Is there a text that you thought did not fit well with the rest, and didn't really contribute to the overall thrust of the course? Which one, and why?
COMMENT and REPLY
Saturday, May 12, 2018
Discussion n. 32: KISS ME, GUIDO Due May 17
1) Who is the best actor/actress in the film? Who is the worst?
2) Italian Americans, gay people and one Jewish woman are targeted for stereotyping: which one of them had it worst?
COMMENT and REPLY
2) Italian Americans, gay people and one Jewish woman are targeted for stereotyping: which one of them had it worst?
COMMENT and REPLY
Discussion n. 31: MARTY and TRUE LOVE Due May 17
Some questions that I have never been able to answer:
What is the topic of these two films? The working class or Italian Americans?
Why is it that Italian Americans are represented either as working class, or, if they are rich they are Mafia bosses?
COMMENT and REPLY.
Thursday, May 3, 2018
Discussion n. 30: Godfather, The Best and the Worst
COMMENT:
1) Who is the WORST-WRITTEN character in the novel? By that I mean, the character whose personality Puzo was not able to nail.
2) If you could get rid of one of the actors in the film and replace him/her with someone else, whom would you pick? (You don't need to name the replacement.)
Wednesday, May 2, 2018
More great work
The last batch of comments and replies really makes me wish we had this discussion in class. Your arguments were so well presented and articulated that I could not decide which side I was on anymore. Great job, everyone. Some of you ideas will definitely make it into my lectures and blog postings for future classes.
Do not forget to start assembling your COMMENTS (only comments, no replies) in a document in chronological order, with the oldest at the top. Include the date for each. LATE comments, comments that were posted after the deadline must be left out.
Do not forget to start assembling your COMMENTS (only comments, no replies) in a document in chronological order, with the oldest at the top. Include the date for each. LATE comments, comments that were posted after the deadline must be left out.
Saturday, April 28, 2018
Friday, April 27, 2018
I forgot to mention.....
COMMENTS welcome
About the Central Park Five, the kids who were accused, tried and sentenced for attacking, raping and sodomizing a jogger in Central Park in 1989 (Ancient history? Not really, most NYers still remember the shock -- I certainly do):
About the Central Park Five, the kids who were accused, tried and sentenced for attacking, raping and sodomizing a jogger in Central Park in 1989 (Ancient history? Not really, most NYers still remember the shock -- I certainly do):
There was "no conclusive" evidence that they were the culprits. The only "evidence" were "confessions" extracted after hours and hours and hours and hours of non-stop interrogation. Once the police got the youngest of the kids to "confess" ('confess and you will go home'), other kids "confessed" also.
They were sentenced, a sentence confirmed after an appeal, to 6 to 13 years in prison.
In 2002, a convicted rapist confessed he ALONE did it. DNA testing confirmed it.
The District Attorney then "vacated" the charge against the 5 kids.
"Vacating" means that the charges never happened. Just a huge whitewash on the history blackboard. No apology, no contrition, no "Oh my god what have we done."
The message was "Kid, you got lucky this time. Next time, you are toast."
In 2002, a convicted rapist confessed he ALONE did it. DNA testing confirmed it.
The District Attorney then "vacated" the charge against the 5 kids.
"Vacating" means that the charges never happened. Just a huge whitewash on the history blackboard. No apology, no contrition, no "Oh my god what have we done."
The message was "Kid, you got lucky this time. Next time, you are toast."
Even before the trial started, Donald Trump bought ad pages in the NY newspapers, NYTimes included, demanding the death penalty for all of them.
That's how you buy a reputation for being "though on crime." It's cheap and readily available. The only requirement is that the alleged crimes must come from "them darker people down there."
I don't hate racism -- it's too abstract. I hate racists.
Amen.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/26/opinion/the-white-rebellion.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-right-region®ion=opinion-c-col-right-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-right-region
That's how you buy a reputation for being "though on crime." It's cheap and readily available. The only requirement is that the alleged crimes must come from "them darker people down there."
I don't hate racism -- it's too abstract. I hate racists.
Amen.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/26/opinion/the-white-rebellion.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-right-region®ion=opinion-c-col-right-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-right-region
Thursday, April 26, 2018
Discussion n. 29: Godfather (May 1)
And finally: novel or film?
COMMENT:
First: did you read the novel before watching the film or viceversa?
Skip a line: which of the two was more compelling in telling the story?
REPLY: "I can see your point, but...."
COMMENT:
First: did you read the novel before watching the film or viceversa?
Skip a line: which of the two was more compelling in telling the story?
REPLY: "I can see your point, but...."
Discussion n. 28 GROWING UP ITALIAN (May 1)
The walled garden on the mall in Godfather and the separation between Italians and "Mericans" in the video: two faces of the same coin?
