User:Lgiordano18/sandbox

Article Evaluation Drama:

Is everything relevant? The introduction contains all key points relevant to the novel, however, the summary is very long (although accurate) and could cut some descriptions of scenes which lack importance.

Is anything distracting? The page as a whole is not very long so we did not find any of the information to be distracting or misplaced.

Is any information out of date? The "controversy" section of the page which discusses backlash could be updated to state whether there is any current debate considering modern growing acceptance of homosexuality. Recent controversies could be added because the last one discussed was in 2014. Also, under themes, one section is called "Presentation of Queer Identity," however, Queer is not seen as an acceptable word anymore, and should be replaced with "questioning" or another synonym.

What could be added? The description includes many themes but not one of sexuality which we feel is one of the most important. The description also focusses on Callie as the main character, however the twins seem to be equally important. Under significant characters, Justin is not described as gay, which is an important aspect of his existence in the novel.

What else could be improved? There is a whole paragraph on hegemonic masculinity but there is no focus on the portrayal of Callie and feminine stereotypes seeing as she is the main character.

Article Evaluation Precious Knowledge:

Is everything relevant? The article includes a lot of specifics about the students featured in the film, which are not relevant to the MAS program or the summary of the film and its purpose. In addition, The articles goes into depth about the legal controversy surrounding the program, including complex descriptions of each of the legal bills, all of which do not need to be discussed so specifically. Furthermore, the discussion of the legal controversy complicates the "plot" section and strays away from the film's main focus on the program itself.

Is anything distracting? I found information in the introduction to be very distracting because the intro goes into depth about the controversies of the MAS program before even defining the program's goals or purpose. In part, this is because the introduction is unorganized, however, I am also working to make it more concise and straight forward, as Behrens and Rosen state that an introduction should be.

Is any information out of date? There is a section not he page called "After the Film," which follow the press of the film after it was released, and the adoption of similar programs like the MAS program that have been adopted across the country in recent years. This section concludes with new ethnic studies classes promoted in the 2017 school year, however, I am curious if there were any new ones adopted this year.

What could be added? Information from the Acosta article should be added, and a quote which praises the program and other's like it for their promotion of diversity and the benefits it can reap. In addition, there is not much discussion of the content taught in the program, which should be included since it is addressed in the documentary. In adding, I may add a description of Rethinking Columbus, which was taught in the program.

What else could be improved? The summary of the documentary is way too long, especially considering the short length of the film. This needs to be cut down and made more concise. While there is definitely too much information in a confusing chronology, the information is well cited.

Article Evaluation Mexican American Studies Department Programs:

Is everything relevant? The history section is great because it focusses on the progress of the program and how it ultimately resulted in success improvements for students of a latino background.

Is anything distracting? The section about "vision and goals" talks a lot about preparing students to be leaders, which is true, however, the focus on leadership seems to distract from the program's goals to help Mexican-Americans find a place in American history and culture, and feel comfortable enough to thrive in school, and possibly ultimately become leaders due to these changes.

Is any information out of date? The article discusses how a judge overruled the banning of the program due to racial motive in August 2017, however, what became of this overruling? The article could be updated to add how the program has progressed since then and what has happened to it.

What could be added? The introduction section which describes the MAS department program does not mention diversity or minority studies. This aspect of the program was essential to its goals, and the counter stories which the program studied were influential to why it was banned. Here, I broke up the wordy single-sentenced intro into 2 sentences, and brought up the core value of diversity and acceptance.

What else could be improved? Since we know this program had an influential impact on school districts and learning styles across the country, perhaps, a section could be included to detail the scope of this influence and success. The success of the MAS program did not stop when the program was banned, as the scope of success spread far beyond just the students of Tuscon. We could use the movie about the program, Precious Knowledge, as a source to show success in programs like this one.

