Week 4: Pedro Pietri continued

Pedro Pietri reading at the Poetry Project

Expect a new post here every week: usually going live Tuesday night/Wednesday morning

Announcements:

• See the FAQ page for quick answers to common questions about the course.
• Also on the FAQ page is a 15 minute audio tour of the website
• See the books page for required texts you’ll need to buy or borrow for the course
• Book Alert: You’ll need Miguel Piñero’s book Outlaw next! Be sure to get it now so you’ll have it in time! I WILL NOT be posting PDF files from Outlaw. Get the book or consult the reserve copy in Lehman’s library.
• I’ve collected several support resources the college has available for students on the Student Support Resources page. There you’ll find links to Lehman offices that can offer small cash grants for emergencies, housing assistance, child care, help for veterans, counseling for feeling overwhelmed, food assistance, and more. I’ll be adding to the list and it’s public so you can share it with friends/classmates in other classes
• Archived audio from classes is posted on the Archive page (Same password as everything else)

Highlights from September 13 class

• FINISHED Juan Flores’s essay “The Structuring of Puerto Rican Identity” (PDF file)
• FINISHED discussion of the interview with Pedro Pietri and connections on context to “Puerto Rican Obituary”
• Zoom music: Eddie/Charlie Palmieri’s “Harlem River Drive” (YouTube) and “Broken Home” (YouTube)

Do this for week 4: Tuesday September 20

• (RE)READ Pedro Pietri’s poem “Puerto Rican Obituary” from the book Puerto Rican Obituary (PDF on the Readings page. The title of the book is taken from the first poem)
• READ “Love Poem for My People,” “Unemployed,” “OD,” “The Broken English Dream,”  and “Suicide Note from a Cockroach” from the same PDF file

Watch Pietri read “Puerto Rican Obituary” here

Take notes on the following points as you read:

• Think in terms of form / content/ context as you read
• What does the poem’s form or structure tell us about the writing?
  • What language does he use and how does that reflect the city he’s describing?
  • What’s the tone of the poem: happy, sad, hopeful, cautious–or something else?
• What contexts can we use to help us understand the poems?
  • What clues from Pietri’s life (from the interview) help us to understand what he’s writing about?
  • Do you see any of the points Pietri makes in the interview reflected in the writing? Make note of a few examples.
  • Does the time period it was written in tell us anything? Do the points Juan Flores or Miguel Algarín raise in their essays give us any insight?
• What is the content of the poems: that is, what is each one about?
  • How does Pietri’s writing describe city life for the people he’s writing about?
  • Why the title “Puerto Rican Obituary?”
• Do points from the interview and poems reflect Flores’s “4 moments”? Make notes of points that do. Highlight/underline and mark specific passages in the poems.
• What connections do you see between the poem, Juan Flores’s essay, and the interview?
• How are points from his personal outlook on religion, death, and the ambivalence toward the American Dream reflected in the poems?

Discussion questions:

• Why title the poem “Puerto Rican Obituary?” What does he mean by this?
• What does Pietri’s attitude seem to be toward the American Dream and assimilation, based on the poems?
• Do you see any parts from the interview with Pietri reflected in the poems?

Highlight or underline key points in the text. Write down notes as you read. Write down questions of things you don’t understand for us to answer in the Zoom meets.

OPTIONAL: LISTEN to my 30-minute lecture on Pietri’s “Puerto Rican Obituary” poem, embedded below via Soundcloud.

What’s Next?

We move on to Miguel Piñero’s poetry in the book Outlaw and then read his play Short Eyes from the same book. Details and questions follow in next week’s update.

 

Week 3: Juan Flores and Pedro Pietri

Pedro Pietri reading at the Poetry Project

Expect a new post here every week: usually going live Wednesday morning

Announcements:

• If you’re new to the class, welcome! Be sure to carefully review class policies on the syllabus.
• See the FAQ page for quick answers to common questions about the course.
• Also on the FAQ page is a 15 minute audio tour of the website
• See the books page for required texts you’ll need to buy or borrow for the course
• Book Alert: You’ll need Miguel Piñero’s book Outlaw next! Be sure to get it now so you’ll have it in time! I WILL NOT be posting PDF files from Outlaw. Get the book or consult the reserve copy in Lehman’s library.
• I’ve collected several support resources the college has available for students on the Student Support Resources page. There you’ll find links to Lehman offices that can offer small cash grants for emergencies, housing assistance, child care, help for veterans, counseling for feeling overwhelmed, food assistance, and more. I’ll be adding to the list and it’s public so you can share it with friends/classmates in other classes
• Archived audio from the last class will be posted on the Archive page (Same password as everything else)
• NY State has reinstated TAP aid for part time students!! Details here

