ARLT101.Midterm.Takehome.Spring2009 - ARLT 101 TAKEHOME...

ARLT 101 TAKEHOME MIDTERM
Due March 13 by 4:00 p.m
(Place in box outside of THH 402C)
Description of assignment : Compose an anthology of ten quotations drawn from the
materials assigned for the first six sections of this course (Parts I-VI). The anthology will
consist of a preface, short commentaries on each quotation, and a conclusion. The
anthology should be governed by a theme (or a set of two themes) that offer a way to
unite together the diverse materials for this course. The best anthologies (those that will
receive an A or A- grade) will be ones where the theme enables the student to inquire into
the complexities of Los Angeles culture and literature and where both the structure and
content manifest democratic thinking (i.e., the checking and balancing of representations
and seeing an issue from multiple points of view).
Texts for the assignment : Draw one quotation from each of the following texts or set of
texts. Present the quotation and cite the text and page number of the quote (if the text has
a page number). Then provide your critical analysis of the quotation.
1 from Smith, Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992
1 from McKeller, “Watts—Little Rome”
1 from the excerpts in “Perspectives on Los Angeles: The Images of a City”
1 from essays by Isherwood, Rodriguez, Bradbury, Coleman, Baca, George, Waldie, or
Starr
1 from Half + Half
1 from Mosley, Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned
1 from Schulberg, What Makes Sammy Run ?
1 from West, Day of the Locust
1 from a John Fante’s “One Play Oscar,” or Himes’ “Lunching at the Ritzmore,” or from
the first chapter, “The Ride,” from Upton Sinclair’s Oil!
1 from any text of your own choosing (including music lyrics) on the syllabus (it can be
from a text you’ve already used)
Analysis of the texts : Write a commentary on each quotation that is between 3-5
sentences in length. The commentary should be more than a paraphrase of the passage: it
should seek to illuminate the significance of the passage and connect the passage to other
passages through comparisons and contrasts. The commentary should develop the theme
or governing idea of the anthology as a whole. It is vital in these commentaries to
explicate the passage first and foremost from the point of view of its author rather than to
offer your personal opinion of it. Consider the commentary an act of empathic listening
and of comparative or contextual analysis. Seek to understand the passage in its own
context rather than just declaring its personal significance to you. Comment on the
language and specific details of the passage and make both comparisons and contrasts to
other texts in the anthology.