A Wrinkle in Time (Book) Evaluation:

What does the article have/cover that is mentioned in the handout? The background section includes the necessary information about the author's process of writing and publishing the book, and is properly written as it does not include any criticism or interpretation. The background section is especially well-written because the controversy surrounding its publishing explains the reason why the novel has been banned in many educational institutions. The summary is also notable because it follows the structure of the article, and is both concise and well-organized as it follows a step by step synopsis of the plot. The reception section includes major awards, however, because there is no analysis section about the critics responses, this section could include major backlash in addition to the positive reception. The adaptations section is a good addition, as the "other" section of structuring the article recommends as it discusses the book's adaptations as a film (both times). The infobox at the beginning is also helpful to article readers because it gives information about many fields of knowledge/credentials and gives a general overview of the book.

What is missing and could be added to the article? The header section is meant to summarize the entire article and give basic information about the book. While the header of this book's article gives information about the books publication and awards, there is no information about the book itself and it's content. Possibly, a sentence should be added here to include content/ material. The background section is a little wordy because it includes a lot of information about the author's process writing and publishing other novels that she has written, which is distracting from the process of how the specific novel came to be. There is no section of analysis of the book that discusses its reception post being published. This could section would discuss critics responses and then build on these ideas. The article includes a character list as a sub-section which is far too long, seeing as the book is short in length and has only a few main and significant character. The main characters section should also fall before the reception and theme section, because someone reading the page should know everything about the books content before they begin to learn about the themes, analysis, and reception of the novel as a whole. A genre section would be helpful if added because the sci-fi genre of this novel in particular is significant to both its important reception as well as its backlash. The backlash has to do with the "pro-science" seeming narrative, and the genre draws a significant connection between the novel's analysis and its content.

Source using database: Credo--> https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/childbooks/wrinkle_in_time_a_1962/0

This link is an example of a summary of the novel, and also includes information about the author, L'Engle, and a good example of an analysis (seeing as an analysis of the novel is missing from the wikipedia page).

Article Evaluation Persepolis (comics):

Is everything relevant? Most of the information is relevant, particularly in the background, genre, and introduction sections. The Summaries, however, are way too long and include information that is so detailed and specific that it is not relevant to the overall plot of the novel. In addition, the page includes a character list, which the Wikipedia guidelines page suggests one does not include. This character list in particular is very long and includes figures who are not relevant or important.

Is anything distracting? Part of the reason why the summary is too long is because it includes many transitional words and phrases that distract from the synopsis of the novel. While this may be observed as good writing from an educational perspective, the point of the plot is to give a concise and easy to understand step-by-step synopsis of the novel. The wordy sentences and over-emphasizing phrases of both summaries on this page make the summary section very hard to follow.

Is any information out of date? The reception section includes revenant controversies, however, the most recent one mentioned happened in 2014. Perhaps there have been more controversies since then and those could be added to keep the page up to date. Perhaps the background section could also include more information about the state of Iran today in order to give more context to the novel and the place that it is written about, a country that American readers might be quite unfamiliar with.

What could be added? While the genre section is already pretty long, perhaps the existing content could be cut down and made more concise, and perhaps a few sentences could be added to discuss the intended audience. To me, the audience of a comic book like this might be confusing because while comics are generally seen as juvenile, the content of this novel is far more mature and complex than one would expect.

What else could be improved? The background section is a little confusing because it includes a lot of information about the awards the book has received, which is distracting to the background of the author's life, which is what served as the true framework for the novel. In addition, I feel that the character list should fall before the genre section, because the information and hard facts about the novel should be known before the analysis and critique of the novel unfolds.

What does the article have/cover that is mentioned in the handout? The article includes a lead section, background section, summary section, genre, publication, and reception section. In addition, as an "other", the article includes sections about the film and about the updated version of th novels, Persepolis 2.0. The article also has an infobox at the top in order to help provide an accurate and simplified overview of the book.

What is missing and could be added to the article? This article does not have an analysis section, and one should definitely be added. The book contains complex ideas and may be hard for a young student to understand. An analysis section might explain the impact of the book's ideas, why the ideas are significant, and might also illuminate the key points, arguments, and critiques.

Rough Draft of Edits for Bluest Eye Wikipedia Page:

Yellow = things to be added/ replaced

Crossed off = things to just delete

Header Section:

The Bluest Eye, published in 1970, is the first novel written by author Toni Morrison, an acclaimed African American novelist and Pulitzer Prize winner. Morrison’s works are praised for their addressal of the harsh consequences of racism in America.(Roynon, Tessa. The Cambridge Introduction to Toni Morrison. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012. Web.)

