Teri Lynn Tosspon, MA, MA, TESL
Heald College

• Interviews & Introductions
• Syllabus
• Poetry/History Through Literature
– Maya Angelou “Africa” 995
– Langston Hughes “I, Too” 958-959
• Symbolism, Analogy, Metaphor

• Choose a partner
• Fill out the questionnaire by speaking to your partner and writing down their answers
• Introduce your partner to the class, sharing their answers to 2 of the questions

• Ability to complete tasks
Fields Represented in
Humanities
What is Humanities?
Classics
• Using multiple
• Ability to work independently/with minimal direction.
Law
• study the of human condition, using
Music methods that are
• Ability to critically think. critical, or speculative
Religion
Visual arts Drawing , Painting

• Examine selected readings of fiction, essays, and novels by important contemporary writers with an emphasis on social and cultural issues .
• Explore culture and its origins, values, and changing status.
• Develop the skills to present sensitive and controversial topics to an audience .
• Write a minimum of
5,000 words in essays, response papers, and a final research project.

1. Analyze cultural aspects of various types of literature including prose, poetry, music, film, and drama.
2. Identify analogies, metaphors, and symbols within written and visual texts.
3. Write coherent analyses of literature in academic essays.
4. Analyze issues raised in literature for both discussion and academic essays.

• Teri Tosspon, M.A. (History, English, TESL)
• ttosspon@gmail.com
• http://ttosspon.wikispaces.com/HUMN205
• (949) 682-8374 (Why-682-Teri)
• Office hours: Afternoons and by appointment

•
Bundle ISBN: 1111120250
• Kirszner, L. G. & Mandell, S. R. (2010).
Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing,
Compact, 2009 MLA Update Edition (7 th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth
Cengage Learning. ISBN 0495904554
– Kirszner, L. G. (2004). Lit21: Literature in the 21 st Century CD (ver. 1.5). Belmont,
CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
ISBN 141300668
(paperback on Amazon for $4.95)

•
Exams
– Weekly quizzes, final exam
•
Projects and Assignments
–
Journals, papers
•
Participation
– 2-3 graded activities each meeting
Your Grade
15%
75%
10%
Exams
Projects
Participation

COURSE AT A GLANCE
Topic/Chapters for Discussion
Assignments
Due @ next class meeting
& Reading
Assignments
Wk 1
07/21
Course Introduction
Poetry. History through literature:
Civil Rights, Racism, Immigration.
Topics to be covered on that day
Buy Hunger Games
(HG) Homework:
Read due at the
 Chapter 21 : next meeting
“Understanding Poetry”
(pp. 710-720)
 “Papi Working” pg 995
 “We Real Cool.” pg 792
 “Nani” pg 877-879

Weekly Small-Group Presentations
3 Chpts of “The Hunger Games”
- Summary
(tell what happens)
- Analysis
(do analysis symbolisms, themes, etc)
- Activity
(choose from the list of 91 activities)
- Assessment/Quiz
(written or oral assessment)
Submitted to ttosspon@gmail.com or on campus/in person @ 5pm day of

• Revised Hunger Games schedule.
• Your group will need to choose ONE of these dates and present these chapters on that date.
Chpts 1-3
Chpts 4-6
Chpts 7-9
Chpts 10-12
Chpts 13-15
Wk 3
Wk 4
Wk 5
Wk 6
Wk 7
Chpts 14-18
Chpts 19-21
Chpts 22-24
Chpts 25-27
Wk 8
Wk 9
Wk 10
Wk 11

• Raised on a farm in the middle of
Nebraska
Education
• University of Nebraska- Lincoln - Masters
• Oxford University, England
• University of California Irvine – Masters/PhD
• Hobbies: writing, reading, painting, baking/cooking, rock climbing, playing video games, international and state-side travel

• We will play a lot of games, you will work independently, with partners, and in groups.
BUT I expect
• Weekly writings (journal, some papers)
• Weekly reading and analysis
• Thinking. That means taking TIME. The first answer is not always the only one

• If you miss 14 days in a row, you will be dropped.
• Studies have shown that 85% attendance is minimum for success (A or B).
• There are graded activities during class period
• If you need to miss class or if you will be tardy or leaving early, call or text
TERI TOSSPON ***(949) 682-8374*** ttosspon@gmail.com
. as soon as possible (BEFORE CLASS!!!)

• Each student has the opportunity to make up one missed major inclass graded event.
• You MAY make up one
(1) quiz or exam.

Blue or White Scrubs for MEDICAL
Layer appropriately- White Only
NO Canvas/Fabric Shoes- It’s a hazard!
Shoes must be covered- no holes or open toed
No Piercings and/or excessive jewelry
WHITE shoes- Leather only, must have a defined heel
No Piping on Scrubs
No Externship Scrubs
WHITE Outerwear only!!!! NO HOODS

Professional Attire
Example
NO HOODS

NO HOODS
Professional Attire
Example

MALES & FEMALES:
NO HATS OF ANY KIND
NO HOODIES OR SWEATSHIRTS
NO SUNGLASSES IN THE CLASSROOM
PROFESSIONAL OUTERWEAR ONLY IN THE CLASSROOMS!!!

