Poetry Project Rubric

Categories:
Theme/Idea 15 pc.
Quality of the theory, including textual reference, and abstract ideas

Completion (inc. time requirements) : 40 pc.
Presentation is on topic, meets the time requirements (not over or under), and includes the full reading of one poem, partial readings of others, and includes an explantation of a theme found throughout the poems the project is on

Explanation/Evidence 25 pc.
Essentially how well the theory is supported.  How much support there is, the quality of the support (quotes - good quotes) and how it is presented and explained to the class

Preparation/Fluency of presentation 20 pc.
How well the project is presented.  Obviously is subjective and depends on the person (some people are better public speakers than others) but a general grade about how much effort went into the project, and how well it came out over all.  (Also structure and order of presentation = beneficial to proving theory).

Poetry - (Words?)

Simile
Metaphor
Rhyme
Hyperbole
Personification
Repetition

Onomonopia

Alliteration

Rhythm

Line

Stanza

Prose

Enjambment (line breaks)

Meter (Pace)

Haiku

Epic

Limerick

Sonnet

Villanelle

Sestina

Terzarina 

Ottararama

Humor

Satire

Irony

Parody

Voice

Tone

Mood

Poet/Speaker of Poem

Symbolism

Couplet

Verse (inc. under prose)

Connotation/Innotation

Ultimate/Penultimate

Foreshadowing

Oxymoron

Form/Content

 - Content - what is included in the poem and what it's about

 - Form - how the poem is structured

Grammar/Capitalization/Punctuation

Diction

Juxtaposition

Blog D12011

Little bit scared of the upcoming assignment
Not sure how to make a 'short' story long enough
Extend by adding (semi?) useless info?  (Similar to the cereal paragraph(s) in (one of?) the short stories we read.
   - Include lots of detailed background, but not fully explained - don't give the big picture
Thinking about the packet from the beginning of the year 'how to write about africa' - is this assignment almost an example of a revised set of those rules?
Worth looking at those rules again, seeing how our new rules differ
DIFFERENCE - AFRICAN SHORT STORIES/AFRICAN WRITING
 - Of these new rules, which apply just to short stories, or to short stories in general, and which apply more to the majority of African writing/literature
Want to include elements in story (top of the head)
 - Small detail
- Implied background
   - Implied relationships
- An example (microcosm) of something in the general culture (macrocosm)
-(Y/N?) Base story off of dialogue?
- Try to keep the majority of the story either in dialogue or reflection
-Reflection could be a good way to expand on minor subtopics: leave more questions but also give more answers when it comes to background (artistic?)
- Should a plot/moral/basic shape of relationships be copied/similar (example a dominant wife, meek and feeble father/male authority, and a rebellious daughter?)
- What sort of background should be used?
- Use an everyday story - few/no special events - the special part of the story should be artfully crafted relationship dynamics - twist should be a change in those

Styles in Short Stories

Build the story off of dialogue (real dialogue - actually grammar, how things would be said - don't directly define something that might be unknown to a reader, but imply its meaning with context

Have a moral - a message - something (knowledge) that is/can be gained by following the progression of the story or character(s)

Give context/setting with details of the culture - wars, types of food eaten, language spoken, important animals or symbols, traditions/the way things are done

Let the characters actions explain who they are/their importance relative to the other characters

Include examples of clashes of/conflicts between cultures (African/White/Christian)

Tell the story with continuous actions - avoid backtracking (for explanations) or skipping ahead to another day when possible

Keep in touch with the main characters thoughts and feelings - the things behind his decisions and his actions - throughout the story - use questions (internal) as necessary (rhetorical?)

