|
|
 |
|
CLARIFICATION LETTERS
[Sample assignment—can be used with any text the class is studying]
- Reflect on your reading of Heart of Darkness and then write a 200-300 word note (legible handwriting is okay) to a classmate in which you describe some aspect of the novel that you are having trouble understanding--a specific area you are having difficulty interpreting or fully comprehending. You should make distinctions where you can--that is, describe what you do understand and what you don't understand. You should refer to one or more particular passages in the novel where you are experiencing difficulty. Don't just say “I don't understand the passage beginning on line ten of page 227. Provide a context for what you don't understand--so your reader can see your difficulties and thereby give you some assistance. I hope this exercise will help you clarify your thinking about Conrad's novel. This brief writing is due Wednesday, November 18 in two copies—— one for your classmate and one for me.
- (Response) Take the note a classmate has given you and consider it carefully, review Heart of Darkness and our class discussions about it, and then respond to your classmate with a thoughtful note of explanation and exploration. Again, my hope about this assignment is that you will not only help your classmate understand and gain a better critical appreciation of Heart of Darkness, but that in constructing your response you will learn more about the novel as well. This note should be 400-500 words long and typed. Due November 25 in two copies--one for your classmate and one for me.
|
|