(By the way, the video states that for the Italians, everybody else was just a "Merican," and it goes on to list several ethnic groups. Sorry, but this is some heavy-duty whitewashing: Black people were NOT "Mericans". There was another name for them.)
COMMENT: Does preserving your original culture IN AMERICA justify refusing to integrate and accept "the others?' How do you balance tradition, history, culture, language preservation and the ideology of the "melting pot" (which was the dominant social theory/ideology until 10-15 years ago.)
REPLY to a comment that made you think that maybe there is more to this issue that you ever considered.
(By the way, the video states that for the Italians, everybody else was just a "Merican," and it goes on to list several ethnic groups. Sorry, but this is some heavy-duty whitewashing: Black people were NOT "Mericans". There was another name for them.)
COMMENT: Does preserving your original culture IN AMERICA justify refusing to integrate and accept "the others?' How do you balance tradition, history, culture, language preservation and the ideology of the "melting pot" (which was the dominant social theory/ideology until 10-15 years ago.)
REPLY to a comment that made you think that maybe there is more to this issue that you ever considered.
Discussion n. 27: Godfather (May 1)
Reading The Godfather as an upside-down celebration of diversity and anti-establishment sentiments.
You will need to watch my lectures and read my notes to be able to comment adequately.
COMMENT: the establishment kept them out, so they found their own niche in society, followed their own rules, and created their own alternative society.
But is this really a form of protest and political separatism?
To look it another way, they are "in" society but not "of" society.
REPLY: find a good comment to reply to, preferably disagreeing with the point of view.
Sunday, April 22, 2018
Discussion n. 26: Belaboring the point about JUSTICE and INJUSTICE (due April 30)
The issue is: how much does it cost to buy decent justice?
Because, if you want ANY kind of justice, you have to be ready to fork out a lot of bucks.
Criminal defense lawyer? $400 an hour minimum.
Are you suing for discrimination or harassment? Another $400 to $500 an hour.
When people say that "the system works," are they including these facts in their reasoning?
When people say that "the system works," are they including these facts in their reasoning?
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
Discussion n. 25 : Justice and injustice DUE April 23
About discussion n. 24, most of you missed the mark in evaluating the 4 cases.
In 1, 2, 3, it was prejudices, bias and neglect that led to those tragic outcomes.
In 4, it was prejudice in reverse.
What those cases have in common, is MONEY: whether they had it or not. I hope you will care to expand on this thesis in your COMMENTS.
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
Discussion n. 24 SACCO & VANZETTI due April 15
Are you familiar at all with the real story of the "West Memphis Three?"
Are you familiar at all with the real story of the "Central Park Jogger?" (Yes, NY Central Park)
Are you familiar at all with the real story of Kalief Browder?
Are you familiar at all with the real story of Ethan Couch?
COMMENT
1) What do they have in common?
2) Which one of these stories is the most .........(you choose the adjective)? Explain the reason of your choice.
REPLY: Pick a reply that opened a new perspective to your understanding of the way "it" really works.
Are you familiar at all with the real story of the "Central Park Jogger?" (Yes, NY Central Park)
Are you familiar at all with the real story of Kalief Browder?
Are you familiar at all with the real story of Ethan Couch?
COMMENT
1) What do they have in common?
2) Which one of these stories is the most .........(you choose the adjective)? Explain the reason of your choice.
REPLY: Pick a reply that opened a new perspective to your understanding of the way "it" really works.
Discussion n. 23 FInal thoughts about "Christ" due April 15
COMMENT:
1) Did the linguistic difficulty get in the way of experiencing the content to the maximum?
2) Did the book leave some traces (not a permanent trauma, but some kind of scratches) on your psyche? Did you get depressed? Did you try to forget it as soon as possible and not to think about it on purpose?
3) OR: did you allow it to get to you?
REPLY to a comment that you found particularly insightful and self-revealing about the person who wrote it.
Monday, April 2, 2018
Discussion n. 22: the languages of immigrants (due after spring break)
From Haris's assignment:
Task 2
The New Language Invented by Italian Immigrants in America
The
main thesis of the author was describing the formation of a new Italian
American language that was an odd mixture of both Italian and English and how
that 'interlingua' eventually disappeared. This new ‘interlingua’ did not have
the same depth and richness as Italian.
I must say I understood this concept quite well and knew exactly what the author was talking about for I have seen it happen firsthand to my native language. The formation of such a language is only because of the necessity of communication. And the people who speak this language are often looked down upon by natives who take pride in their language because they consider it their main representation as a nation. I think that immigrants should always try to preserve their language while learning the new one. The forming of new words that never were is great but original words and their meanings shouldn’t be changed or lost. Immigrants should teach their mother tongue to their children and never let it die. Our native language is a part of our heritage and who we are and we should keep that part from fading away. Also, the more languages one knows the better, you can communicate with more people around the world.