(Romagnolo, Catherine. Opening Acts: Narrative Beginnings in Twentieth-Century Feminist Fiction. Lincoln, NE: U of Nebraska P, 2015. Web.)

The novel, which takes place in Lorain, Ohio, tells the life of a young African-American girl named Pecola who grows up in the years following the Great Depression. Set in 1941, the story reveals that due to her mannerisms and dark skin, Pecola is consistently regarded as "ugly". As a result, she develops an inferiority complex, which fuels her desire for blue eyes which she equates with "whiteness". The point of view of the novel switches between various perspectives of Claudia MacTeer, the daughter of Pecola's foster parents, at different stages of her life. In addition, there is an omniscient third-person narrative which includes inset narratives in the first person.

Due to controversial topics of racism, incest, and child molestation in the book, there have been numerous attempts to ban it from schools and libraries.[2]

Genre Section (Create this section):

(Not sure if Chau is doing this)

Reception Section:

The novel received minimal amounts of attention when first published, however, it was placed on many University reading lists for black-studies departments, which promoted attention. Morrison was praised for her handling of difficult themes. (Roynon, Tessa. The Cambridge Introduction to Toni Morrison. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012. Web.) Critic Haskel Frankel said, "Given a scene that demands a writer's best, Morrison responds with control and talent."[7] The first major sign that the book would succeed was a positive review in The New York Times in November, 1970.[7] Morrison was praised for her break from the status quo of usual novels from the time period, writing to a wider audience and focusing on black subculture in the 1940s, rather than the military culture of the time. African-American critic Ruby Dee wrote, "Toni Morrison has not written a story really, but a series of painfully accurate impressions."[9] Morrison was additionally celebrated for her wide coverage of emotion in the novel, extending from Pecola Breedlove's quiet descent into madness, to Cholly Breedlove's skewed mindsets.[9]

Critics {{font color||yellow|acknowledged} Morrison's shortcomings as a first time published author. A common critique of her writing included her language in the novel, as it was often viewed as being made too simple for the reader. [9] Early critics were also ambivalent about Morrison's portrayal of the black woman as an object in society rather than a person, only ever going so far as to bring this fact to light and rarely commenting past it. [9] The most detailed analysis of the novel came from feminist critique.[7] It is also notable to address the differences between Afro-American critics (who often identified more with the characters of the novel) and Euro-American critics (who often only focused on the actual writing of the novel).[7]

Overtime, more reviews and analyses praised Morrison's "colonization of the mind," her critique of white versus black beauty standards, and her skilled use of simplistic language as stylistic choice rather than a pitfall of the novel.[9]

Controversy:


 * I plan to cut down many of the controversies to reveal just where the controversy took place, why the book was seen as controversial, and what resulted from the controversy.
 * Not sure if Chau is doing this

Also, I plan to reorder the articles structure so that the order of contents looks like this:

1)Header

2)Background

4) Plot

5) Character List

6) Genre→ This section would be especially important to this novel as Morrison is an acclaimed and famous author whose content and style are unique to her novels. This section could also connect The Bluest Eye to author noteworthy novel by Morrison, like Beloved.  This section could mention the use of multiple narratives, as well as the use of Dick and Jane references to address the complexity of the novel.

7)Analysis → The analysis section falls after the controversy section, however, I believe that the controversial reactions to the novel would be more clear and better understood if they followed an analysis of the novel’s topics and and themes. After reading about the themes of rape, religion, and racism in the novel, one might better understand why the book received such attention…

8) Reception

9) Controversy

10)  Adaptations

Updated Bibliography for Genre Section

Khayati, Abdellatif. "Representation, Race, and the" Language" of the Ineffable in Toni Morrison's Narrative." African American Review 33.2 (1999): 313-24. Web.

Morrison, Toni. "Memory, Creation, and Writing." Thought: Fordham University Quarterly 59.4 (1984): 385-90. Web.