• treat others as you would like to be treated.

• Be courteous and respectful of everyone and everything
• Be prepared for class and actively participate
(This includes completing assignments and having required materials)
• Raise hand to speak when others are speaking.
• Electronic devices are not allowed in class unless they are specially needed and approved by the instructor.
• Food or drinks other than water in a re-sealable water bottle are not allowed.
• If you need to use the restroom, exit quietly
* unless students are presenting * and return quietly.

• -10% for each day late.
F or example if an assignment is due Thursday at 6pm, and it is not submitted until Friday at 6pm, the maximum grade received will be a 90%.
– If you phone/text/email, you will get a 24hr grace period!
• Late work should be submitted via email

• Work conducted during class that is missed cannot be made up under any circumstances
.
• No points will be given for a draft that is not ready before class on draft-revision days.
Thus, if we are “revising a draft” and you do not have a completed draft, you will be awarded no points.
•
No late assignments will be accepted after week 10, no assignments will be accepted after the last scheduled class date (even if it is 1 HOUR LATE).

• Text (949) 682-8374 or e-mail ( ttosspon@gmail.com
) in ADVANCE or before the end of class .
• Complete and turn in all homework PRIOR to the class meeting
• Look up the assignments for the
• following week online
• contact at least one of the students
• contacts to confirm assignment the day missed

On-time work only (no late work is eligible)
1. Contact the instructor via phone, text message, email, or web post about the assignment
2. Make corrections to the assignment as suggested, instructed, or researched
3. Turn in the resubmitted work within 1 week .

person/media
in any form
– allowing another person to copy answers on a quiz or test
– representing the work of another team member as one’s
– stopping or delaying another student in the completion of
• any work
If you are caught plagiarizing, you will fail the assignment . You will not be able to other person, printed material, or web site make up the credit for the assignment.

• Project 1: An essay analysis of 1,000 words minimum, using MLA format
• Project 2: A dramatic scene and analysis of
1,000 words minimum, using MLA format
• Project 3: Original poem or song and analysis of 750 words, using MLA format

• You will create a presentation of your Final
Benchmark Project.
• Presentation due in class 09/23 (Week 10)

• During lectures, presentations, and discussion monitors should be turned off (if in a computer classroom) unless otherwise approved.
• If you need to take a call, immediately leave the room.
•
Do not have an outside conversation
(voice or text) in the classroom.

•
Heald Portal (check grades here) http://myportal.heald.edu
(go to Assignments, not Grades)
•
Heald CARES assistance program http://healdcares.com
•
Class website :
• http://ttosspon.wikispaces.com/HUMN205

Meeting 1
Dinner break until 8:10, then meet in rm 212

(and can just be enjoyed for what it is!)
• Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds”
» Watch the video, then read the lyrics (handout)

Watch this video
Then (silently) read the poem on pg
995-996

Watch and listen, then
Silently read the poem on pg 958-959

• Research 1 Author:
• Research/Discuss 1 Poem
Bob Marley, Maya
•
Summary – what is happening
Angelou, or Langston
•
Themes
– use the handout!
– What is it, what themes are present in
Hughes this poem?
– Summarize their life
•
Symbolism-
–
Use the handout!
– Race/Gender
– What is tone, what tone(s) is/are present
– Time/historical period in this poem?
• What was going on in the
•
Tone
–
Use the handout!
country, the world? – What is tone, what tone(s) is/are present in this poem?
30 points. Deliverable: Oral presentation (no more than 10 min per group), each person will graded individually. Each individual’s notes on their specific research/discussion area.

• Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds”
Life, history, time period
Summary – what is happening
Themes – use the handout!
What is it, what themes are present in this poem?
Symbolism– Use the handout!
What is tone, what tone(s) is/are present in this poem?
Tone – Use the handout!
What is tone, what tone(s) is/are present in this poem?

pg 995-996
Life, history, time period
Summary – what is happening
Themes – use the handout!
What is it, what themes are present in this poem?
Symbolism– Use the handout!
What is tone, what tone(s) is/are present in this poem?
Tone
–
Use the handout!
What is tone, what tone(s) is/are present in this poem?

– pg 958-959
Life, history, time period
Summary – what is happening
Themes – use the handout!
What is it, what themes are present in this poem?
Symbolism– Use the handout!
What is tone, what tone(s) is/are present in this poem?
Tone – Use the handout!
What is tone, what tone(s) is/are present in this poem?

• Gather together by Author.
(ie, everyone who researched Bob Marley and/or his poem, gather together).
• How could life have influenced the writing?
What could s/he have meant by this poem?
• Deliverable: Oral Presentation, 1 pg per group answering these questions.

