discussion post 1 engl
Purpose: In this post, you will apply the lessons you have learned about identifying themes in literary works, practice close-reading skills, and hone your analytical writing skills. Being able to identify a theme in a literary work and make a convincing argument about the presence of that theme will help prepare you for the upcoming essays in this class. Furthermore, strengthening your critical reading and thinking skills will help you in your other college courses and your career.
Task: To ascertain the theme, you must read the texts thoroughly to understand the actions (what is being said and done by the characters or what is being discussed in the poem or the essay).
After understanding the actions and conflict, ask yourself, what does the story have to say about the human condition? Is there a universal truth being projected? What is the message of the work?
Choose a theme from the list below and find song lyrics that also use this theme.
- Love (romantic, filial, or platonic)
- Alienation/Otherness: (gender, sexuality, race, disability, economic)
- The American Dream/American Nightmare
- The Quest for Identity/Coming of Age
- Conformity/Rebellion
In your post, be sure to name the song title and artist. Copy and paste the song lyrics into your post (the lyrics themselves will not factor into your required word count). If possible, include an audio or video link to your song to include so that the rest of us can enjoy it too, though this is not required.
Then, explain how and why the theme is represented by this song.
Next, respond to any two of the following questions:
- Does the song represent the theme in a positive or negative way (or an interesting combination of both)? Why?
- How is the theme idealized or stereotyped (justifiably or not) in contemporary society?
- How does the song’s depiction of the theme resonate with your own life?
- How is the theme represented in other forms of media? Do you see any patterns emerging?
After posting your own song, respond to at least two other students’ posts and comment on their songs by responding to at least one of the questions in the above list.
Criteria on which you will be graded:
Your post will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Your understanding and analysis of theme as a literary element: your answers demonstrate a thorough analysis of the song and original thought.
- Your focus and specificity: your post should directly answer and elaborate on all the questions above.
- Your peer responses are substantive and advance the discussion by introducing new perspectives, insights, and/or significantly deepening or broadening the conversation with questions.
- Your use of language: your writing should be clear, well-organized, and free from spelling and grammar errors.
NOTE: Your discussion post should be about 250 words and your replies to classmates should be 100-150 words. The goal here is to ensure that you are providing three main elements in your writing: an assessment (thesis statement/main claim), evidence (pull specific examples to support your point), and an evaluation (what is the significance of the points you are making? Help the reader to connect the dots and see the big picture).