Highlights from Tuesday September 6 classes

• Discussed Juan Flores’s essay “The Structuring of Puerto Rican Identity” (PDF file)
• Reviewed some points on how I analyze texts for this class and in general. The presentation is on the Lecture Notes page.
• Reviewed course logistics, comments, and website layout. See the syllabus, FAQ page, and audio tour (on the FAQ page) for a summary
• Zoom music: Elmore James “The Sky is Crying” (YouTube); Eddie Palmieri “Puerto Rico” (Live version from San Juan 1977, on YouTube)

DO THIS for Tuesday September 11 class:

• REVIEW Juan Flores’s “4 moments” from last week’s essay
• READ the Interview with Pedro Pietri (PDF on the Readings page. Password hint: what year is it?) Focus on clues the interview tells us about his poetry. Use this as context for “Puerto Rican Obituary”
• READ Pedro Pietri’s poem “Puerto Rican Obituary” from the book Puerto Rican Obituary (PDF on the Readings page. The title of the book is taken from the first poem)
• POST a discussion board comment at the bottom of this page (scroll all the way to the bottom)
• RESPOND to the questions at the bottom of this post and DISCUSS them with classmates and myself using the comment field on this post. (Scroll all the way to the bottom after the sharing buttons to see the comment field.)

Also:

Watch Pietri read “Puerto Rican Obituary” here

Take notes on the following points as you read:

• Think in terms of form / content/ context as you read
• What does the poem’s form or structure tell us about the writing?
  • What language does he use and how does that reflect the city he’s describing?
  • What’s the tone of the poem: happy, sad, hopeful, cautious–or something else?
• What contexts can we use to help us understand the poems?
  • What clues from Pietri’s life (from the interview) help us to understand what he’s writing about?
  • Do you see any of the points Pietri makes in the interview reflected in the writing? Make note of a few examples.
  • Does the time period it was written in tell us anything? Do the points Juan Flores or Miguel Algarín raise in their essays give us any insight?
• What is the content of the poems: that is, what is each one about?
  • How does Pietri’s writing describe city life for the people he’s writing about?
  • Why the title “Puerto Rican Obituary?”
• Do points from the interview and poems reflect Flores’s “4 moments”? Make notes of points that do. Highlight/underline and mark specific passages in the poems.
• What connections do you see between the poem, Juan Flores’s essay, and the interview?
• How are points from his personal outlook on religion, death, and the ambivalence toward the American Dream reflected in the poems?

Discussion questions:

• Why title the poem “Puerto Rican Obituary?” What does he mean by this?
• What does Pietri’s attitude seem to be toward the American Dream and assimilation, based on the poems?
• Do you see any parts from the interview with Pietri reflected in the poems?

Highlight or underline key points in the text. Write down notes as you read. Write down questions of things you don’t understand for us to answer in the Zoom meets.

OPTIONAL: LISTEN to my 30-minute lecture on Pietri’s “Puerto Rican Obituary” poem, embedded below via Soundcloud.

What’s Next?

We finish discussing Pietri’s poetry next week. Then we’ll move on to Miguel Piñero’s poetry in the book Outlaw and read his play Short Eyes from the same book. Details and questions follow in next week’s update.

Comments on posts:

You’ll notice the “Let’s Talk” button is below. Here’s how it’ll work: you can use this to discuss points raised here.  A few points:

• Your first comment will have to be approved by me: after that, you can comment without approval
• Comments section will only be open to enrolled students
• You have to leave your name (enter as first name and last initial only) so a) I can make sure only people in the class are commenting and b) you get credit for the comment
• Remember to be respectful, especially when responding to classmates
• The comments section closes 14 days after a post goes live

To ‘participate’ in the class, I’d like to see everyone 1) post a substantive comment of their own based on either the reading or my lecture using some of the questions raised or conversation prompts, and 2) to respond thoughtfully to someone else’s comment—not just agree/disagree, but add on evidence or ask a follow-up question. You can also ask a question–for me or others–but that doesn’t count toward your comment and reply needed for the grade. It’s fine with me if conversation continues in a thread as long as it does, but two responses showing a clear engagement with the reading will count for being ‘present.’ Does that make sense? You have 14 days to write those two comments for credit.

Week of February 21: Pedro Pietri continued

Pedro Pietri reading at the Poetry Project

Expect a new post here every week for both class sections: usually going live Friday morning

Announcements:

• If you’re new to the class, welcome! Be sure to carefully review class policies on the syllabus.
• See the FAQ page for quick answers to common questions about the course.
• Also on the FAQ page is a 15 minute audio tour of the website
• See the books page for required texts you’ll need to buy or borrow for the course
• Book Alert: You’ll need Miguel Piñero’s book Outlaw next! Be sure to get it now so you’ll have it in time! I WILL NOT be posting PDF files from Outlaw. Get the book or consult the reserve copy in Lehman’s library.
• I’ve collected several support resources the college has available for students on the Student Support Resources page. There you’ll find links to Lehman offices that can offer small cash grants for emergencies, housing assistance, child care, help for veterans, counseling for feeling overwhelmed, food assistance, and more. I’ll be adding to the list and it’s public so you can share it with friends/classmates in other classes
• Archived audio from the Thursday night section is posted on the Archive page (Same password as everything else)

