Corporate America

Welcome to work! You are either an employee or a boss.

Employees: the mazes represent your work for an entire year.

Bosses: the wad of cash represents the salary you can pay your worker

Bosses--based on your assessment of your employee, you will determine their salary.

Employees--you have a mortgage to pay, a family to feed, and several outstanding loans. You cannot afford to slack off.

Year One: labor conditions at your company are poor. The bosses manage everything you do, and you have no say.

Bosses--you have absolute power--you decide where your employee works, what they work with, if they are allowed to get a lunch break  Also, constantly remind your employees of who's in charge: constantly nag them, pressure them to get the work done more efficiently, and be sure to point out their shortcomings. Bosses take the work when they want, regardless if it is complete.

Employees--do as you are told. No talking back, or talking whatsoever.


Year Two: Labor conditions have improved a bit. Employees have a mandatory lunch break. Employees are allowed to speak in the work place now. Employees still cannot choose where they work and are still under the careful eye of their boss. The boss still takes the work when he wants.



Year Three: Labor conditions are good. Not only are employees allowed to speak in the work place now, employees can also file a complaint to a supervisor (me) if they find their boss is being unfair. Employees can choose to work where they please, and with others if they so desire. Employees are in control of when they want their work reviewed by their bosses. 

Saboteur-Free Style Friday

Has there ever been a time where you seriously felt accused of something that you honestly did not do? How did this make you feel? Was your reaction negative, vengeful, understanding, etc.?


Focus on the human costs of social upheaval/ ideological conflict (communism, in this case)


Finish "Saboteur", click here.


In your journals please identify any instances of irony in the story.

"Saboteur" Pre-Reading

HW: For each of the following, look up and record THREE key details (think about the who, what, why, and how---you can kick the where and when to curb for now.

Cultural Revolution

Tiananmen Square Massacre 

Communism 

Look up and define the words: sabotage, arbitrary, hepatitis

Irony

Irony: A contrast between what is expected to happen and what actually happens.

Today!

Agenda:
New seats
Sharing
Hint Fiction Analysis review

Tomorrow you will have an in-class assessment on hint fiction. Please bring your typed stories and story maps to class. 

Writing, Revision, and What's Next

Today class will be devoted to writing, sharing, revising, and more writing! Yeah!
Yes.

Here's some good advice I found on writing hint fiction: (taken from http://hintfictionland.wordpress.com/)

Here are three questions to make your hint fiction story better 1. Does the title work? When you’re writing something this short, the title matters. On the Every DayFiction blog, Swartwood writes that the title is one of the form’s biggest hints. He calls it the setup to the joke. And, yes, the story is the punchline. Successful titles play a role in the overall story, as should be the case with any fiction or poetry form, yet hint fiction has little room for a story to develop and will most likely need the title to make it a success. When you write a hint fiction story, examine your title and ask yourself if it contributes to the rest of the story. Playing with words can be as fun as playing on the playground when you were a care-free six year old.

2. Does the story suggest something larger or more complex? Swartwood created hint fiction with the idea that this form would do exactly what the above question asks: it hints at something grander. Does yours? 

3. Does the story line contain a spin? This question is not essential to writing a successful short fiction, but it can help, according to a reviewer on Amazon.com: Many of the best of these stories share a technique: they set you up to think one way but, with the last sentence, spin you around. In that moment of confusion all the pieces are up in the air; how the puzzle comes back together is your version of the story, Dan Costin writes. Tricking or playing with the reader is a good tactic to try. So, why don’t you write your own hint fiction story? At first, it might be hard… When I write one, I try to think of something that matters or some instance that changes everything. Remember, word choice requires plucking active, energetic, exact words and using them in a way that flows naturally and distinctly. Play with your words; it’s the only way to write better.


So, when revising look for three things:
1. A significant title
2. Does the story hint at something more complex/larger? Or is it too basic, not quite hinting, but simply stating.
3. Is the story interesting? Does it have a unique point, even if it's a confusing journey getting there?


Go back, write some more.

HW: Complete up to 2 hint fiction stories, typed.  

Next Tuesday, we'll have a hint fiction analysis assessment in class. We'll practice the form on Monday.

Writing your own hint fiction

• 
  
• Hint Fiction "hints" at a larger more complex story:
•  Hint Fiction – What Is It Not? 
• It’s not an attempt at writing a full story.It’s not simply what would be the first line or two of a longer story. It’s not a poem. It should not be completely straightforward. (leave story gaps)
•  A Little More Explanation- The best examples have multiple possible meanings that can be discovered when you think and talk about the story more.Use each word skillfully – nothing is wasted. Titles add to the story, perhaps giving a clue to the meaning or possibly adding to the possible ambiguity.
• Ambiguity- n. uncertainty or inexactness of meaning

(thanks, google!)

