Conversation Paper #1: Masks of Identity

STORIES: Ms. Marvel, “Destroy the City With Me Tonight,” “Brightened Star, Ascending Dawn,” “The Zen of Starship Maintenance,” “Carnival Nine,” “Rivers Run Free,” “The Last Cheng Beng Gift”

INTRO: Each of these stories shares a variety of conversations about the role of identity—rivers and robots becoming human, ‘normal’ people becoming superhuman, and people facing their final identity (death). All these stories are ultimately about us, and how we change, adapt, and learnt to be “seen” for who we truly are, rather than forgotten for the wrong reasons. The metaphors of heroes, robots, and ghosts help us consider who we are at different stages of our lives, and who we might become. The less it looks like us, the easier it is to see ourselves in the metaphor (which is why sci-fi and fantasy comes in handy).

ASSIGNMENT: I want you to write a paper to someone much younger than you—perhaps a younger brother or sister, or even your younger self—who is just beginning to struggle with the concept of identity. Obviously they can’t understand this process or really articulate who they are or what they want to be. So in this paper, I want you to give them advice about how to find themselves, what to avoid, and what it means to be truly ‘human.’ To do this, I want you to use at least THREE of the stories in class to show them that this is a universal conversation—one that everyone struggles with, that we don’t need to experience alone. Use the ideas, characters, and situations in the stories to help them see their own journey and struggle, as well as what you’ve learned from your own experience. Be SPECIFIC and don’t be afraid to be personal; show that the stories aren’t just stories—they actually relate to real life.

QUOTING STORIES/WORKS CITED:

In Marshall’s story, “Destroy the City With Me Tonight,” she writes that “She’s always wondered why you’d bother with a mask; now she gets it. It’s not to be concealed, it’s to be seen, to be remembered” (14). This is important because…

Marshall, Kate Alice. “Destroy the City With Me Tonight.” Best American Science

            Fiction and Fantasy 2018. ed. Jemisin. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2018.

REQUIREMENTS:

• At least 4 pages double spaced
• Must use at least 3 stories from class, though you can use one more than the others
• Quote from the stories in your paper and cite following MLA guidelines; include a Works Cited page at the end with each source listed
• Due in TWO WEEKS: Friday, March 1^st by 5pm

For Friday: Marshall, “Destroy the City With Me Tonight” (pp.13-21)

Group “A” / “SF” should answer TWO of the following:

Q1: In her reflections on the story, Kate Marshall writes that “it is a story about grappling with identities into which it is too easy to vanish—losing who we are in what we are” (350). According to this story, why might being a superhero (or anyone with a secret calling) gradually overtake you and make your real life vanish?

Q2: The story has a strange metaphor at its center: that every person with Caspar-Williams Syndrome has a literal city written on their body, and to ease their suffering, they have to find that city and defend it. While this kind of makes sense for a superhero (since each one has their own city—Gotham, Metropolis, etc.), how might the metaphor translate for normal people?

Q3: In the beginning of the story, Cass chooses a superhero identity, Seraph, and decides on a mask to wear. As she reflects, “She’s always wondered why you’d bother with a mask; now she gets it. It’s not to be concealed, it’s to be seen, to be remembered” (14). How might this relate to the comment in Ms. Marvel about her becoming an “urban legend”?

Q4: Before she kills him, the villain named Nightblade asks her to “Destroy the city with me…Destroy the city and we’ll be free” (19). Why would destroying the city make her free and allow her to leave? In real-world terms, what might he be asking her to do? Why doesn’t she agree?

For Monday: Wilson. Ms. Marvel, Issue #5 & Epilogue

Group "B" / "F" should answer TWO of the following:

Q1: At the Epilogue that follows issue #5, she narrates, "when we bury the things we don't want to face, monsters grow." Why might this statement explain the appeal for superhero stories? Though about masked heroes and villains, why are all of these stories essentially about "unmasking" society?

Q2: Though Ms. Marvel has incredible (and seemingly unlimited) powers, why does she fail in her first two missions? What doesn't she understand about the job and responsibilities of a superhero? How does she set about learning it?