Event announcement: Conference on the legacy of Haki Madhubuti on Sat. 2/19 mentioned in class will be held online here

Note that there are two different course sections: day and evening. Scroll down for details for your section

Highlights from February 15 and 17 classes

• FINISHED Juan Flores’s essay “The Structuring of Puerto Rican Identity” (PDF file)
• FINISHED discussion of the interview with Pedro Pietri and connections on context to “Puerto Rican Obituary”
• Zoom music: Haki Madhubuti’s “The Great Wait” (YouTube) and “Rise, Vision, Comin'” (YouTube)

Day Section: do this for Tuesday 2/22

• READ The interview with Pedro Pietri: (PDF on the Readings page)
• (RE)READ Pedro Pietri’s poem “Puerto Rican Obituary” from the book Puerto Rican Obituary (PDF on the Readings page. The title of the book is taken from the first poem)
• POST a discussion board comment at the bottom of this page (scroll all the way to the bottom)

Day Section: do this for Thursday 2/24

• READ Pietri’s poems “Love Poem for My People,” “Unemployed,” “OD,” “The Broken English Dream,”  from the same PDF file as “Puerto Rican Obituary”

THURSDAY NIGHT SECTION: do this for 2/24

• READ Pedro Pietri’s poem “Puerto Rican Obituary” from the book Puerto Rican Obituary (PDF on the Readings page. The title of the book is taken from the first poem)
• READ “Love Poem for My People,” “Unemployed,” “OD,” “The Broken English Dream,”  from the same PDF file
• POST a discussion board comment at the bottom of this page (scroll all the way to the bottom)

BOTH CLASS SECTIONS

RESPOND to the questions at the bottom of this post and DISCUSS them with classmates and myself using the comment field on this post. (Scroll all the way to the bottom after the sharing buttons to see the comment field.)

Watch Pietri read “Puerto Rican Obituary” here

Take notes on the following points as you read:

• Think in terms of form / content/ context as you read
• What does the poem’s form or structure tell us about the writing?
  • What language does he use and how does that reflect the city he’s describing?
  • What’s the tone of the poem: happy, sad, hopeful, cautious–or something else?
• What contexts can we use to help us understand the poems?
  • What clues from Pietri’s life (from the interview) help us to understand what he’s writing about?
  • Do you see any of the points Pietri makes in the interview reflected in the writing? Make note of a few examples.
  • Does the time period it was written in tell us anything? Do the points Juan Flores or Miguel Algarín raise in their essays give us any insight?
• What is the content of the poems: that is, what is each one about?
  • How does Pietri’s writing describe city life for the people he’s writing about?
  • Why the title “Puerto Rican Obituary?”
• Do points from the interview and poems reflect Flores’s “4 moments”? Make notes of points that do. Highlight/underline and mark specific passages in the poems.
• What connections do you see between the poem, Juan Flores’s essay, and the interview?
• How are points from his personal outlook on religion, death, and the ambivalence toward the American Dream reflected in the poems?

Discussion questions:

• Why title the poem “Puerto Rican Obituary?” What does he mean by this?
• What does Pietri’s attitude seem to be toward the American Dream and assimilation, based on the poems?
• Do you see any parts from the interview with Pietri reflected in the poems?

Highlight or underline key points in the text. Write down notes as you read. Write down questions of things you don’t understand for us to answer in the Zoom meets.

OPTIONAL: LISTEN to my 30-minute lecture on Pietri’s “Puerto Rican Obituary” poem, embedded below via Soundcloud.

What’s Next?

We move on to Miguel Piñero’s poetry in the book Outlaw and then read his play Short Eyes from the same book. Details and questions follow in next week’s update.

Comments on posts:

You’ll notice the “Let’s Talk” button is below. Here’s how it’ll work: you can use this to discuss points raised here.  A few points:

• Your first comment will have to be approved by me: after that, you can comment without approval
• Comments section will only be open to enrolled students
• You have to leave your name (enter as first name and last initial only) so a) I can make sure only people in the class are commenting and b) you get credit for the comment
• Remember to be respectful, especially when responding to classmates
• The comments section closes 14 days after a post goes live

To ‘participate’ in the class, I’d like to see everyone 1) post a substantive comment of their own based on either the reading or my lecture using some of the questions raised or conversation prompts, and 2) to respond thoughtfully to someone else’s comment—not just agree/disagree, but add on evidence or ask a follow-up question. You can also ask a question–for me or others–but that doesn’t count toward your comment and reply needed for the grade. It’s fine with me if conversation continues in a thread as long as it does, but two responses showing a clear engagement with the reading will count for being ‘present.’ Does that make sense? You have 14 days to write those two comments for credit.