Ambiguous headlines:

KIDS MAKE NUTRITIOUS SNACKS


2 SISTERS REUNITED AFTER 18 YEARS AT CHECKOUT COUNTER


COMPLAINTS ABOUT NBA REFEREES GROWING UGLY


MILK DRINKERS ARE TURNING TO POWDER


JUVENILE COURT TO TRY SHOOTING DEFENDANT

Can you think of something that is ambiguous?

Hint Fiction HW

For classes 8-2 and 8-3, be sure to finish your deconstructions of the hint fiction story you started in class.

It's all there...sort of

Today, we're going to deconstruct hint fiction into its basic story elements. By doing this, you will hopefully see how we as readers sometimes need to fill in gaps that authors leave. Those gaps force us to interact with the text to make meaning and create literature to life connections.


Point of view: Who's telling the story

Plot (what's happening): What major event or conflict took place


Setting: Where/When


Characters:  Not only who, but how old, what they think, feel, believe, etc.


Theme: What does this story reveal about human nature?

We might not be able to truly answer all of these, but you might be surprised with just how much you can figure out.

8-1 HW

Keep in mind this is only homework because we couldn't get through the lesson due to several distractions throughout. We can have fun, but there has to be a level of self-control.

Read Hemmingway's six word novel. 

Hemmingway’s Six Word Novel

For sale: baby shoes, never worn.

ANSWER ON LINED PAPER: In a well-developed paragraph (not necessarily IREEC--that doesn't quite work here):

1. Discuss what is happening in this story and why

2. What is the effect of the word, "worn" (as opposed to the word "used," for instance).

3. What does this story reveal about human nature? (theme)

Hint Fiction Mini-Unit

Ah yes. You will be reading 10 stories (possibly more!) over the next 5 or 6 days. Don't panic! (or panic, the choice is yours!) The stories themselves are only 25 words...or less. I find this to be a creative way to explore several important concepts: diction (word choice), significance of titles, and story gaps. Hint fiction also challenges your notion of what can be considered a story.

As we read these stories, really try to monitor your reactions and feelings toward them: can you accept these 25 puzzlers as valid stories? why or why not? At the end of the mini-unit, we will attempt a Radio Show formatted discussion over the issue of what counts as a story.


Diction-the choice and use of words in speaking or writing.

Words carry weight with them. No, not that kind of weight. Rather, they carry emotional, cultural, or social weight. Yup. Even if two words are fairly similar in their literal meanings,  we often associate different  feelings or ideas with those words. Take a look at the following word pair: self-confident---cocky. Which word has the more positive feeling?

Can you think of two words that are essentially similar in meaning, but suggest different feelings or ideas?


What we're talking about here is the difference between connotative meaning and denotative meaning:


NOTES:

Connotative meaning: an implied meaning that comes from the emotional weight, social overtones, or cultural implications of a word, which is different from its literal meaning.

Denotative meaning: the literal, dictionary definition of a word, without any extra cultural or contextual meaning.

EXAMPLE:

White House: connotes  (suggests, implies) the place where the president resides and operates.

The denotative meaning for "White House", however, is simply a house that is actually painted white.

MORE PRACTICE

For each pair, place a plus sign after the word that conveys a more favorable attitude

and a minus sign after the word that carries a less favorable attitude

• refreshing – chilly

• plain – natural

• clever – sly

• cackle – giggle

• snob – cultured

• cop – officer

• skinny – slender

• statesman – politician

• smile – smirk

• domineering – assertive

The point is this: the author's word choice can change the meaning or our experience with a text. Diction, or word choice is SIGNIFICANTLY MORE IMPORTANT in short stories, especially hint fiction, where every word LITERALLY counts.

Think about Hemmingway's six word novel. Think about his word choice. What does the word, worn, imply, versus the word, used?

Hemmingway’s Six Word Novel

For sale: baby shoes, never worn

ESSAY DUE TOMORROW

For HW, make revisions based on peer review (and of course your own judgment). The essay will  be due tomorrow for sections 8-1 and 8-2!

Do it to it, Lars.

Writing Reflection

Reflecting on your writing is important because it helps you realize that writing is indeed a process and NOT something you're either born good at or born bad at.EVERYBODY needs to work to get better at it, regardless of one's natural ability.

In that spirit, please freewrite on the following questions. Write as much as you'd like for each point. You're not handing this in, so be genuine and UNLEASHED in your responses.

1. What do you feel like is your strongest skill as a writer?

2. Describe what you really want to work on to become a better communicator in your written work? What seems to be one of your major issues, whether it's something I have pointed out, or something you're well aware of?

3. What are you going to do on your own to address these issues?

4. Finally, interpret the phrase, "writing is communication." Do you more or less believe you are communicating when writing an essay, or do you feel like you're just writing words on paper? What does communication even mean to you? How much do you value communication? WOW! I'm done. Sorry. 

You may never become an English major, or ever work with literature in your career, but being an effective communicator will most likely be a HUGE part of any job you take on. Just remember that idea the next time you write an essay. It's not about getting a grade for a class. It's about being a strong communicator.