Q3: At the end of the issue, Mr. Edison (the strange bird-man) claims that Ms. Marvel isn't just a costumed girl but an "urban legend." What does he mean by this? And why does every superhero, to be effective, have to become an urban legend first?

Q4: In an article about G. Willow Wilson (the author) in The New Yorker, she writes that there is a “neat ideological overlap between superhero comics and religion, in a positive sense. Both things are about voluntarily holding yourself to a superhuman ideal, doing good even when it’s not required of you.” Why might this be important for reading (and understanding) the importance of superheroes in our culture--as well as in this comic? 

For Friday: Wilson, Ms. Marvel, Issues #3 and 4

The "A" or "SF" group should answer TWO of the following:

Q1: How does the comic explore the experience of women in Islamic society? What challenges does Kamala face as an American teenager in a society that largely sees itself as a different culture? On the same hand, how does it challenge many of our stereotypes about Islamic-American society?

Q2: In our last class, I suggested that becoming a superhero is also a metaphor for the transition between childhood to adulthood. How might many of her 'changes' be symbolic of accepting a new life and identity? Discuss a passage that seems to illustrate this metaphor.

Q3: Remember that a comic isn't just about the story--it's about how the story is told/drawn. Discuss a single frame that you feel really helps tell the story in a way you wouldn't get from the words alone. What does the style or the fine details help you understand about the characters or the themes of the story?

Q4: Why does Kamala decide to abandon the Ms. Marvel identity and make her own--complete with her own, homemade, costume? What specifically made her stop hiding behind the 'mask' of a superhero? (don't just say--she wanted to be herself; what MADE her want to be herself?)

Important LINK (see below)

Two things:

1. I had to cancel class on Monday due to sickness. But we'll be back on Wednesday with Ms. Marvel--see reading and questions below.

2. ALSO, the ECU Library wants all Comp 2 students to take the following survey on your research habits. If possible, could you click through the survey? It only  takes a few minutes: http://ecok.libsurveys.com/english-languages-post-test  

Thanks and see you tomorrow! 

For Wednesday: Wilson, Ms. Marvel (Issues 1 & 2)

NOTE: This graphic novel is a collection of Ms. Marvel Issues 1-5 collected into one collection. For next class, read the first two issues: you can tell when an issue begins because they have a full page image with a number at the bottom. Otherwise, there are no page numbers at all, which gets a little confusing. 

Group "B" (or "F") should answer TWO of the following:

Q1: Comics have always played with the idea of a teenager with all their associated problems trying to be a superhero (esp. Spiderman). What new complications does a Muslim teenager bring to the table? Why would it be even more difficult for Kamala to maintain her secret identity as Ms. Marvel? 

Q2: Why does Kamala emerge from her shell as a blonde Ms. Marvel? Since her dream was always to become a superhero, what might she have assumed about the reality about becoming one?

Q3: How can you describe the drawing style of this comic? How does it make you read/respond to the story? Why do you think Adrian Alphona drew it this way? Do you think the story goes well with the style, or did it frustrate or confuse you?

Q4: Typically, superheroes get a dramatic origin story to highlight their new identity. Why do you think Ms. Marvel's is so abrupt? What might this say about the comic's take on what makes superheroes and identities in the first place? 

NOTE: Schedule Change--Paper due on Friday; Superheroes/Comics Discussion on Wed

I changed the schedule slightly to give everyone an extra class day to work on their Short Paper #1 assignment (see post below this one). So for Wednesday, just come to class and I'll discuss the history of comics and why superheroes have become one of our most potent modern metaphors. This will prepare us for our next book, Ms. Marvel, which we'll start discussing on Monday. If you don't have it yet, there are copies in the bookstore. We're not done with the Best American SF/F book yet--we'll return to it in a few weeks. 

Let me know if you have any questions about your paper! Good luck! 