Week of February 14: Juan Flores and Pedro Pietri

Pedro Pietri reading at the Poetry Project

Expect a new post here every week for both class sections: usually going live Friday morning

Announcements:

• If you’re new to the class, welcome! Be sure to carefully review class policies on the syllabus.
• See the FAQ page for quick answers to common questions about the course.
• Also on the FAQ page is a 15 minute audio tour of the website
• See the books page for required texts you’ll need to buy or borrow for the course
• Book Alert: You’ll need Miguel Piñero’s book Outlaw next! Be sure to get it now so you’ll have it in time! I WILL NOT be posting PDF files from Outlaw. Get the book or consult the reserve copy in Lehman’s library.
• I’ve collected several support resources the college has available for students on the Student Support Resources page. There you’ll find links to Lehman offices that can offer small cash grants for emergencies, housing assistance, child care, help for veterans, counseling for feeling overwhelmed, food assistance, and more. I’ll be adding to the list and it’s public so you can share it with friends/classmates in other classes
• Archived audio from the Thursday night section will be posted on the Archive page (Same password as everything else)

Note that there are two different course sections: day and evening. Scroll down for details for your section

Highlights from Thursday February 10 classes

• Note: no day section class on Tuesday 2/8
• Discussed Juan Flores’s essay “The Structuring of Puerto Rican Identity” (PDF file)
• Reviewed some points on how I analyze texts for this class and in general. The presentation is on the Lecture Notes page.

Day Section: do this for Tuesday 2/15

• RE-READ the section of Juan Flores’s essay with the “4 moments”–we’ll finish that
• READ The interview with Pedro Pietri: (PDF on the Readings page)
• POST a discussion board comment at the bottom of this page (scroll all the way to the bottom)

Day Section: do this for Thursday 2/17

• READ the Interview with Pedro Pietri (PDF on the Readings page. Password hint: what year is it?) Focus on clues the interview tells us about his poetry. Use this as context for “Puerto Rican Obituary”
• READ Pietri’s poem “Puerto Rican Obituary” (PDF on the Readings page from the book of the same title. It’s the first poem in the book.) “Love Poem for My People,” “Unemployed,” “OD,” “The Broken English Dream,”  from the same PDF file

THURSDAY NIGHT SECTION 2/17

• REVIEW Juan Flores’s “4 moments” from last week’s essay
• READ the Interview with Pedro Pietri (PDF on the Readings page. Password hint: what year is it?) Focus on clues the interview tells us about his poetry. Use this as context for “Puerto Rican Obituary”
• READ Pedro Pietri’s poem “Puerto Rican Obituary” from the book Puerto Rican Obituary (PDF on the Readings page. The title of the book is taken from the first poem)
• POST a discussion board comment at the bottom of this page (scroll all the way to the bottom)

BOTH CLASS SECTIONS

RESPOND to the questions at the bottom of this post and DISCUSS them with classmates and myself using the comment field on this post. (Scroll all the way to the bottom after the sharing buttons to see the comment field.)

Watch Pietri read “Puerto Rican Obituary” here

Take notes on the following points as you read:

• Think in terms of form / content/ context as you read
• What does the poem’s form or structure tell us about the writing?
  • What language does he use and how does that reflect the city he’s describing?
  • What’s the tone of the poem: happy, sad, hopeful, cautious–or something else?
• What contexts can we use to help us understand the poems?
  • What clues from Pietri’s life (from the interview) help us to understand what he’s writing about?
  • Do you see any of the points Pietri makes in the interview reflected in the writing? Make note of a few examples.
  • Does the time period it was written in tell us anything? Do the points Juan Flores or Miguel Algarín raise in their essays give us any insight?
• What is the content of the poems: that is, what is each one about?
  • How does Pietri’s writing describe city life for the people he’s writing about?
  • Why the title “Puerto Rican Obituary?”
• Do points from the interview and poems reflect Flores’s “4 moments”? Make notes of points that do. Highlight/underline and mark specific passages in the poems.
• What connections do you see between the poem, Juan Flores’s essay, and the interview?
• How are points from his personal outlook on religion, death, and the ambivalence toward the American Dream reflected in the poems?

Discussion questions:

• Why title the poem “Puerto Rican Obituary?” What does he mean by this?
• What does Pietri’s attitude seem to be toward the American Dream and assimilation, based on the poems?
• Do you see any parts from the interview with Pietri reflected in the poems?

Highlight or underline key points in the text. Write down notes as you read. Write down questions of things you don’t understand for us to answer in the Zoom meets.

OPTIONAL: LISTEN to my 30-minute lecture on Pietri’s “Puerto Rican Obituary” poem, embedded below via Soundcloud.

