Map of Sierra Leone

                       This map shows the villages and towns that Ishmael traveled as he became involved in the war.  As you read the book, mark a copy of this map with phrases that denote what happened in each particular location.

Reading Logs Long Way Gone

How to Write a Reading Log:

The goal of reading logs is to help you to read your text carefully, and to fully engage the some of the themes (learning, struggle, resourcefulness) of the course.  Reading logs help you to apply the ideas of the text to class discussions  and other readings and assist you with ideas for your take-home essays. 

For each of these reading logs, answers should be written on loose leaf paper, or typed, ready to hand in.  Grammar does not “count” for logs.  However, you should make sure that you are answering each question specifically, according to what the question is asking.  This log should be about 3 pages (handwritten), or 2 pages (typed).   Each question requires at least a full-sized paragraph or two of writing.  Make sure you quote appropriately (As Ismael states, “ . . . . “),cite the page number of quotes in parentheses, and paraphrase (or re-state) the ideas of the text accurately. 

Each log will be due separately (see course schedule).

    Reading Log #1

Long Way Gone:

1.  In chapter 1, where does Ishmael start out from?  Where does he go and why?  By the end of the chapter, what has changed?

2.  In chapter 2, we flash forward to his new life in New York City.  He relates a dream of pushing a wheelbarrow.  What is in the wheelbarrow, and where is he pushing it?  What does he mean when he says, “I am looking at my own?”  Why do  you think he includes this chapter of “flash forward” here so early in the book?

3.  In chapter 3, he says, “That night for the first time in my life, I realized that it is the physical presence of people and their spirits that gives a town life.”  What prompts him to observe this?  How old is he at the time?  Also who are the five boys with whom he flees and what is their relationship to him? (Brother? Friend? Explain.)

4.  Irony is a “mismatch” or “disconnection” between what should be and how things actually turn out.  What is the irony, or ironies, of chapter 4?

5.  In chapter 6, how and why do Ishmael and his companions start farming in the village of Kamator?  What are his responsibilities?  Why is farming so difficult?  (Separate paragraph: ) How does this chapter contrast chapter 5?

6.  Think of all that happens in chapter 7 and everything so far.  Write a short journal entry of inner thoughts as if Ishmael were writing it at this point in his experience.  Make sure that “Ishmael” (in this case, you who are writing in his voice) refers to specific recent events.

          Reading Log #2:

Long Way Gone:

Chapters 9 and 10:

1.  As much as Ishmael experiences bad luck as a factor in his childhood, leading to much suffering and misfortune, good and lucky actions on the part of others, as well as good, strong memories, help him to survive.  What are some of these good and lucky actions, and strong memories in these two chapters?    And do you think Ishmael considers each of these “blessings” in a way?  Explain.

Chapter 11:

2.  What happens in this chapter and how is Gasemu involved?  Describe Ishmael’s response to Gasemu and give your own evaluation of Ishmael’s behavior in this scene.

Chapters 12 to 15:

3.  Use these chapters to analyze and discuss “what it takes” to “make a good soldier.”  What has been done to turn Ishmael from an observer to a participant in war?  What has been done to keep Ishmael and his fellow young soldiers loyal and willing to carry out orders? 

4.  The boys in Chapter 15 feel a sense of “indignation,” like they have experienced some great insult or hurt, when they are rescued.  How do you explain this feeling?  Would you say it is “traumatic” for them? (If yes, so what’s trauma?)  Explain with an example or quote from the text.

      Reading Log #3:

Chapters 16-17: 

1. What would you say are the most essential challenges that Ishmael faces in this part of the story when he is taken away from the war scene?  Name and discuss two such challenges.  Talk about each in a separate paragraph.  (It could be physical, emotional, psychological, however you see it. . . .)   For each, use quotes from the text to prove that each challenge is significant.

2.  Chapters 16-19:   Discuss Esther’s role.  How does she help him?  Do you think she has a “method” or “philosophy” in mind about helping such young men?  Explain.

3.  Chapter 18-19:  What part do you think Ishmael’s uncle plays in Ishmael’s healing process?  What does he “add” to the process of healing that Ishmael is already undergoing?

4.  Chapters 20-end: What problems does Ishmael still encounter in these chapters?  For him, is the war completely over yet?  Explain.  What are the signs that Ishmael has “healed” from the war and has returned to be more like his younger self?

Take-Home Essay Topics

Take-Home Essay #1

Learning/ Interest Essay

For our first take-home essay, we will write a first draft of three or four handwritten pages (or two and a half to three pages typed) on the topic of an area of life/ activity which involves our interest.

It may be an area that involves tension, contrasts, challenges, or interesting details-tasks-or-responsibilities.  And/or it may be an area that involves our close observation along with patterns or routines.  It may also be an area that includes a goal or the story of our own growing or changing in some way.

Remember, we will work by way of drafts, so things do not have to be perfect for the first draft.