English 1213/Short Paper #1: Metaphors ‘R Us (Due FRIDAY)

For your first short assignment, I want you to use metaphors to “help people to understand the unfamiliar” (Erard). In this case, I want you to explain to someone who has never been to college, what your first semester of college was like. However, to make it a little more visual—and challenging—I want you to do so using one of the fantasy/sci-fi metaphors below:

A Dragon     A Sorcerer     A Robot     A Spaceship

In other words, I want you to either describe a day in your life as a student, or a composite of several of your experiences and adventures, but through the metaphor of something completely imaginary. Just like Yoachim wrote about wind-up toys or Payseur wrote about “rivers running free,” I want you to show us college through the eyes of a dragon, or a sorcerer’s magic, etc. How can this help translate an unfamiliar experience in a way that makes them see and feel your day-to-day reality in college? How can a robot help people understand what’s it like to study all night and take a test first thing in the morning? How could a spaceship translate the whirlwind of activities that has become your daily ritual?

EX: You can do this assignment in a variety of ways: you could actually pretend to be a dragon going to college, or a spaceship going to flight school. OR, you could write about yourself and use metaphors derived from sorcery or robotics. Either way, think about what these things are, how they function, and what they represent, and relate it to what you experience on a daily basis. There are more comparisons than you might think!

REQUIREMENTS

• At least 2 full pages, double spaced (but you can do more)
• Think metaphorically: how can you help people see through your metaphor so they actually experience what your life feels like?
• Due Friday, February 1st in class

For Monday: Goh, “The Last Cheng Beng Gift”

LINK TO STORY: http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/last-cheng-beng-gift/

NOTE: “Cheng Beng” or “Qingming” is a traditional Chinese festival also known as “Ancestor’s Day.” It goes back over 2,000 years, and is a celebration of one’s ancestors in early spring; families visit the graves of their ancestors and offer food and gifts while enjoying their own traditional foods and festivities.

The “A” / “SF” group should answer TWO of the following:

Q1: What is slightly absurd about the kind of gifts Mrs. Lim receives in the afterlife? How does she feel about these gifts? Do we understand why her daughter gives them?

Q2: Mrs. Lim mentions that “once [her husband] had been satisfied that he had accomplished all he had meant to do in this life…he opted instead for Meng Por’s forgetfulness tea and went straight for reincarnation” (92). If he was satisfied, why wasn’t Mrs. Lim? What does she get out of ‘living’ in death that her husband didn’t?

Q3: In her author’s note, Goh writes that “I wrote this for fellow Asian daughters who have similarly fraught relationships with their mothers, and from whom filial piety demands a gratitude that we can’t give freely” (345). In the story, what makes it difficult for Hong Yin to reconcile with her mother, and for her mother to accept her and apologize?

Q4: Mrs. Lim reflects that “The afterlife…was a place where nothing could happen, because it is not, after all, a place of living” (97-98). In that case, why might this story be more about life than death? In other words, how might this be a metaphor to what we hang onto, as well as how we decide to let go?

Response Groups for Both Classes

11:00 Class 

Group A (or "SF")

Kentaaji A.

Mandi B.

George B.

Benjamin B.

Alexis C.

Isabel D.

Shelby D.

Meysa D.

Sean F.

Cody G.

Kaylee H.

Timothy H.

Wyatt L.

Group B (or "F") 

John L.

McKenzie L.

Myranda M.

Destin M.

Hannah N.

Thomas N.

Tarah O.

Arren P.

Emily R.

Brea S.

Faith S.

1:00 Class
GROUP “SF” (Science Fiction)

Nichole B.

Angela C.

Sebastian C.

Kealan C.

Jaylnn F.

Michael G.

Nathan G.

Taylor G.

Ashlyn H.

Lydia H.

Raven J.

Austin M.

GROUP “F” (Fantasy)

Danielle M.

Brooklyn M.

Wyatt P.

Sandro R.

Klaytan S.

Rylee S.

Dalton S.

Jaren S.

Zachery W.

Rebekah W.

Tinia W.

Lilith W.

For Wednesday: Yoachim, “Carnival Nine” (pp.241-257)

LINK TO THE STORY: http://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/stories/carnival-nine/

Group “F” (or Group “B”) should answer TWO of the following for class on Wednesday. But everyone should read this story—it’s a really good one! Much easier than the last one, but metaphorical in the same way, so don’t read too literally.