What’s Next?

We finish discussing Pietri’s poetry next week. Then we’ll move on to Miguel Piñero’s poetry in the book Outlaw and read his play Short Eyes from the same book. Details and questions follow in next week’s update.

Comments on posts:

You’ll notice the “Let’s Talk” button is below. Here’s how it’ll work: you can use this to discuss points raised here.  A few points:

• Your first comment will have to be approved by me: after that, you can comment without approval
• Comments section will only be open to enrolled students
• You have to leave your name (enter as first name and last initial only) so a) I can make sure only people in the class are commenting and b) you get credit for the comment
• Remember to be respectful, especially when responding to classmates
• The comments section closes 14 days after a post goes live

To ‘participate’ in the class, I’d like to see everyone 1) post a substantive comment of their own based on either the reading or my lecture using some of the questions raised or conversation prompts, and 2) to respond thoughtfully to someone else’s comment—not just agree/disagree, but add on evidence or ask a follow-up question. You can also ask a question–for me or others–but that doesn’t count toward your comment and reply needed for the grade. It’s fine with me if conversation continues in a thread as long as it does, but two responses showing a clear engagement with the reading will count for being ‘present.’ Does that make sense? You have 14 days to write those two comments for credit.

Week 15: Assata Shakur’s Autobiography continued

General Announcements:

• Jesus Papoleto Melendez’s play The Junkies Stole the Clock will be produced as part of the New York Theater Festival. Details here.
• The public radio show Latino USA did a segment on the history of the Nuyorican Poets’ Café last week, talking to Jesus Papoleto Melendez, La Bruja, and Lois Griffith. The total time is 39 minutes: it’s well worth listening to!
• I finally saw the documentary film Making the Impossible Possible on the founding of Puerto Rican Studies at Brooklyn College and it’s fantastic! You can rent it on Vimeo for only $5.

Course Announcements:

• NO ZOOM MEETING FOR Thursday 11/25 because of the holiday.
• The SECOND (and last, besides the final exam) paper of the semester is DUE MONDAY NOVEMBER 29. (Re)download a copy from the Assignments page.
  
• You’ll have to use library databases to get some of the articles needed for the written assignment! If you’ve procrastinated (it’s ok: we all do it), even though CUNY libraries are closed, you can get help from the New York Public Library system! You can access their databases from home. Stuck? Ask a librarian for help finding exactly what you need!
• NYPL has 16 copies of Assata available to borrow if you still need one. You can also read an electronic copy online (CUNY login required).
• See the FAQ page for quick answers to common questions about the course. The audio tour of the website is there, too.

Highlights from week 14 Zoom meeting:

• Started Assata’s Autobiography with a focus on the first few chapters: specifically, form, content, and context. We discussed the structure of the book as autobiography, significance of poetry in the text, and locations she travels through.
• Slide deck is on the Lecture Notes page and audio is on the Zoom archive page
• Zoom audio: Common’s “A Song for Assata,” On YouTube here.

What to do for November 30 and 12/2–week 15:

FINISH and SUBMIT the second paper on Monday 11/29.

For Tuesday 11/30: READ pages 80-140 (Chapters 5-8) in Assata Shakur’s Autobiography. Again, make sure to pay attention to the various poems she includes in the story on page 130 (“Love”). Think also about the themes that you should now be able to identify that we’ve been working on all semester. Note specific places in the book where they appear and mark examples of them in your text.

For Thursday 12/2: READ pages 140-207 (Chapters 9-13)

RESPOND to the questions at the bottom of this post and DISCUSS them with classmates and myself using the comment field on this post. (Scroll all the way to the bottom after the sharing buttons to see the comment field.)

JOIN the live Zoom session on Tuesday and Thursday. Bring questions and comments on the assigned reading.

Pay close attention to the following:

• Assata’s poems: What do they add to the narrative? What insight do they give you about Assata’s inner thoughts?
• What spaces/ neighborhoods does she move through? Note them and how each of them either shapes the story and what it means to Assata.
• Keep track of major themes that emerge in the story as you read. It’s a good idea to mark examples of them in the text and make a small note in your notebook.

OPTIONAL–LISTEN to my 52 minute lecture (sorry about the length!) on the first half of Assata:

What’s next?

We finish Assata in the last week of class, so keep reading ahead. The final exam will be online during exam week. Details will be announced in class and with the next post. The exam itself posted the week of December 13. Please do not email me for details before the outline is posted.

If you keep up with the weekly reading and take good notes, then you’ll be well prepared for the final exam and get much more out of the class!