Harkness Table Reflection

As in my last reflection, I believe that I talk quite a bit.  However, I do believe that I have slightly improved when it comes to policing myself and not over contributing, although I should continue to work on that. (Sometimes feel like I've contributed less than others while it may not be the case, and compensate by contributing more, which exacerbates the problem)  While I am still a 'primary contributor', I am on an equal level with at least 2 or 3 other people in the class in terms of speaking, and think that I have done a much better job in terms of listening since the last reflection as well.  However, I think that I've made very little improvement, or even taken steps backwards in staying engrossed in the text.  I often times notice, both in class and based on a few of the different Harkness charts, that although I often listen and am a part of the conversation, I rarely ever take notes or write on what is said, and have a problem with using the book to come up with textual evidence for my points in conversation.  ('I forgot where exactly it is' may have become too common a phrase).  Overall, I feel that I am about at an A- level for class participation around the Harkness table.  I definitely participate, but perhaps over actively, and while I may have valid and relevant points when I speak, I should work on textually supporting more of these points, and paying attention to both the book and the conversation.

Dichotomies 'Tail of the Blue Bird'

Perhaps the most important dichotomy in TotBB (in terms of 'moving' the story along) was the internal struggle of many of the characters between their ambitions and their internal need to 'do the right thing'.  At the start of the book, Kayo dreams of being a forensic analyst for the Ghana Police - to have the opportunity to BE corrupt, and to be on the other side.  He wants monetary success, to drive a Range Rover instead of his old Golf, to rake in massive paychecks,  but when given the opportunity to achieve all of his ambitions, Kayo's dream becomes less and less straightforward.  While before he had KNOWN how corrupt the police and the government was and never had a problem with it in general, Kayo is unsure for a long period of time whether to write a false report that would further his career, or tell the truth - that he couldn't actually solve the mystery.  Kayo eventually decides on furthering his career, but is overcome with regret about his decision, and takes it back on the ride out of the village with Donkor, nearly getting himself executed.

We don't know as much of Donkor's story, but what we do know is this - he started at the bottom of the chain, and through dishonesty, corruption, and efficiency through cutting corners, he rises to nearly the top of the police ladder, achieving his long time dream, with apparently few regrets.

Tail of the Blue Bird 36-80 Theme : Corruption

As I said in my previous entry, Tail of the Blue Bird seems to be a more modern/relatable (to a modern western reader) story than the previous books we have read, and seems to include at least one of today's more common stereotypes about Africa : Corruption.   While it is barely talked about, if at all, in the small village narratives, corruption seems to be a rampant problem from Kayo's narration.  In the beginning of the book, there is some brief talk of bribing the police, but it is towards page 30 and beyond that the constant presence of corruption begins to become more evident.  I personally found the whole situation where Kayo gets a job working for the police to be a prime example.  To start, the police force badgered his boss, Acquah, and ended up blackmailing him for various small offenses he had committed in order to persuade him to release Kayo from his contract, while of course implying that they would need to be frequently paid off in the future if Mr. Acquah wanted to avoid prison.  Further complicating/corrupting the situation was how exactly the police got in contact with Kayo.  It seems to me had they simply asked, and told him that his boss now approved, Kayo would have jumped at the chance to work for them - something that he states earlier is something he aspires to.  However, instead, the police draw up an entirely false and ridiculous charge to take Kayo into custody, hold him overnight in a cell, and then  offer him a job.  This second part may not be corruption in it's typical sense, but it still feels to me like things just aren't being done right.

Other examples :
"You bribed someone, got what you wanted, and moved on.  That was the system Kayo understood; the system that allows his father to persuade a clerk to add a year to Kayo's age so he could qualify for a government scholarship when he was still sixteen."  P. 18

"The Ghana Police had a ninety-nine percent record in solving crimes through 'specialised' interrogation" p. 21

"It is not even a case we would have bothered with, but the minster for roads and highways is sleeping with a girl from Tafo.  She discovered some human matter and the minister himself called me that day to ask me to deploy some men" p. 54

"A free Mr. Acquah would pay his tax arrears, but he would also be forever grateful to Sergeant Mintah for not putting him in jail.  He would express that gratitude in regular gifts, cash gifts at christmas and easter, and other favours when needed" p. 59