Feb 2

Setting Idea Sources in Relation

Reading/Viewing:

• the opening pages from of Ch 3 of Walter Ong's "Orality and Literacy."
  If this link doesn't work, look for Ong's essay among the readings posted on the Lecture class's Blackboard site.
• Harari, Ch 7.
• Matt Parker, "What was the first (known) maths mistake?"

The goal of today's writing assignment is to present the ideas of two authors in meaningful relationship to one another. From the three sources listed above, choose two that strike you as having "something to say" to one another. I encourage you to think of idea sources as characters, identifying each text with the author who created it. So when two idea sources encounter one another in the space of your brain, how do they get along? Are they allies? Enemies?

I'm giving you TWO paragraphs to present your thoughts on these sources. The first ¶ should focus our attention on a curious idea from one of the sources (Author A). The second ¶ then brings in the second source (Author B), but note that this can be done in any of a number of ways:

• Author B objects to the account given by author A in the prior ¶.
• Author B offers a deeper explanation of a phenomenon described by Author A.
• Author B offers a curious example of a broader phenomenon described by Author A.
• etc.

Try to keep your ¶s short. Make sure to include both authors as characters, using phrases like "Harari suggests," "Ong argues," etc.). Try to express each author's idea in clear, vivid language. And, finally, give a clear signal at the top of ¶2 as to Author B's relationship to Author A's idea: agree, disagree, complicate, challenge, etc.

Post your response in the comments below. Note that in posting HW on this website, you should make sure that there are two carriage returns between your ¶s. Formatting your response this way will make them show up as separate ¶s, each with a first-line indent.

In Class

“Once upon a time, as a walk through the woods was taking place on the part of Little Red Riding Hood, the Wolf’s jump out from behind a tree occurred, causing her fright.”

What's wrong with this sentence?

Looking Ahead to Essay One

Essay one asks you to work independently from the readings we're doing in class, writing a short analytical essay on Columbus' objectives during his discovery of the new world. Take a few minutes to read the Synthesis—Draft assignment, linked at top right. I'll set aside the last 15 minutes of class for questions about this assignment.