Comments on posts:

You’ll notice the “Let’s Talk” button is below. Here’s how it’ll work: you can use this to discuss points raised here.  A few points:

• Your first comment will have to be approved by me: after that, you can comment without approval
• Comments section will only be open to enrolled students
• You have to leave your name (enter as first name and last initial only) so a) I can make sure only people in the class are commenting and b) you get credit for the comment
• Remember to be respectful, especially when responding to classmates
• The comments section closes 14 days after a post goes live

To ‘participate’ in the class, I’d like to see everyone 1) post a substantive comment of their own based on either the reading or my lecture using some of the questions raised or conversation prompts, and 2) to respond thoughtfully to someone else’s comment—not just agree/disagree, but add on evidence or ask a follow-up question. You can also ask a question–for me or others–but that doesn’t count toward your comment and reply needed for the grade. It’s fine with me if conversation continues in a thread as long as it does, but two responses showing a clear engagement with the reading will count for being ‘present.’ Does that make sense? You have 14 days to write those two comments for credit.

 

Week 5: Pedro Pietri

Pedro Pietri reading at the Poetry Project

Announcements:

• Book Alert: You’ll need Miguel Piñero’s book Outlaw next! Be sure to get it now so you’ll have it in time! I WILL NOT be posting PDF files from Outlaw. Get the book or consult the reserve copy in Lehman’s library.
• See the FAQ page for quick answers to common questions about the course. The audio tour of the website is there, too.
• The NY Latin@ Film Festival has a relevant program on Thursday 9/16 @ 8 PM with a short film on the establishment of Puerto Rican Studies at Brooklyn College. Streaming online: buy tix @ their website
• National “Hispanic” Heritage Month starts on 9/15. head over to New York Public Library’s resources on it

Highlights from Week 4

• Finished Juan Flores’s essay “The Structuring of Puerto Rican Identity” (PDF file)
• Finished the interview with Pedro Pietri (PDF file)
• Reviewed some points on how I analyze texts for this class and in general. The presentation is on the Lecture Notes page.

What to do for the week of September 21:

READ Pedro Pietri’s poetry from the book Puerto Rican Obituary from the PDF on the Readings page. ((Password hint: what year is it?) Focus on the following poems: “Puerto Rican Obituary” (both the title of the book and of the first poem), and “Suicide Note from a Cockroach.”

WATCH Pietri read “Puerto Rican Obituary” from the video embedded via YouTube. Pay attention to his phrasing and how he reads. Try to imagine him reading the title poem and the rest of his poems as you read them as a way to understanding them.

FOR TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 21:

• READ “Puerto Rican Obituary,” the first poem in the PDF. (It is also the title of the book.)
• READ The interview with Pedro Pietri: also a PDF on the Readings page.

FOR THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 23:

• READ “Love Poem for My People,” “Unemployed,” “OD,” “The Broken English Dream,”  from the same PDF file

JOIN the Zoom sessions on Tuesday 9/21 and Thursday 9/23 from 3;30-4;45 PM.. Bring questions and favorite quotes from Pietri’s poems.

RESPOND to the questions at the bottom of this post and DISCUSS them with classmates and myself using the comment field on this post. (Scroll all the way to the bottom after the sharing buttons to see the comment field.)

Watch Pietri read “Puerto Rican Obituary” here

Take notes on the following points as you read:

• Think in terms of form / content/ context as you read
• What does the poem’s form or structure tell us about the writing?
  • What language does he use and how does that reflect the city he’s describing? Do any connections to Miguel Algarín’s points on language apply?
  • What’s the tone of the poem: happy, sad, hopeful, cautious–or something else?
• What contexts can we use to help us understand the poems?
  • What clues from Pietri’s life (from the interview) help us to understand what he’s writing about?
  • Do you see any of the points Pietri makes in the interview reflected in the writing? Make note of a few examples.
  • Does the time period it was written in tell us anything? Do the points Juan Flores or Miguel Algarín raise in their essays give us any insight?
• What is the content of the poems: that is, what is each one about?
  • How does Pietri’s writing describe city life for the people he’s writing about?
  • Why the title “Puerto Rican Obituary?”
• Do points from the interview and poems reflect Flores’s “4 moments”? Make notes of points that do. Highlight/underline and mark specific passages in the poems.
• What connections do you see between the poem, Juan Flores’s essay, and the interview?
• How are points from his personal outlook on religion, death, and the ambivalence toward the American Dream reflected in the poems?

Discussion questions:

• Why title the poem “Puerto Rican Obituary?” What does he mean by this?
• What does Pietri’s attitude seem to be toward the American Dream and assimilation, based on the poems?
• Do you see any parts from the interview with Pietri reflected in the poems?

Highlight or underline key points in the text. Write down notes as you read. Write down questions of things you don’t understand for us to answer in the Zoom meets.

OPTIONAL: LISTEN to my 30-minute lecture on Pietri’s “Puerto Rican Obituary” poem, embedded below via Soundcloud.

What’s Next?