• Gather together by Topic Studied.
(ie, everyone who researched lives/histories of the Author gather together, everyone who researched/discussed poetry gather together).
Authors Group
What did their lives have in common? What were they influenced by? Were their
• meanings related? Were their messages related?
Poetry Group
What did their poems have in common? Did they have similar tones? Similar themes? How the poems relate to each other?
• Deliverable: Oral Presentation, 1 pg per group answering these questions.
10 pts, each member graded on own participation.

Possible responses
• Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds” the poem?
• When is the poem happening?
Poverty, Political Unrest, Women’s
Rights, Racism

Poetry Analysis Worksheet:
Africa, Maya Angelou
1. What does the title mean?
2. Summarize in your own words.
3. What does the poem mean ?
– Who/what is the subject of the poem?
– What is the author talking about?
– Why do you think the author wrote the poem?
– When is the poem happening?
– Where is the poem happening?
– What is the poet’s attitude?
– How does the poem shift from person to person or between different times or places?

Poetry Analysis Worksheet:
Africa, Maya Angelou
4. Poetic devices

Simile
– Comparing using like/as

Metaphora direct comparison
“Mountains her breasts”

Personification
– Africa seems like a woman.
She has breasts, tears; she screams.

Tone
– strong, could be mournful/longing

Poetry Analysis Worksheet:
Africa, Maya Angelou

Point of View
Unclear! Could be a woman, Omniscient/all knowing. Not knowing about the speaker means something as well! Unobtrusive.

Imagery
Deserts her hair
Sugar cane sweet, white seas

Other devices used: Repetition

Remember, remember. Verbs: took, sold, churched, bled

Allusion
 Alludes to “white seas” – the whites took Africans overseas and perpetrated…

Poetry Analysis Worksheet:
Africa, Maya Angelou
5. Theme

- slavery, woman, the natural woman, motherhood, loss
6. Title : What does it mean now?

Africa: A person? A woman? A culture? A group of people? A larger-than-life entity, mythical. A strong, resilient people, ravaged and separated, but surviving. Strong.
7. Context

Historical – author’s life experience

Cultural Context – author’s life, country
 poverty, political unrest, war, lack of opportunities, social constraints especially for women and minorities

Watch this video
Then (silently) read the poem on pg
958-959
4 groups, each analyze ONE” Title,
Theme, Summary, Context

Poetry Analysis Worksheet:
Langston Hughes, “I, Too”
1. What does the title mean?
2. Summarize in your own words.
3. What does the poem mean ?
– Who/what is the subject of the poem?
– What is the author talking about?
– Why do you think the author wrote the poem?
– When is the poem happening?
– Where is the poem happening?
– What is the poet’s attitude?
– How does the poem shift from person to person or between different times or places?

Poetry Analysis Worksheet:
Langston Hughes, “I, Too”
4. Poetic devices

Simile
– Comparing using like/as

Metaphora direct comparison
“Mountains her breasts”

Personification
– Africa seems like a woman. She has breasts, tears; she screams.

Tone
– strong, could be mournful/longing

Poetry Analysis Worksheet:
Langston Hughes, “I, Too”

Point of View

Imagery

Other devices used

Poetry Analysis Worksheet:
Langston Hughes, “I, Too”
5. Theme
6. Title : What does it mean now?
 “I, Too”
7. Context

Historical – author’s life experience

Cultural Context – author’s life, country
 poverty, political unrest, war, lack of opportunities, social constraints especially for women and minorities

• What are literary devices
• Which devices appear in each poem?

• See handout for reference
• Alliteration
• The repetition of the same or similar sounds at the beginning of words. Some famous examples of alliteration are tongue twisters such as Betty Botta bought some butter and
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers .

DEFINITION: Analogies express a relationship between two pairs of words.
“Her printed voile dresses and flowered hats were as right for her as denim overalls for a farmer” –Maya Angelou, I Know Why the
Caged Bird Sings
Example: Her poetry was as mysterious as the stars in the night sky

DEFINITION: A figure of speech in which two unlike things are compared.
“So are you to my thoughts as food to life” –Shakespeare,
Sonnet 75
Example: Her eyes were like diamonds on a queen.

DEFINITION: A statement in which one thing is compared to another to suggest a similarity.
“Then I met, or rather got to know, the lady who threw me my first lifeline” –Maya Angelou, I
Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Example: Joshua Monzon is a helpful, crazy, bassplaying, monkey.

DEFINITION: A traditional way of saying something in a language that often doesn’t make sense if taken literally.

• Choose your group/week for Novel Presentation.
1 st come/1 st serve sign up @ next week’s class.
•
Buy Hunger Games (HG)
– decide on groups of 3-4/dates.
• Read
– Chapter 21 : “Understanding Poetry” (pp. 710-720)
– “Papi Working” pg 995
– “We Real Cool.” pg 792
– “Nani” pg 877-879
– “On Being Brought from Africa to America” pg 1066-
1067