Romagnolo, Catherine. Opening Acts: Narrative Beginnings in Twentieth-Century Feminist Fiction. Lincoln, NE: U of Nebraska P, 2015. Web.

Roynon, Tessa. The Cambridge Introduction to Toni Morrison. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012. Web.

Salvatore, Anne T. "Toni Morrison's New Bildungsromane: Paired Characters and Antithetical Form in the Bluest Eye, Sula, and Beloved." Journal of Narrative Theory 32.2 (2002): 154-78. Web.

Redrafting My "Part 2" Edits to The Bluest Eye Page

In Header Section...

1) Morrison is an acclaimed African American novelist and Pulitzer Prize winner whose works are praised for addressing the harsh consequences of racism in the US.

--> (Roynon, Tessa. The Cambridge Introduction to Toni Morrison. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012. Web.)

2) Delete Sentence: Morrison has two children, and wrote the novel while she taught at Howard University.

--> This information seems irrelevant to me, as Morrison is an acclaimed novelist and her description should be demonstrate to express this.

In Reception Section...

3) The novel received minimal critical attention when first first published however, it was placed on many university reading lists in black-studies departments, which promoted further recognition.

--> (Roynon, Tessa. The Cambridge Introduction to Toni Morrison. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012. Web.)

Updated Draft of Genre Section

Toni Morrison’s work The Bluest Eye breaks the long tradition of narratives that discuss the hardships of war and depression in the 1940’s, as she brings forth a unique and untold point of view in American historical fiction (Cambridge). Morrison purposefully writes stories that defy the “American mainstream ideology” by focussing in on the realities of African American life at the time (Cambridge). Thus, The Bluest Eye serves as a counter narrative, a method of the telling the accounts of people whose stories are rarely told and deliberately hidden (Hughes Hassel, representations). As Morrison once stated, “my job becomes how to rip that veil dawn over proceedings too terrible to relate. The exercise is also critical for any person who is black, or who belongs to any marginalized category, for, historically, we were seldom invited to participate in the discourse even when we were its topic” (The Site of Memory, Morrison). In this novel, Morrison depicts a protagonist, Pecola, an ugly black young girl who is a victim of this perpetual racism and denial that Morrison discusses (Salvatore).

As the civil rights movement began to decline in favor of conservative ideals and white power, American culture began to foster a national identity that excluded anyone who was not white (Opening Acts). One example of this is how historical ideologies influenced the Soaphead Church in the novel. University of Oxford professor Tessa Roynon, who studies African American literature, states that “the racial theories of Hume, Kant, Jefferson, and others, derived from innovations in classificatory systems by scientists such as Linnaeus, have been collected in useful readers such as Emmanuel Chukwudi Eze’s anthology Race and the Enlightenment (1997). The well-read, race-obsessed Soaphead Church in The Bluest Eye is the inevitable product of these theories” (Cambridge). Lasting racist beliefs like these are what shape the self destructive tendencies of the character Pecola, who is suspicious of even her own blackness, and desires the characteristics of a white person, like those she reads about in the Dick and Jane primers (representations, race). As Abdellatif Khayati, professor at the Moroccan Cultural Studies Center, concludes, The Bluest Eye shows how the dominant white narrative creates an “epistemic violence of the Other [which] operates through the internalization of the self-as-other. Pecola exists only in the image reflected by the Other” (race, representations). Just as Pecola’s rape is hidden in the story, the novel exposes a history of failed pursuits in covering up the racist and sexist roots that directly cause each character’s hardship (Opening Acts).

While Morrison is a notable female writer, she is quick to deny her works being categorized as “feminist,” as she believes the title denies the specific necessities of black women (Cambridge). Rather than depict strong female protagonists, Morrison’s characters are actually defeated by the racism and sexism of the time (Salvatore). Anne Salvatore, professor of english at Rider University, interprets this failure of the “anti heroin” as a stark contrast to the typical bildungsroman, where a male character defeats obstacles and grows from experience (Salvatore). Instead, Pecola fails to develop an individual identity in the face of an oppressive society, and her self-hatred forces her to retreat from reality completely (Salavatore).