We’ll move on to Miguel Piñero’s poetry in the book Outlaw, then read his play Short Eyes from the same book the week after. Details and questions follow in next week’s update.

Comments on posts:

You’ll notice the “Let’s Talk” button is below. Here’s how it’ll work: you can use this to discuss points raised here.  A few points:

• Your first comment will have to be approved by me: after that, you can comment without approval
• Comments section will only be open to enrolled students
• You have to leave your name (enter as first name and last initial only) so a) I can make sure only people in the class are commenting and b) you get credit for the comment
• Remember to be respectful, especially when responding to classmates
• The comments section closes 10 days after a post goes live

To ‘participate’ in the class, I’d like to see everyone 1) post a substantive comment of their own based on either the reading or my lecture using some of the questions raised or conversation prompts, and 2) to respond thoughtfully to someone else’s comment—not just agree/disagree, but add on evidence or ask a follow-up question. You can also ask a question–for me or others–but that doesn’t count toward your comment and reply needed for the grade. It’s fine with me if conversation continues in a thread as long as it does, but two responses showing a clear engagement with the reading will count for being ‘present.’ Does that make sense? You have 10 days to write those two comments for credit.

Week 4: (Both class sections) Pedro Pietri

Pedro Pietri reading at the Poetry Project

 

Announcements:

• Book Alert: You’ll need Miguel Piñero’s book Outlaw for the week after next! Be sure to get it now so you’ll have it in time!
• See the FAQ page for quick answers to common questions about the course. The audio tour of the website is now there, too.

Highlights from Week 3

• Finished Juan Flores’s essay “The Structuring of Puerto Rican Identity” (PDF file)
• Finished the interview with Pedro Pietri (PDF file)
• Reviewed some points on how I analyze texts for this class and in general. The presentation is on the Lecture Notes page.

What to do for the week of September 14:

LISTEN to my 30-minute lecture on Pietri’s “Puerto Rican Obituary” poem, embedded below via Soundcloud.

READ Pedro Pietri’s poetry from the book Puerto Rican Obituary from the PDF on the Readings page. ((Password hint: what year is it?) Focus on the following poems: “Puerto Rican Obituary” (both the title of the book and of the first poem), “Love Poem for My People,” “Unemployed,” “OD,” “The Broken English Dream,” and “Suicide Note from a Cockroach.”

WATCH Pietri read “Puerto Rican Obituary” from the video embedded via YouTube. Pay attention to his phrasing and how he reads. Try to imagine him reading the title poem and the rest of his poems as you read them as a way to understanding them.

RESPOND to the questions at the bottom of this post and DISCUSS them with classmates and myself using the comment field on this post. (Scroll all the way to the bottom after the sharing buttons to see the comment field.)

JOIN one of the live Zoom sessions on Thursday 9/17 if you can. Bring questions and favorite quotes from Pietri’s poems.

Watch Pietri read “Puerto Rican Obituary” here

Take notes on the following points as you read:

• How does Pietri’s writing describe city life for the people he’s writing about?
• What type of urban environment does he describe?
• What language does he use and how does that reflect the city he’s describing?
• Do you see any of the points Pietri makes in the interview reflected in the writing? Make note of a few examples.
• Do points from the interview and poems reflect Flores’s “4 moments”? Make notes of points that do. Highlight/underline and mark specific passages in the readings.
• What connections do you see between the poem, Juan Flores’s essay, and the interview?

• How are points from his personal outlook on religion, death, and the ambivalence toward the American Dream reflected in the poems?

Discussion questions:

• Why title the poem “Puerto Rican Obituary?” What does he mean by this?
• What does Pietri’s attitude seem to be toward the American Dream and assimilation, based on the poems?
• Do you see any parts from the interview with Pietri reflected in the poems?

Highlight or underline key points in the text. Write down notes as you read. Write down questions of things you don’t understand for us to answer in the Zoom meets.

What’s Next?

We’ll move on to Miguel Piñero’s poetry in the book Outlaw, then read his play Short Eyes from the same book the week after. Details and questions follow in next week’s update.

Comments on posts:

You’ll notice the “Let’s Talk” button is below. Here’s how it’ll work: you can use this to discuss points raised here.  A few points:

• Your first comment will have to be approved by me: after that, you can comment without approval
• Comments section will only be open to enrolled students
• You have to leave your name (enter as first name and last initial only) so a) I can make sure only people in the class are commenting and b) you get credit for the comment
• Remember to be respectful, especially when responding to classmates
• The comments section closes 10 days after a post goes live

To ‘participate’ in the class, I’d like to see everyone 1) post a substantive comment of their own based on either the reading or my lecture using some of the questions raised or conversation prompts, and 2) to respond thoughtfully to someone else’s comment—not just agree/disagree, but add on evidence or ask a follow-up question. You can also ask a question–for me or others–but that doesn’t count toward your comment and reply needed for the grade. It’s fine with me if conversation continues in a thread as long as it does, but two responses showing a clear engagement with the reading will count for being ‘present.’ Does that make sense? You have 10 days to write those two comments for credit.