Take-Home Essay #2:

Notions of Home

In chapter 3 of Long Way Gone, Ishmael Beah says, “That night for the first time in my life, I realized that it is the physical presence of people and their spirits that gives a town life.”  What prompts him to say this?  What changes has he seen take place around him?  (e.g. “At this early point in the story, Ishmael has seen, . . He has witnessed, . . He has begun wondering/ fearing/ realizing. . . “)

A large part of Ishmael’s experience involves a change in his understanding of home and place. (You can use this sentence as the beginning of a paragraph for your essay.)

What is Ishmael’s experience of home and village life as a child growing up?  What associations would probably come to his mind (what words and phrases would he think about, just thinking about home?) as he thinks about home before the war?  As he moves from village to village, how does his experience of “home” and “village life” change?  In what ways do each of the villages he encounters “twist” or “up-end” (turn upside down) his early experiences of home?  (Note contrasts and ironies.)

Compare Ishmael’s early experience of home and village life with your own experience of home and the life of the community you come from.  Note similarities (even though your home experience may be from a city or small-family life) and differences.  

Discuss how your experience of “home” seems to be changing as you grow older and take on more experience.  (Are you part of more, different communities than when you were younger? Has home changed for you?  Do you think changing our minds about “home” is part of life? Explain.)

Take-Home Essay #3:                 
On the Road of Growth and Progress

Many people think of their lives as a road toward somewhere.  Usually, we move and direct our lives toward some goal to meet our potential.  Sometimes the road winds—with twists and turns—and we may take a “detour” because of the situations we encounter.  It’s possible at such times to feel stuck or to forget who we are.  But because we are always in the midst of our journey, never at the end, it is never easy to tell if the “twists,” “turns” and “forgettings” on our journey are really detours or just part of what keeps us moving forward!   (Hint: Your introduction needs to mention, in your own way, the theme-words of “journey,” “road,” “detour,” “forgetting”—words like this that you use to craft some interesting sentences that will lead to the rest of the essay.)

Think of Ishmael:  How does he grow and change up to the point of the book you’ve read so far (up to chapter 15 or so)? What events lead him to his association with the army (up to chapter 12)  and what allows him to take a gun in his hands (chapter 12)?  Does the phrase “forgetting who you are” apply to Ishmael (chapters 12-15)?  Explain how you know.

Optional: Also think of Basilio from “Devil’s Miner” (and try to compare him to Ishmael).  Would you say his work in the mines is a “detour” for him or part of his growth?  Explain.

Then relate to Ishmael in terms of what you know about the difficulty young people today often have “keeping to the road” of their lives and best interests.  How might the metaphors of “road,” “journey,” “detour” and such words apply to lives today? 

Take-Home Essay #4
Notions of Childhood

In Chapter One of One Day the Soldiers Came, Charles London says of child soldiers, "It would be both presumptuous and meaningless to say that they did not have a 'childhood' because they did not grow up in the rather unique safety and stability common to Western notions of childhood" (page 17).   He supports this point by discussing the assumptions of a perfect childhood in Western culture and the difficulties (and rarity) of a family or culture that is able to ensure such a childhood.  London also weaves in the factors of children's rationality and decision-making, as he questions whether there is indeed a true separation between adult and child worlds as many people imagine.

What is your notion of childhood?  Where do you get your ideas of what a childhood should be (Do you, or have until now, gotten your ideas of childhood from the media?  from other families as you imagined them?  from how you or friends grew up?  from the differences you have observed among families, or across cultures you have known?)

 

What are Charles London's important points about childhood?  Summarize chapter one (especially pages 12-22) according to what he is saying and the ideas you most connect with.   As you summarize, intersperse your own comments on specific thoughts of London.   As you write about London, you may "go off track" to comment, but make sure you come back to London's ideas.

 

Then based on Long Way Gone, talk about how Ishmael might describe "notions of childhood."  To what extent did he have a "normal" childhood, free from care?   How did his culture (for example, the army officers and rebel commanders) contrast ideas of what is "good" and proper for children?  How did Ishmael's experience in Benin Home and with his uncle show a certain view of childhood as well?

You may also want to use the example of Musa and/ or Xavier from Chapter 5 of One Day the Soldiers Came, as well as Basilio from "The Devil's Miner," as the subject of at least another two paragraphs for your essay in which you thoughtfully consider in what ways, and how, a separation between adult and child worlds does or does not (or should or should not) exist.

Syllabus

Dr. Hope A. Parisi

ENG 91: Reading and Writing Workshop I 

hopekcc@aol.com    (When emailing me, please put your name in the subject line.)

Office Hours: L219, 9:10am-10:10am, M, W, Th, and by appointment

Class Meets: 

Monday          3-4 per.    Room C110

Tuesday          3-4 per.    LAB, Reading and Writing Center, L219

Wednesday     3-4 per.    Room C110

Thursday        3-4  per.    Room M110

Our Course Theme:

This semester in ENG 91, you will have many different opportunities to build your confidence as a reader and writer.  The basic idea behind the course is that the more you read and write, the better you will become.  I will try to assist you in every way I can.