The point of view of the novel is also significant to its unique style. Morrison combines many narratives: two perspectives of Claudia at different points in time, as well as an omniscient third person. By the end of the novel, the jumbled words of the Dick and Jane primer, as well as the confusing narratives, hint at Pecola’s descent to madness (Cambridge). This breakdown of the novel’s structure also represents a destruction of the harmful ideologies which Morrison’s story seeks to debase (Cambridge).

Final Draft of "Genre/Style" Section

Toni Morrison’s work The Bluest Eye breaks the long tradition of narratives that discuss the hardships of war and depression in the 1940’s, as she brings forth a unique and untold point of view in American historical fiction. Morrison purposefully writes stories that defy the “American mainstream ideology” by focussing in on the realities of African American life at the time. Thus, The Bluest Eye serves as a counter narrative, a method of the telling the accounts of people whose stories are rarely told and deliberately hidden. As Morrison once stated, “my job becomes how to rip that veil dawn over proceedings too terrible to relate. The exercise is also critical for any person who is black, or who belongs to any marginalized category, for, historically, we were seldom invited to participate in the discourse even when we were its topic.” In this novel, Morrison depicts a protagonist, Pecola, an ugly black young girl who is a victim of this perpetual racism and denial that Morrison discusses.

As The Civil Rights Movement began to decline in favor of conservative ideals and white power, American culture soon fostered a national identity that excluded anyone who was not white. One example of this is how historically racist ideologies influence the Soaphead Church in the novel. University of Oxford professor Tessa Roynon, who studies African American literature, states that “the racial theories of Hume, Kant, Jefferson, and others, derived from innovations in classificatory systems by scientists such as Linnaeus, have been collected in useful readers such as Emmanuel Chukwudi Eze’s anthology Race and the Enlightenment (1997). The well-read, race-obsessed Soaphead Church in The Bluest Eye is the inevitable product of these theories." These perpetual racist beliefs shape Pecola's self destructiveness, she is suspicious of even her own blackness, and desires the characteristics of a white person, like those in the Dick and Jane primers. As Abdellatif Khayati, professor at the Moroccan Cultural Studies Center, articulates, The Bluest Eye shows how the historic white narrative creates an “epistemic violence of the Other [which] operates through the internalization of the self-as-other. Pecola exists only in the image reflected by the Other.” Just as Pecola’s rape is concealed throughout the story, the novel exposes a history of failed pursuits of hiding the racist and sexist establishments that directly provoke each character’s hardships.

While Morrison is a notable female writer, she is quick to deny her works being categorized as “feminist,” as she believes the title denies the specific necessities of black women. Rather than depict strong female protagonists, Morrison creates characters who are actually defeated by the racism and sexism of the historic time period. Anne Salvatore, a professor of english at Rider University, interprets this failure of the “anti heroin” as a stark contrast to the typical bildungsroman, where a male character defeats obstacles and grows from experience. Instead, in The Bluest Eye, Pecola fails to develop an individual identity in the face of an oppressive society, and her self-hatred forces her to retreat from reality completely.

The point of views in the novel are also significant to its unique style. Morrison combines many narratives: two perspectives of Claudia at different times in her life, as well as an omniscient third person who connects the many tragedies of the characters. By the end of the novel, the jumbled words of the Dick and Jane primer, as well as the increasingly confusing narratives, hint at Pecola’s descent into to madness. This breakdown in the novel’s structure also represents a destruction of the harmful ideologies which Morrison’s stories seeks to debase.

* note: When posted to the page, each and EVERY sentence is included with a citation in reference with the bibliography cited above*

However... I added one source for the quote by Morrison:

Carrasco, Davíd (2014-08-26), "Magically Flying With Toni Morrison", Toni Morrison, University Press of Mississippi, pp. 144–156, ISBN 9781628460193, retrieved 2018-12-11

And... I added one source for the definition of a counter narrative:

Hughes-Hassell, Sandra (2013-07). "Multicultural Young Adult Literature as a Form of Counter-Storytelling". The Library Quarterly. 83 (3): 212–228. doi:10.1086/670696. ISSN 0024-2519.