Q1:  Caroline Yoachim, who wrote this story, said the idea came from “spoon theory, developed…as a way to describe living with disability or chronic illness. In spoon theory, the energy to do tasks is represented by spoons, and people get a limited number of spoons each day” (354). Why do you think she changed this to ‘turns’ and created the metaphor of people with wind-up keys in their backs? What does this help us see or understand about our own lives and ambitions?

Q2: When the narrator, Zee, and Vale are at the master’s workbench, she notes, “We had agreed on building a boy, but we hadn’t talked much about the details” (249). Though we don’t build children from a pile of spare parts, how might this passage relate to the business of starting a family and raising a child in our world? What kind of conversation should they have had?

Q3: Much of this story is about the conflict between doing one’s duty and following one’s heart. How does Zee embody this conflict? Is she fulfilled in being Mattan’s mother and caregiver? Or does her restricted life help her appreciate her own mother’s decisions, even if she can never forgive her?

Q4: Toward the end of the story, Zee reflects, “In childhood the days stretch out seemingly forever, and we spend our time and turns freely on any whim that catches our fancy. But at the end of our lives each day becomes an increasingly greater fraction of the time we have remaining, and the moments grow ever more precious” (256). Based on this reflection, are longer lives necessarily happier ones? Is Mattan’s brief life (he’ll never get one thousand turns) doomed to be unfulfilling? What advantages does Zee’s longer life and stronger mainspring allow her to achieve?

For Friday: Payseur, “Rivers Run Free” (pp.1-12)

I FOUND A LINK TO THE STORY: http://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/stories/rivers-run-free/

NOTE: I accidentally named the groups A & B in my 11:00 Comp class, though they are "SF" and "F" on the syllabus. So A = SF, and B = F. Sorry about that! 

Group "SF" should answer TWO of the four questions below in a short response, at least a few sentences, and in enough detail so I can see you ‘thinking.’ I don’t want a yes/no answer, and there’s no one right answer; I simply want you to engage with the story and be able to explain why you think the way you do about it. Don’t worry about being wrong or even confused. Writing your way through a response will help you understand the story more than if you wrote nothing at all.

Q1: In his author’s note, Charles Payseur writes that he was inspired to write the story because of “how rivers are exploited and polluted, a situation that mirrors other, much more human experiences” (351). What do you think he means by “other…more human experiences?” How could the story of exploited rivers trying to free themselves relate to us?

Q2: According to the story, why did the rivers get exploited/enslaved in the first place? Why didn’t they fight back earlier, and why do so few of them resist even in the events of the story?

Q3: When the rivers accuse the people of Abbotsville of betraying them and being no better than the Luteans (the ‘bad guys’ of the story), the Sheriff  responds, “I am better than the Luteans!...You think we want it this way? We’re just making the best of a bad situation, and not one that we caused” (9). Why does he feel forced to enslave and torture the rivers as well, even though he’s one of the ‘good guys’? Are we supposed to be sympathetic to his point of view, or does the story suggest that all humans are ultimately ‘bad’?

Q4: The rivers are trying to reach the ocean, but one of them admits, “The sea is a myth,” and even the narrator fears that he might be right. Since we as readers know the ocean isn’t a myth, why does the author have the rivers question the existence of a gigantic body of water? What might this represent to the characters that they hope for its existence, but secretly can’t believe in its existence? (hint: think metaphors)

Welcome to the Course!

Welcome to Dr. Grasso's two sections of Freshman Composition 2! This course is designed around the theme of science fiction and fantasy writing, which should allow us to write about many ideas that affect our world today, even though they might sound futuristic or fantastic. The goal of this course is to challenge your ability to read in different fictional genres, and connect these works to a larger cultural conversation that is anything but fictional. Hopefully, you'll find this an interesting and unusual way to develop your writing, even if Star Wars or The Lord of the Rings aren't necessarily your cup of tea (I promise I won't make you watch either of them). 

Be sure to buy the books for this class as soon as possible, particularly Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing 2018, since we'll have a reading assignment from this book on Friday. The books are listed below:

Required Texts: (a) The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2018, ed. N.K. Jemsin; (b) Bradbury, The Martian Chronicles, (c) Wilson, Ms. Marvel

Check the syllabus for other information about the course, and feel free to e-mail me with any questions or concerns. See you next week!