All of our readings this semester center on the theme of learning and resourcefulness.  The question of how people learn, and the similarities and differences among learners, is our area of interest.  You might have noticed, for example, that certain conditions (in school, at home, within yourself—your moods, your memories of learning, your unique perspective on the world) make learning easy for you sometimes and more difficult at other times.  What are the ways in which people learn and move forward in spite of obstacles?  How do challenges impede and assist in the learning process?  In what different ways does resourcefulness affect learning?

This course will also help you to analyze and appreciate learning as a complex process, involving many simultaneous aspects and activities—i.e. questioning, observing, taking guesses, trying, revising, evaluating, re-evaluating.  It will include an interesting examination of learning and education as young people experience these in a problematic society.   As we work together, you will see the connections between improving your abilities in reading and writing and the creative and resourceful process of learning anything.

Required Texts: 

Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah

One Day the Soldiers Came by Charles London

Required Supplies:  You will need several folders, one for Reading Logs, another for Take-Home Essays, and another for all of our class handouts.  You will need loose leaf or a separate notebook to jot down information from the board as I will expect you to copy down each day’s class notes.  You will need to keep these notes in good order.  Also please have a small stapler, plenty of loose leaf, and several pens that feel comfortable in your hand.

Assignments:

1.  Freewriting Booklets:  You will complete approximately four to five freewriting booklets until the middle of the semester.  The point of this assignment is to help you develop speed in writing, and to give you an experience of writing for exploring ideas for yourself.  This is not “writing for a teacher,” but writing for you.  I will check to see that booklets are completed but will not read the content of this work.

2.  Reading Logs:  These assignments are informal responses to specific questions that I will ask you about our class texts.  Each journal should be two and a half to three pages.  You will receive credit for the assignment only if it is complete.  Complete means that you have handed it in on time, met the required length, and answered the questions with time and care.  You must also include at least two direct references to your text.  (E.g. As Beah writes on page 13, “. . . .” )  We will do four to six reading logs through the semester.

3.  In-Class Essays:  These are essays that you must begin and complete in class.  The purpose is for you to practice writing according to a prompt within a limited amount of time.  These in-class essays often help you to “bring together” everything you are learning as a writer. 

4.  Take-Home Essays:  In addition to the above assignments, we will write four essays, called take-home essays.  These essays will be based on our class theme of learning.  The first one or two essays generally draw on our personal experience.  As we go on, our essays will include our analysis of the experience of someone about whom we are reading, while we try to make connections and generalizations by way of a broad range of societal/ personal observation. 
                                

Midterm Evaluation:

At the midterm, I will ask you to include all work to date in a folder.  While I will have seen most of this work as you completed it in the first six weeks, this midterm folder will allow me to evaluate your progress as a whole and make suggestions.

Endterm Evaluation/  How Do You Pass the Course?

The endterm assessment is based on two assessments:

1.  A Writing Portfolio—a folder of some of your best work from the semester.  This folder includes two revised essays, a reflective essay describing your response to the course and your learning in ENG 91, and a final in-class essay.

2.  A Reading Assessment—an endterm departmental reading exam.  (Students  also must demonstrate proficiency in reading through the work you have done during the term.)

Both the portfolio and the reading test are cross-read by another teacher in the English Department.  It must be clear from your work that you are ready to proceed to the next level, ENG 92, in both reading and writing. Only those students who have fulfilled all work and attendance requirements for the course will be eligible to submit these endterm assessments.

Your responsibilities:
Come to class everyday and be on time.  Much of the work we do in class cannot be made up at home.  You  must be here. 
Bring the materials you need.  Each day you should have your books, paper, folders,  and assignments

   that are due. 
   Keep up with your reading.  You are expected to read at least 10 pages a day,

 or 70 pages a week.  Please don’t fall behind.
Keep up with your writing. You will write about 600-800 words a week.
Attend lab two hours a week:  Your attendance at lab is part of your class attendance.  Each week in lab you will work on assignments that I will see and collect.  They are part of your work for the course.

   Policies:

   Attendance is essential.  No more than eight absences are permitted.  A lateness

   (more than ten minutes late) counts as a third of an absence. 

Cell phones should be turned off or set to vibrate.  Please no texting in class.

Only “soft” quiet food, or a drink, is permitted in class.  If you are eating something, please be discreet.  Keep in mind that others may be sitting in class without having eaten breakfast and your eating may be a source of disturbance.

   If you need to leave class early, please sit near the door. 

   Leaving early will be noted.

Plagiarism is prohibited, and is known as “academic dishonesty.”  Please give credit in your writing to anyone you quote or paraphrase for ideas.  Absolutely no cutting and pasting from the internet.

Civility in the Classroom:   A College-Wide Statement
Kingsborough Community College is committed to the highest standards of academic and ethical integrity, acknowledging that respect for self and others is the foundation of educational excellence.
Civility in the classroom and respect for the opinions of others is very important in an academic environment.  It is likely you may not agree with everything which is said or discussed in the classroom, yet courteous behavior and responses are expected.  Therefore, in this classroom, any acts of harassment and/or discrimination based on matters of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and/or ability are not acceptable.
Whether we are students, faculty, or staff, we have a right to be in a safe environment, free of disturbance, and civil in all aspects of human relations.