Professor Batty English 113A/114A Fall 2014 Progression A Reading and Responding to Texts: Animal Narratives “...there is no limit to the extend to which we can think ourselves into the being of another. There are no bounds to the sympathetic imagination” -J.M. Coetzee For our first progression, we will be analyzing the ways in which nonhuman animal lives are inherently interwoven with human lives. More specifically, we will interrogate the hierarchical relationship between us and the animals that we interact with. Thus, we will apply the concept of biopower to nonhuman animals. Although Foucault did not explicitly use the terms biopower/biopolitics in context to animal lives and bodies, current animal studies scholarship has addressed this connection. Sherryl Vint in her 2010 book Animal Alterity argues, “resistance to the biopolitical regime of neo-liberal capitalism requires acknowledging the degree to which species difference has been foundational in structuring the liberal institutions that one might wish to contest.” In other words, much of the exploitation of (human) bodies that occurs as a result of capitalism starts with the human desire to be separate and better than animals. We will be analyzing the ways in which we see animals, interact with animals, and understand animals, and, most importantly, the kinds of rhetoric associated with animals. There are countless issues pertaining to animals that have sparked many heated debates, such as vegetarianism/veganism, industrialized factory farming, vivisection/animal testing, spaying/neutering pets, zoos, etc. Animals affect our lives in so many ways, but we also affect theirs. Though most of us have never lived on a farm, we have interactions with nonhuman bodies on a daily basis, from the family dogs snuggled in our beds to the spiders spinning webs in our kitchen cupboards. I believe that our lives will be all the richer for having an unbiased and clear understanding of these interactions, especially as we acknowledge the power that we possesses over these nonhuman lives and the implications of this power. You will write a narrative essay that asks you to consider a time in which you have had power over a nonhuman life. It must be a situation in which you interacted with a living creature; therefore, you may not write about eating an animal, unless you interacted with the animal before its death or took part in causing its death. The reason for this is because I would like you to consider the animal's experience as an embodied creature. You will need to explain why this even was Professor Batty English 113A/114A Fall 2014 significant and what insight you gained. We will also read selections of texts, such as Jonathan Safron Foer's Eating Animals and Hal Herzog's Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat. Although you will not need to incorporate these texts into your essay, they will hopefully provide you with a new perspective on your interactions with animals. You may choose any interaction with an animal that you have had in which you possessed power over the animal. It does not matter what you chose to do with that power. For example, you could choose to write about killing bugs when you were a child, letting a spider free outside, putting your cat to sleep, rescuing a dog from the side of the road, catching a fish, etc. Even if some of these interactions seemed insignificant to us, they may have been profoundly meaningful for the animals. Assignment 2A: Summary and Rhetorical Analysis For this assignment, you will need to choose between one of the assigned chapters in Foer's Eating Animals, or Herzog's Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat. This assignment has two parts to it: Part one asks you to summarize the text. What is the argument/controlling idea that the author is making. Consider the 5 W's and H. Who is the text talking about, what is it saying (what is happening?), when was it written (what insight might this context reveal), where is the text discussing (the world? The US?, etc.), why does the author believe what he/she believes (why is the what happening?), and how is this happening. Asking yourself these questions will help you to come to the main idea of the text. The second part of the assignment asks you to consider how the author makes his/her point. You want to begin to understand how the writer led you to understand the essay’s idea — the one you highlighted in your summary. Consider the rhetorical situation: What is the author’s intended purpose in writing this essay? Who is the author’s audience? Why is he/she considering this particular audience? What genre is the author writing in? Who is the author of this essay? Do his/her beliefs/bias show in this essay? What kinds of rhetorical appeal or appeals is this text making? Remember: ethos, pathos, and logos.What kind of language does the author use? Is the style formal, informal, or academic? Does the author use sarcasm? Humor? Spend about 100-250 words summarizing the controlling idea of the author. Then spend 200-300 words on the rhetorical analysis. This assignment calls for MLA documentation, which includes a “Works Cited” page. Assignment 3A: Sentence Outline The purpose of this assignment is for you to begin brainstorming and organizing your ideas. Please use roman numerals (I, II, III, etc.) to indicate paragraphs, and letters (A, B, C, etc.) to indicate supporting ideas. Although this is a narrative essay, it should still have a clear structure and a purpose. The thesis/main idea may not necessarily be found in the introduction, unlike a traditional, expository essay; it may be found it the end of the narrative or even somewhere in the Professor Batty English 113A/114A Fall 2014 middle. Your narrative should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. As a way to structure your narrative, you should describe some kind of rising action that reaches a climax. Use this outline as an opportunity to plan and organize your story. Consider where you will give sensory details to fill out this world. Consider where you may include dialogue. Consider where you may provide background information. The outline does not necessarily have to be written in complete sentences, but it should be clear what you are trying to say. Outline should be approximately one page in length, typed, MLA format. Essay A Write a narrative essay in which you describe a time when you have had power over a nonhuman animal. Interrogate the significance of the interaction. Research: Although you are not required to incorporate the assigned readings for this progression into your essay, you are welcome to do so. Final Draft Criteria: 1. You MUST include a progression packet that includes all three preliminary assignments attached to the essay. You cannot earn higher than a D on the essay if you do not include all three assignments in your packet. 2. Topic Selection: The essay focuses on a specific interaction with a nonhuman animal. 3. Title: The title should be both creative and informative. 4. Thesis: The essay may not have an argument, but it has a clear purpose and main idea. This controlling idea may not necessarily be stated in the introduction. 5. Development/Support: Ideas are fully developed and supported. The writer includes sensory details and/or dialogue to bring the story to life. 6. Content: The paper shows that the writer has thoroughly described the event and considered the significance and implications of the interaction being described. 7. Organization: The ideas appear in a logical order; the paper uses transitions to move from one idea to the next. The narrative has a beginning, a middle, and an end. 8. Spelling/Grammar/Mechanics: The paper is virtually free of spelling, grammar, or mechanical errors. 9. Page Length: The paper is at least 2-3 complete pages long. Papers less than 2 complete pages will not earn a grade higher than a D. 10.MLA Formatting: The paper uses MLA formatting, including 12 point Times New Roman font, double spacing, one inch margins, etc. (See your handbook for a sample paper.)
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