Directions

For this Discussion Post you will create an initial post (minimum word length 400 words) by Thursday at 11:59 p.m.

Reply with intellectual engagement to at least two peers’ initial posts with 200-word responses by Saturday at 11:59 p.m.

Sometimes, you will not have enough mental bandwidth to engage intellectually with more than one post at a sitting. Be prepared for this. To do a good job with this assignment, you need to demonstrate a level of thought in your response to a peer’s ideas that could require a generous amount of time & thinking. Then, you may need to return to the assignment in order to generate another significant level of engagement. 

It’s hard to earn the 15 points per peer response. Superficial engagement with your peers’ ideas will earn very few. Take your time. Take your peers’ work seriously. Commit to meaningful and analytical responses to get the most out of the assignment.

VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: Ann Petry uses the N-word in her novel. As an African American artist, she has that right. We do not. If you choose to quote a section from The Street that contains Petry’s use of the N-word, please type it as “N-word.”

If you type out the word, I will remove points. 

Prompt

Initial Posts

STEP ONE: Choose an episode from Chapter 8, 9, or 10 that has symbolic power (Links to an external site.). Write a post in which you explain 

1. what the symbolism is, and (20 points)
2. how the earlier Chapters 1-7 of the novel prepared the reader to make sense of this symbolic episode. (Make a direct connection between earlier events from the novel (ch. 1-7) to the symbolic even chosen from the later chapters). (20 points)

Refer to the RUBRIC to see points distribution for this assignment. 

To Post, Hit Reply.

Replies to Peers

Reply to at least two Peers’ posts by Saturday at 11:59 p.m. 

STEP TWO: reply to at least two peers in which you EITHER

add further evidence from the novel to support their initial claim about the symbolic artifact and its connection with earlier events in the novel, 

OR

argue with their interpretation of the symbolic artifact and/or its foreshadowing in the earlier events in the novel.

Both replies must be at least 200 words. Each reply is worth up to 20 points.

DUE by Monday of Week 6 by 11:59 p.m.:

Final Post

STEP THREE: For your final post, choose a peer’s REPLY post that you consider to be particularly strong (insightful, persuasive, etc). Name your peer and discuss with quotations from that peer’s reply, why you consider it to be so strong. Be concrete. Don’t repeat what others have posted before you (Posts are time-stamped in Canvas. Repetitions of observations that have already been made receive little to no points). 20 points

If you have questions, please email me through Canvas Inbox or attend Office Hours on Tuesday 4:30 to 5:30.