Possible Topics

Here's what I see emerging from your discussions of the books:

• Conversion to Islam
• Islam and family
• Islam and women
• Syrian immigrants
• Katrina and 9/11 responses

I enjoy the way that Eggers provides a view on the religious and cultural fusion occurring in the Zeitoun household. He gives a glimpse on the life of Muslims attempting to incorporate American culture into their lives. The fact that this is all based on a true story makes it even more immersive. You find yourself relating to them all the time, you start to cheer them on in their decisions and problems . Despite all the religious talk occurring in book, Eggers does not attempt to say that either Christianity or Islam is better. He uses it as an example of someone foreign adapting to their surroundings.

I like when Kathy is telling her personal narrative. She does not make either religion, Christianity or Islam, out to be better. Rather she describes her choice of religion to be based purely on her experience of the religions, instead of philosophical reasons why one is better than the other. She changes to Islam because it gave her clarity when she needed it. I don't think that the author is trying to convince you one way or the other weather you should be Islamic or not, instead the author is just showing how the family experienced living their religion. This makes the characters much easier to relate to, and enjoyable to read about.

Jared's Response

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http://www.roubaixinteractive.com/PlayGround/Binary_Conversion/Binary_To_Text.asp

The Assignment and the How-To

Hi Everyone,
In order to post, you need to click that Blogger logo in the upper left corner.  See it? The orange box with the squiggly thing in it?  Then, click on the pencil next to your blog title.  That will allow you to write your post.  When you are done, click "Publish."

Here's Your Assignment:

One thing that we have said repeatedly in our class is that American literature is an ongoing conversation about a few central topics.  These topics are ingrained in our national narrative, the story of who we are as people.  This week, you will begin thinking about topics that connect to this American narrative, and these topics will become the focus of your research after winter break.

To get you started generating topics for research, use your lit circle books.  I'd like two written responses from you this week, both posted to your group blog.  I also expect you to read and respond to each others' posts.  If you were to type your response in Word first, it would be about a page.  DO NOT JUST ANSWER A LIST OF MY QUESTIONS.  Instead, generate two or three paragraphs on the questions that interest you most.  The questions to consider:

• What do you like best about your book?  What do you like least?
• What was the most powerful part of the text?  The most exciting?
• Which of our central questions (American dream/possessions, nature, race and equality, individual power, etc.) does your text address most thoroughly?
• What questions does this book raise for you?  What does it make you wonder?
• What are some topics that you could research (based on your book)?
• What place do you think your text has in the body of American literature?
• How does the text "talk back" to some of the authors we've already read?
• What do you know about the author of your book?  Are you curious to know more about the author's story?