The part where the author mentioned translating an idiom or phrase literally was quite interesting I've often heard a lot of strange phrases in English from immigrants from different countries and when I've said I've never heard them before I've often been told it's a saying in their native language. My mother also uses the phrase 'Stop eating my brain' which has been translated literally from our native language, Pushto, though the correct phrase for it in English would be 'You're getting on my nerves'.
All languages change from how they initially were, years ago but mass migrations to other countries can cause them to change drastically and lose their beauty and essence. Luckily for Italians the new 'interlingua' faded away eventually and the beautiful, original Italian came back.
I must say I understood this concept quite well and knew exactly what the author was talking about for I have seen it happen firsthand to my native language. The formation of such a language is only because of the necessity of communication. And the people who speak this language are often looked down upon by natives who take pride in their language because they consider it their main representation as a nation. I think that immigrants should always try to preserve their language while learning the new one. The forming of new words that never were is great but original words and their meanings shouldn’t be changed or lost. Immigrants should teach their mother tongue to their children and never let it die. Our native language is a part of our heritage and who we are and we should keep that part from fading away. Also, the more languages one knows the better, you can communicate with more people around the world.
The part where the author mentioned translating an idiom or phrase literally was quite interesting I've often heard a lot of strange phrases in English from immigrants from different countries and when I've said I've never heard them before I've often been told it's a saying in their native language. My mother also uses the phrase 'Stop eating my brain' which has been translated literally from our native language, Pushto, though the correct phrase for it in English would be 'You're getting on my nerves'.
All languages change from how they initially were, years ago but mass migrations to other countries can cause them to change drastically and lose their beauty and essence. Luckily for Italians the new 'interlingua' faded away eventually and the beautiful, original Italian came back.
Monday, March 26, 2018
DISCUSSION n. 21: CHRIST IN CONCRETE Due after spring break
And now the final and most difficult issue of them all:
For people of faith, God is never wrong ("There must be a reason.")
This is the reason why SOME PEOPLE, when they actually see that there are a lot of 'wrong' things in the world (hunger for millions; genocides -- American Natives, the Shoah, Armenians, Rwandans; and other garden-variety events of ordinary sadism), THESE PEOPLE conclude that God doesn't exist.
Basically both groops agree that it is an essential requirement that God is always right.
Since *IT* can't be wrong, the presence of evil in the world is proof that *IT* doesn't exist.
That's Paul's conclusion.
COMMENT Focus on Paul, not on yourself. He loses his faith because his faith presents him with an absolute choice: either accept the suffering, injustice etc. as a "gift" from God, or get out.
REPLY to the comment of your choice.
For people of faith, God is never wrong ("There must be a reason.")
This is the reason why SOME PEOPLE, when they actually see that there are a lot of 'wrong' things in the world (hunger for millions; genocides -- American Natives, the Shoah, Armenians, Rwandans; and other garden-variety events of ordinary sadism), THESE PEOPLE conclude that God doesn't exist.
Basically both groops agree that it is an essential requirement that God is always right.
Since *IT* can't be wrong, the presence of evil in the world is proof that *IT* doesn't exist.
That's Paul's conclusion.
COMMENT Focus on Paul, not on yourself. He loses his faith because his faith presents him with an absolute choice: either accept the suffering, injustice etc. as a "gift" from God, or get out.
REPLY to the comment of your choice.
Discussion n. 20 -- CHRIST IN CONCRETE -- JOB due after break
COMMENT: in the chapter JOB, what is the most heart wrenching moment? Use a citation (quote/unquote) with page number to identify it.
It's OK if you choose something that has already been mentioned. In this case, write a second paragraph (2) with an additional moment. There are plenty to choose from.
REPLY: choose a COMMENT that identify a moment you had overlooked but that seems particularly poignant.
It's OK if you choose something that has already been mentioned. In this case, write a second paragraph (2) with an additional moment. There are plenty to choose from.
REPLY: choose a COMMENT that identify a moment you had overlooked but that seems particularly poignant.
Discussion n. 19 - CHRIST IN CONCRETE -- Friday March 30
Here are the most relevant quotations from the chapter "GEREMIO".
COMMENT: the first student will comment on n. 1, the second on n. 2 and so forth.
REPLY: the first student will REPLY TO comment of STUDENT 2 (come back to see what your classmate has written and reply to his/her comment.)
In you COMMNENT: did you notice this quotation while you were reading the book? How would you connect it to your own choice. OR, is it completely separate and reveals a different order of concerns?
========================
1) “They are tired as hell but happy that today is Good Friday and we quit at 3’oclock”
2) “Pushing the job is all right (when has it been otherwise in my life?), but this job frightens me. I feel the building wants to tell me something just as one Christian to another. Or perhaps the Easter week is making of me a spirit-seeing pregnant woman. I don’t like this.”
