The journal's are only read by me. They should be submitted to
this email: leonardgarry@hotmail.com
the heading should be: last name, first name A10 journal (no need for student number)
If possible, paste the journal into the email. This makes it easier to grade. If it has
images etc. it can also be submitted as an attachment.
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Elaboration of the journal assignment. Due December 10 by 11:59pm:
THE JOURNALS
The journals are due on December 10, 11:59am to this email:
leonardgarry@hotmail.com.
I read the journals myself, the TAs do not read or grade them.
The journal consists TWO entries, 500 words EACH, on any TWO different works
from the course (they can be a novel, a single short story, a poem, the Charlie
Chaplin Film Modern Times) . You are asked to contextualize the work in TWO
ways:
1. in relation to one or more ideas from the lectures
2. in relation to other works in the class (at least one)
3. and, MOST IMPORTANTLY, in relation to YOUR
OWN EXPERIENCE.
When discussing your experience, you can bring in any other works--whether on
the syllabus or not-- of music, or literature, or film, etc. that seem relevant to your
discussion
The second point is why I call this a “journal,” and not an essay, and it is the
most important aspect because the journal is your chance to
explore the relevancy of the lectures and the course
material to you.
-Here, you can bring in songs, movies, personal experience, advertisements,
relationships with others, hopes dreams and fears.
-Be creative—students in the past have done paintings, sculpture, songs,
photography, etc.; but standard written journal entries are
also fine.
Below is a sample from a real student who chose to write on Matthew Arnold’s
poem “Dover Beach” (note: In the midterm and final you need to interpret the
given quotes relative to the lectures, NOT relative to personal experience. In the
journal, however, you are free to bring the personal experience into the
discussion, and even make it the main theme.)
the journal is ten percent of you final grade and is graded o to 10. I grade based
on EFFORT and ENGAGEMENT. THE SAMPLE BELOW IS NOT MEANT TO BE
PRESCRIPTIVE--IT IS ONE STUDENT'S EFFORT, BUT IT SHOULD GIVE A
GENERAL SENSE OF THE MORE PERSONAL TONE OF THIS ASSIGNMENT.
Sample Journal entry on “Dover Beach”
I thought I would never have to lay eyes again on ‘Dover Beach’ by Matthew Arnold for
the rest of my life but then I signed up for this class. I remember first reading this poem
in my grade twelve English class in my high school. My first encounter with this poem, I
did not think much of it. I took it as a poem about a guy anxious about something going
on in the sea and him finding comfort in the arms of his lover. Then Professor Leonard
explained about Darwin and the effect it had on people’s faith in God. At the time I
thought this poem was outdated and had no relevance in the twenty first century. But
after looking at it a second time and attending lecture, I see that it is still very relevant.
In lecture, the phrase ‘the personal is the political’ keeps on popping up and it is
applicable to this poem. There has been a shift from ultimate faith in God to ultimate
faith in science or, as shown in this poem, relationships. For me I have never really had
faith in God because I am unsure of his existence; even though I had briefly attended a
Christian church when I was younger. In the poem, if the faith was shacked and we’re
left hearing ‘its melancholy withdrawing roar; was it ever strong in the first place? Today
we see science and technology as something that will show us the way and bring us
salvation. But this progress with technology has also brought us the threat of nuclear
warfare and over stimulating hand devices like the IPhone where every year Apple
makes a ‘new and better’ version. This is our consumerist culture which I can admit that
I fully participate in and have become a product of. I am “the consumer” who is never
really satisfied. When I buy something it makes me feel good for a while then it goes
away but this just makes me want to buy more things until I fill that emptiness in my life
where God does not exist. This is an example of the personal is political: the
government supports our consumerists culture with taxes which goes to most likely
funding the arm forces in questionable wars “where ignorant armies clash by night.” As
much as we buy things to make us feel worthy, we always end up feeling inadequate.
We have lost faith in God because we do not believe anything profitable or useful will
come out of sacrificing to a higher being. We always want more and more but all this
adds up to making our world more narrow because money has become the new deity.
The more you have the closer you are to God. We have just made faith transferable to
another thing that does not exist money even on the American currency it ironically says
in God we trust! It should say in money we trust! How can we put our faith in
something we are not sure of even exists? This is the question I ask myself.
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