For Monday, 3 October 2005

Read:

• McPhee's Atchafalaya (in Sims/Kramer anthology)

Be prepared to discuss:

• The structure of the work, in particular how McPhee incorporates technical digressions without alienating the reader.

Be prepared to select:

• The essay which will assist you in your brazen display of leadership.

Be prepared to feel my wrath:

• If you haven't posted to the courseblog twice already.

Comments

[Audrey Au]

After discussing McPhee's article, I do have a sense of appreciation for how he crafted it. I think that he does drown you in a lot of historical, political information. However, I think it is to make you realize how thorough and valid his story is. I'm going to have to admit that at first when I was reading it, I really did not feel a pull into being interested and to read 60 pages on something I would not necessarily read on my own free-time. In fact, I was getting lost in certain places and although I could visualize certain aspects of his descriptions, it was sometimes hard to actually picture it. I think in my personal opinion, this piece obviously does not draw upon characters and human problems and relationships therefore it doesn't necessarily connect in the same fashion as it would with A Father's Pain by Barry Siegel or Kelly's Monster. However, I actually feel that since the light of Hurricane Katrina, you do want to know a little bit about the Atchafalaya and what McPhee is trying to teach us through his journey. It's definitely not my favorite article but I can appreciate it. His metaphors though are freakin' awesome.

[Lauren Biron]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Atchafalaya. The layers of complex detail, the incredible irony, the metaphors, and even the length made it utterly interesting to me. I loved the history lesson that I received, having had no idea how many times the Mississippi had been harnessed – or how many times those attempts had failed. Even though the piece was long, I felt as though I breezed through it. It really turned out to be an interesting subject to me, and yet I feel as though I would have liked it even if Katrina had not been ever present in my mind. I think it is a excellently written piece and that it should be used next quarter.