How to Shape Your Literary Reflection Paper

Based on your Cornell Notes, you will be writing a paper interpreting the meaning of one of the stories that we've read from Neil Gaiman's Fables and Reflections. You must do your Cornell Notes sheets on ONE of the stories we've read. Once again, you may use "Fear of Falling," "Three Septembers and a January," "Thermidor," or "The Hunt." Once you have filled out your Cornell Notes (see directions in previous post), read the directions below and begin to write your Literary Reflection Paper on your chosen story. Begin by writing the introduction.

Here are the steps you need to include in your paper.

INTRODUCTION: Introduce the moral of the story. State the point of the story, as you see it. What is its message? This will be the paper's THESIS STATEMENT.

BODY PARAGRAPHS:
Describe how the author illustrates the moral through his words and pictures.

How does the setting reinforce or support the moral of the story?

Give details about the characters. How would you describe those characters? Describe them in your own words. Explain what emotional conditions were going on in the character’s mind that made him or her take certain actions.

What cultural and historical references are in the story? The more you can point out and recognize those, the better your work will be.

What other details in the story help convey the moral? Minor characters and sub-plots also make a story good and powerful. Explain how minor characters and/or sub-plots figure into the story.

CONCLUSION:
Restate the thesis and summarize your evidence and points.

Question: Students asked how many paragraphs the essay should be. My answer was and is: Make sure you include all the things I have listed above. Create as many paragraphs as is necessary to convey your assessment of the moral, and make sure you provide all the required supporting details from the story. Make sure you analyze and interpret what you read, rather than simply re-telling the story. I am not looking for a plot summary. I am looking for your interpretation of the story based on evidence from the text. Make sure to write a conclusion that supports your thesis statement.

Cornell Note Taking

Pick one of the four stories that we have read from "Fables and Reflections". Fill in a Cornell Notes sheet for it.

Think of at least four aspects of the story that struck you as significant. They can be a character, an incident, the setting, or some other aspect that seems important to you. For each of the four aspects, put down some thoughts, ideas or questions. Then, at the bottom of the Cornell Notes page, come up with your own overall analysis or reflection about the story. This can include writing about "text to self", "text to text", or "text to world". The Cornell Notes you create for this story will form the basis for an essay you will be writing.

Reading "The Hunt" in "Fables and Reflections"

We went on to read "The Hunt" in Neil Gaiman's "Fables and Reflections". You may use this story or any of the other three that we read ("Fear of Falling", "Three Septembers and a January", or "Thermidor") to do your next task, which is to prepare notes for a paper based on one of the stories. See the next post for details.

Reading the First Three Stories in Neil Gaiman's "Fables and Reflections"

Neil Gaiman is the author of The Sandman, a collection of stories involving seven characters. The main character is Dream (also called The Sandman or Morpheus), and his siblings are Despair, Desire, Delirium, Death, Destiny and Destruction. They are "seven anthropomorphic personifications of universal concepts." They each represent a realm of consciousness and an aspect of the human experience.

So far, we are reading the collection "Fables and Reflections." We read "Fear of Falling," "Three Septembers and a January," and "Thermidor." Please make sure you read these stories in the classroom, if you have not done so already. If you have been out, you may come at lunch to catch up on your reading.

"Fear of Falling" is about a young man who is having fears about producing his play.

"Three Septembers and a January" tells the story of a man whose life changes because of Dream, Despair, Delirium, Desire and Death.

"Thermidor" is about the head of the Greek immortal poet Orpheus showing up during the French Revolution.

Fill out the Fables and Reflections Handout #1. In order to fill it out, you have to have read the stories carefully. Make sure to fill out each part of the handout completely. Then put the completed handout in your folder in the classroom.

What You Must Have in Your Folder in Order to Pass Cycle 1, Fall 2010

1) Rose that Grew from Concrete essay

2) A rap, song, or poem (by someone famous, or by you) whose lyrics have a symbolic or metaphoric meaning

4) Visual Metaphors Response Sheet

5) Visual Metaphors Poem - written by you

5) Poison Tree response sheet

6) Mother to Son essay

7) “Negro Speaks of Rivers” essay

Literary Elements and Cultural References in Poetry: Assignment for Wednesday, Oct 6

Read this poem by Langston Hughes:

The Negro Speaks of Rivers
I've known rivers:
I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the
flow of human blood in human veins.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young.
I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.
I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.
I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln
went down to New Orleans, and I've seen its muddy
bosom turn all golden in the sunset.

I've known rivers:
Ancient, dusky rivers.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

-- Langston Hughes, 1926

When Langston Hughes wrote this poem in the 1920's, he used the phrase "The Negro" to mean people of African descent.  This was, and still is, a poem about Black heritage.

Get the handout for this assignment here, or by clicking the link on the right side of this page.

2) What literary elements can you find in the poem, such as metaphor, simile, and imagery?  Find at least three literary elements and circle them.  Then, on the margins next to what you've found, name the literary element you’ve circled.

On the PAGE AND A HALF of lined paper I’ve included with the handout, or on regular lined 8.5x11 paper, describe the cultural references and overall meaning of the poem.  Answer these questions in essay form:

What cultural references can you find in this poem? 

To what actual historical facts and events is Hughes referring? 
Remember to look for words that are capitalized.  Do you recognize any of those names, and where are they from? 

Be sure to also include a description of what literary elements Hughes uses in this poem, and explain how he uses them to convey the message of this poem.

Interpreting "Mother To Son"

Get the handout for today's lesson here.  You may also get the Mother to Son handout by clicking the link for it on the right side of this page.  This time, write a full essay (at least five paragraphs) describing the meaning of this poem and explaining in what way it may or may not be true for you in your own life, or in the lives of people you know.  Be sure to proof-read your essay and correct for grammar, spelling and punctuation before turning it in. 

Interpreting "A Poison Tree"

We used this Interpretation Handout for William Blake's "A Poison Tree" to break down the task of figuring out a metaphor.  Download it from here if you don't have it.  We saw that 1) We must figure out words we don't know (do the vocabulary) and 2) Interpret the meaning by "getting" the metaphors used in the poem. 

These vocabulary words were selected:
wrath
foe
deceitful
veiled
wiles
outstretched


Use the handout.  Write your interpretation of the poem on it.  
What is the poem about?  Describe your interpretation of it.  As you write, consider the following:

Look at the title.  Why is the poem called "A Poison Tree"?
What does the tree symbolize?
Why is it "watered" and "sunned," and what does that mean, metaphorically?
What happened to the foe in the end of the poem, and why?