The "end" of EDU 3234

So what have I learned from taking the paper. Plenty i must say.I learned the importance of education and the importance of a teacher. I have more texts so that there are a variety of text that can be used in teaching literature. And further more Dr.Edwin actually inspired me to do more learning outside the classroom. I could proudly say that I GET literature now. Its not just about reading the text its about what creates the text. I have done more research on literature texts in this course compared to any other literature courses. I can actually say I can see the literary devices, different choose of word and plenty more in a text now. My work on the position paper and my research paper has also helped me in doing more productive research. But the most important of all is that during this course it has made me to think literature and teaching literature in a clearer and more positive perspective. I would like to thanks Dr. Edwin, my course mates and not forgetting Dr.Nooreen for making my EDU 3234 journey a smooth one. I would like to end by saying 'a teachers purpose is not to create students in his/her own image,but to develop students who can create their own image.Till then...
P/s Good luck for the teaching practice people.

The Dream...

Today I read ‘I have A Dream by Martin Luther King, Jr. This speech was delivered on the steps at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. King was considered to be a peaceful warrior. He gave this speech to proclaim his desire for a future where blacks and whites among others would coexist harmoniously as equals. King's speech resembles the style of a Baptist sermon. The repetition of a phrase at the beginning of sentences is a rhetorical tool employed throughout the speech. He also used a lot of oppositional images to show differences. He used words like shadow vs. light, Island vs. ocean, poverty vs. prosperity to highlight the conditions on the Black and his desire for their future. There were plenty of imageries of money used in the speech and King used this to draw attention to the issue of moral bankruptcy of the American Society. I believe this is a great text to use in a classroom. Apart from the rich literary elements to the text, this text also could give an emotional impact to the readers. It could also help in their personal growth where they may take their owe initiative to know more about Martin Luther King and his speech. I think it’s a great achievement to a teacher when their students learn literature outside the classroom.

My research paper journey

After meeting my supervisor for some guidance I started to write my research paper. Basically I talked about the similar devices used to develop the theme of dysfunctional family communication. I discussed mainly analyzed the portrayal of the characters and the use of symbols by the authors. I gave simple definition of what is family and what is family communication.Then I continued to talk about the various issues in each of the stories. In O’Neill’s ‘Long Nights Journey into Night’ I discussed about Mary’s morphine addiction; Tyrone, Jamie, and Edmunds’ alcoholism; Tyrone’s frugality; the sons’ attitude toward work and money. And in William’s ‘Street Car Named Desire’ I discussed about the troubled attitude of Stanley toward his wife and Blanche.I then continued with discussing about the symbols and it relation to the statement of dysfunctional family communication. In ‘Long Day’s Journey into Night’the fog is one of the strongest symbols which in many ways assert the family’s fate. Another devise O’Neill uses is Mary’s glasses to symbolized her inability to see thing clearly. She frequently misplaces them, and really doesn't want to find them because that would force her to face reality, which she desperately tries to hide from. The symbolic use of the shadows and cries and the meat is also evidence of poor family communication in Williams’ Street Car Named Desire’. Both plays had great impact to the educational enterprise. They definitely play an important in educating the students in terms of good judgment; respect to ones self, humanizing the educational system as well as creating a better society.I faced many problems in writing this paper and one was finding suitable words when describing. And also faced constant “writers block” but all is done. I am happy with I wrote my paper. I learned to write with organization, better flow and clearly putting my thought into proper words.It’s a great practice to develop more language skills and not forgetting literature skills.

The Devil's Dictionary

I was introduced to the term parody today. It’s actually a form of satirical criticism or comic mockery that imitates the style of or a particular writer as to emphasize the weakness of the writer. The devils dictionary is a good example of a parody. During class we discussed mockery on the word women, man, love, and life. I was quite interested on the creativity of definition. So I browsed through the internet and came across more words. These are some of the words and its definition that I liked:

POETRY A form of expression peculiar to the Land beyond the Magazines

EDUCATION That which discloses to the wise and disguises from the foolish their lack of understanding.

MONEY A blessing that is of no advantage to us excepting when we part with it. An evidence of culture and a passport to polite society. Supportable property.

A Rainbow

And that was my answer when Dr. Edwin asked me what metaphor I would use to describe myself (a teachers perspective). Of course there were some giggles when I told that.I choose the rainbow because I believe a teacher should portray an image of happiness because in students nowadays have more than learning problems. Many come from broken home. So the teacher and the lesson should be something that should be looked forward and not dreaded. I had a great time listening the others version. They were some that were interesting, some that were funny and then they were some that were outrageous. I like Syamimi’s version where she choose a gardener (a nurturer) and Ira’s a mirror (reflect one’s self for more learning). The funniest would be Nalini’s when she said we sees herself as an ATM machine. I think I’ll remember this one for a long time. I think the rationale behind this activity could be that Dr. Edwin expects us to think and feel like a teacher. And not for getting to bring the lighter side of one.

Kafka

This particular text was a focus on education. But Kafka views here were different from other writers because he believes that one should reflect on one’s education. He used a lot of repetition techniques to highlight the issue of what harm education has done to him. I believe that this text is suitable to students of high proficiency. One it helps them to develop literature skills and secondly teachers can introduce students to the importance of education. It may help them to distinguish what is education to them rather than what education is to teachers, the school, and the education system. Personal value systems are developed.I am sure using this text in class helps in getting to class interested in the whole education system. So for that this is a great conversation text which can be used in classroom.Till then...

“Apartheid”

The word “Apartheid” still in rings in my head every time I think of this reading text. A few days ago we read a part from Nelson Mandel’s autobiography. This word was used a number of times. Here it means the discrimination of the majority by the minority. Nelson Mandela fought for the freedom of the Blacks. I felt I was able to connect to the text in whole new way because I am considered a minority in this country. Even though I do not go through discrimination on a regular basis but I know how it could feel. I ask myself this question: What could be some of the reasons for using autobiography in a literature classroom? I believe such content helps students’ global awareness. Knowing more on world happening could help them develop value system. Imagine using the traditional literature texts like short story, poems, novel all year around. I am sure students will get bored and loose interest in appreciate literature. There are also considered to be authentic materials which can be analyzed for deeper understanding. In a nutshell before introducing difficult texts like novels teacher can take a tip from autobiography so that learning can take place more smoothly. Till then…