3) "Is it not possible to breathe God’s air without fear dominating the pall of unemployment? And the terror of production for Boss, Boss, and Job? To rebel is to lose all of the very little. To be obedient is to choke. O dear Lord, guide my path"
4) “The language of worn oppression and the despair of realizing that his life had been left on brick piles. And always, there had been hunger and her bastard, the fear of hunger”
COMMENT: the first student will comment on n. 1, the second on n. 2 and so forth.
REPLY: the first student will REPLY TO comment of STUDENT 2 (come back to see what your classmate has written and reply to his/her comment.)
In you COMMNENT: did you notice this quotation while you were reading the book? How would you connect it to your own choice. OR, is it completely separate and reveals a different order of concerns?
========================
1) “They are tired as hell but happy that today is Good Friday and we quit at 3’oclock”
2) “Pushing the job is all right (when has it been otherwise in my life?), but this job frightens me. I feel the building wants to tell me something just as one Christian to another. Or perhaps the Easter week is making of me a spirit-seeing pregnant woman. I don’t like this.”
3) "Is it not possible to breathe God’s air without fear dominating the pall of unemployment? And the terror of production for Boss, Boss, and Job? To rebel is to lose all of the very little. To be obedient is to choke. O dear Lord, guide my path"
4) “The language of worn oppression and the despair of realizing that his life had been left on brick piles. And always, there had been hunger and her bastard, the fear of hunger”
5) “To rebel is to lose all of
very little. To be obedient is to choke” (13)
============================
Friday, March 16, 2018
Discussion n. 18: Suggestions from your classmates: How to read "Christ"
Your classmates Annie and Amanda recommend:
"I feel like while approaching this text we should also make little notes after each paragraph."
"I think it could be helpful to write down things that really stood out while reading the text and jot down what we feel or what we think about it so that it can help us to remember points made as well as understand what is going on in the text."
Thank you to both for starting the conversation and for the suggestions.
COMMENTS and REPLIES: Does "finding a rhythm" work for you? What about written notes? Or post-it stickers?
Saturday, March 10, 2018
Discussion n. 17 Video lecture on READING CHRIST IN CONCRETE Due MON MARCH 19
Watch the video lecture and start reading the book.
COMMENT: How hard is the book? Did the suggestions in the video help at all? What else should be mentioned to help readers approaching this text?
REPLY: what suggestion in the comments do you agree or disagree with?
COMMENT: How hard is the book? Did the suggestions in the video help at all? What else should be mentioned to help readers approaching this text?
REPLY: what suggestion in the comments do you agree or disagree with?
DISCUSSION n. 16: EMIGRANTE / MOONSTRUCK (due MON March 12)
Is there a danger in POSITIVE, apparently HARMLESS stereotypes?
COMMENT: identify clearly at least one positive, harmless stereotype in the two films. What is your opinion about perpetuating those stereotypes?
REPLY: offer a different perspective (maybe just slightly different) on an opinion expressed in a comment.
COMMENT: identify clearly at least one positive, harmless stereotype in the two films. What is your opinion about perpetuating those stereotypes?
REPLY: offer a different perspective (maybe just slightly different) on an opinion expressed in a comment.
DISCUSSION 15: Moonstruck (due March 12)
Is this film about Italian Americans?
Or is it about "DESIRE"?
One of the most fundamental drives of humans, "desire" is seldom considered and even referred to in explaining behavior. What if "being in touch with your own feelings" were only knowing what your desires are? And then: what's wrong in trying to fulfill them?
COMMENT
Can Moonstruck be seen as a complex film, or is it just mildly entertaining escapism that exploits harmless stereotypes?
Next paragraph: what did you get, out of it? What is the 'message' that you heard?
REPLY to a meaningful and insightful comment that talks about something you had not thought about.
Sunday, March 4, 2018
Your classmates chose:
Joy Kameo
Annie Cen
Ashley Calandra
Raneen Elshehadeh
HARIS IBRAR
KHADIJAT TESLIM
Michal Yefet
My choice (FGC)
Saturday, March 3, 2018
Discussion n. 14 THE WAY THEY LIVED Due March 5
What photo in The Way They Lived would you choose for the cover of Son of Italy?
Take a screenshot and email it to the course email, subject "photo".
COMMENT Unfortunately you can't upload an image in COMMENT.
Describe the photo but most of all explain WHY you chose this image and how do you connect it to the content of Son.
REPLY recommended but not required.
Thursday, March 1, 2018
Discussion n. 13 THE WAY THEY LIVED Due March 5
What was your first, immediate, unfiltered reaction while you were watching the slideshow?
COMMENT
REPLY to a comment that describes a state of mind or emotion you also felt but weren't able to articulate as clearly as your classmate did.
COMMENT
REPLY to a comment that describes a state of mind or emotion you also felt but weren't able to articulate as clearly as your classmate did.
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