 

Week of November 26 (BOTH class sections): Assata Shakur’s Autobiography continued

Announcements:

• I gave out hard copies of the last written assignment of the semester. Download yours from the assignments page if you missed class on Thursday. It’s due on or before Tuesday December 10.

For Tuesday 11/26: read pages 80-147 (Chapters 5-9) in Assata Shakur’s Autobiography. Again, make sure to pay attention to the various poems she includes in the story on page 130 (“Love”). Think also about the themes that you should now be able to identify that we’ve been working on all semester. Note specific places in the book where they appear and mark examples of them in your text.

For Thursday 11/28 is a holiday, so we don’t meet.  Enjoy and see you next week.

I’ll update next week, but you should just keep reading ahead and taking good notes in Assata.

Week of April 30: (Night Class) Assata Shakur’s Autobiography

Announcements:

• I gave out hard copies of the last written assignment of the semester. Download yours from the assignments page if you missed class. It’s due Tuesday May 7.
• Of course, next week’s spring break. See you all in 2 weeks.
• Don’t forget that we have pop quizzes! Make sure to keep up with the reading!

For Tuesday April 30 read the first 79 pages (chapters 1-4) of Assata: An Autobiography. Be sure to read the foreward by Angela Davis and Lennox Hinds. Also make sure to pay attention to the various poems she includes in the story on pages 1,17,44, and 62.

Questions to think about:

• How effective is her style of storytelling? Does the non-linear narrative with flashbacks make the book more engaging?
• How does Assata go about re-telling history?
• What role do poems play in an autobiography? What do they tell you about Assata or the other people that the regular story does not?

What physical spaces and places does Assata describe in the story? What is the significance of them?

We are not primarily concerned with figuring out guilt innocence here (and in any case don’t have all the court documents to review): the goal is to read her story as we would any other autobiography and focus on how the story develops and how she develops into the person she is today. Look for clues of these things in the story.

Extra: Listen to “A Song for Assata” by Common, from his 2000 Like Water for Chocolate release, featuring CeeLo Green.

 

For Thursday May 2, read pages 80-147 (Chapters 5-9) in Assata Shakur’s Autobiography. Again, make sure to pay attention to the various poems she includes in the story on page 130 (“Love”). Think also about the themes that you should now be able to identify that we’ve been working on all semester. Note specific places in the book where they appear and mark examples of them in your text.

Presentation by Diamond, Cariely, Tony, and Yvane

Announcement:

• There’s a Dominican Writers Conference at our sister school, The City College of New York in Harlem on Saturday May 4. Angie Cruz will be there on one of the panels, though isn’t scheduled to speak about Soledad. You can probably ask her questions before/after her talk, though. Conference details here.

Week of April 30: (Day Class) Assata Shakur’s Autobiography

Announcements:

• I gave out hard copies of the last written assignment of the semester. Download yours from the assignments page if you missed class. It’s due Tuesday May 7.
• Of course, next week’s spring break. See you all in 2 weeks.
• Don’t forget that we have pop quizzes! Make sure to keep up with the reading!

For Tuesday April 30 read the first 79 pages (chapters 1-4) of Assata: An Autobiography. Be sure to read the foreward by Angela Davis and Lennox Hinds. Also make sure to pay attention to the various poems she includes in the story on pages 1,17,44, and 62.

Questions to think about:

• How effective is her style of storytelling? Does the non-linear narrative with flashbacks make the book more engaging?
• How does Assata go about re-telling history?
• What role do poems play in an autobiography? What do they tell you about Assata or the other people that the regular story does not?

What physical spaces and places does Assata describe in the story? What is the significance of them?

We are not primarily concerned with figuring out guilt innocence here (and in any case don’t have all the court documents to review): the goal is to read her story as we would any other autobiography and focus on how the story develops and how she develops into the person she is today. Look for clues of these things in the story.

Extra: Listen to “A Song for Assata” by Common, from his 2000 Like Water for Chocolate release, featuring CeeLo Green.

 

For Thursday May 2, read pages 80-147 (Chapters 5-9) in Assata Shakur’s Autobiography. Again, make sure to pay attention to the various poems she includes in the story on page 130 (“Love”). Think also about the themes that you should now be able to identify that we’ve been working on all semester. Note specific places in the book where they appear and mark examples of them in your text.

Presentation by Adelaida, Neil, and Mislie

Announcement:

• There’s a Dominican Writers Conference at our sister school, The City College of New York in Harlem on Saturday May 4. Angie Cruz will be there on one of the panels, though isn’t scheduled to speak about Soledad. You can probably ask her questions before/after her talk, though. Conference details here.