taken off the show. And this may make the audience feel disconnected from the original cast they became so invested in.
We agree that the audience will be sad for the loss of the original cast; however by removing characters it allows room for new characters, thus enabling the plot to continue and go in different directions.
We, David Simon and Ed Burns, say that teachers not only serve as disciplinary authorities, they often have to act beyond their roles and become mentors and in some cases, parents.
ReplyDeleteHowever, some may say that because of the structured school system, teachers are only paid to teach and therefore should not get involved in students' dilemmas.
While teachers have to stick to school regulations, they often are put in situations that involve the welfare of the students and ultimately have to do what is best for them.
Ryan and Shelby
ReplyDeleteWe say that teachers have the responsibility to reach out and help troubled students with personal issues. Though some might say that a teachers job is to teach and personal matters are not their concern. On the contrary personal matters can severely affect the will and desire to leearn within a classroom. If the teacher does not take an active and concerning role in the person lives of troubled students, it will make the job of educating near impossible.
I thought this was interesting:
ReplyDeleteI was watching the movie "Starship Troopers" (1997) on TV, and I saw the actor who plays Carver in it.