Literary Borders

Creative Reading Exercise:

Write a poem that borrows from, imitates, or emulates one of the poems this week, thematically and/or stylistically. For example: a poem that begins “What Kinds of Times Are These” or a poem entitled “Self Portrait.”

Feel free to share any questions you’re formulating for your first Essay, as an optional way to possibly get feedback from peers.

Discuss 1 cinematic technique (framing, angle, camera movement of a shot) in 1 specific scene which Fukunaga develops as a way of visually representing the border-crossing narrative, and discuss its meaning to the film as a whole.

Identify the most important word in 1 poem (and why), then research its etymology to discover the historical and social meaning of this word as it has evolved over time. Does the etymological value of this word alter how you read its function in the poem? How does a deeper understanding of this word enable you to revisit the meaning of the poem? Discuss how the poem is opened up for you in new ways through your research. (1 paragraph max)

Share remaining questions, thoughts, insights here…

Revise the border stories you wrote during our 1st class session and share here.

Select 1 line in Borderlands that you consider to be essential to Anzaldua’s work and discuss why you were drawn to it and how it functions within the text as a whole. The line you select might illuminate an image, metaphor, figure, word, or idea you find interesting; you must persuasively explore its meaningfulness in ways that are not obvious, general, or summarizing. Consider also how Anzaluda’s text enacts, embodies, or resists the very concept of the border that is being explored, and thus how she challenges your position as a reader.