On Monday, July 9 I held the first AP English Language and Composition 2012 summer seminar. We spent the first part of class in 2209 and then moved to the library. (Thank you Mr. Telles and Mrs. Saunders.)
The goals for the session were to introduce and have students work with (1) rhetorical analysis strategies (how do the writer's choices contribute to his purpose?) , (2) thematic tension (how do big concepts--like belonging and exclusion, civic pride and truth-telling--relate to each other in the book?), and (3) connections to yourself (how do your prior experiences and observations contribute to your understanding of the memoir and to its effect on you?)
(I've used italics to help you keep track of important concepts from the first session.)
Opening
I opened the session by asking you to think about what stood out to you in Michael Patrick McDonald's memoir All Souls. Then we considered how the book related to your prior experiences and knowledge. Although this might have seemed to be small talk, this opening contributed to our goals by getting us to notice the writer's choices, the memoir's themes, and the relationship those choices and themes have to our own lives.
Rhetorical Analysis
Then we went deeper into the concept of rhetorical analysis, a concept that is at the core of AP English Language and Composition. In small groups (pairs or trios) students shared preliminary ideas about the "purpose" of MacDonald's book. (Before we discussed I introduced three general possibilities for rhetorical purpose: to persuade, to inform, and to entertain. Most writing attempts some combination of all three.) The idea that MacDonald wanted to inform the reader about injustices in Southie came up. Another student thought that the memoir's purpose was to inform the reading by telling the truth about Southie. These ideas--and others--were woven through the rest of the session.
We then discussed some of the techniques that MacDonald used to achieve his purpose. Students seemed to agree that his narrative voice was important. It was suggested that MacDonald used informal, conversation language in the memoir. We then discussed how this choice of language might have contributed to his purpose (particularly in relation to "telling the truth about Southie). I also mentioned that when we talk about language choice we can speak more specifically about syntax (sentence structure) and type of word choice (diction). Syntax can be simple or complex. Syntax can be conventional or unconventional. Diction can be archaic, formal, standard, informal, colloquial, vulgar. These choice affect how a reader experiences a piece of writing.
We also talked about MacDonald's characterizations of people and places. For example, Frankie was characterized in a way that led to a certain amount of surprise about his death. Kevin was characterized in a way that made his death less of a surprise but still moving. MacDonald planted seeds earlier in the book so that the deaths would be moving. Again MacDonald's choices about how he portrayed characters served his larger purpose.
Another choice we discussed was the narrative structure. Why does MacDonald begin and end with the vigil? How does this contribute to his overall purpose?
Through this discussion of how the writer's choices contribute to his purpose we also discussed how Aristotle's rhetorical triangle could be used to explain the effectiveness of MacDonald's writing. Aristotle suggested that there are three main forms of persuasion. A writer can use reason (the Greek word is logos), emotion (the Greek word is pathos), her/his own credibility or trustworthiness (the Greek word is ethos) to appeal to the audience. We discussed specific was that MacDonald cultivated pathos and ethos in All Souls.
As we used discussed the rhetorical strategies used in All Souls important questions emerged. One question was in All Souls what is the relationship between "(1) the injustices, tragedies, and traumas in Southie; (2) the pride Southie residents feels about their neighborhood; (3) the need to tell the truth about what's happening in their neighborhood; and (4) healing from the traumas and improving the neighborhood?" We found this to be an essential but difficult question to answer. (For AP English Language the next question--which I never asked but which you might address in your rhetorical analysis web at the end of the summer--is how do MacDonald's rhetorical strategies contribute to his answer to that question? If you didn't attend the first session you might begin to address the question in your comment too.)
Socratic Seminar
Then in the library we practiced an inner circle / outer circle Socratic seminar in the library by discussing which of the following word pairs "belonging and exclusion," "appearances and reality" or "pride and critique" was most and least relevant to MacDonald's purpose in All Souls. (I may have used slightly different words on Monday.) We tried to explain the relationship of the word pairs to specific passages in the memoir.
For our penultimate activity I asked you to go through your quotation responses and mark places where you would add to your analysis particularly considering the importance of rhetorical analysis (how a writer's choices contribute to purpose) and the relationship between the individual passages and the book's overall themes (how do the parts contribute to the whole).
Finally, I introduced the next book, Omnivore's Dilemma. In doing so I encouraged students to pay attention to your food choices at home and in the supermarket. I also encouraged students to visit the farmers market on Thursdays at Stage Fort Park. When you're writing your responses make sure you (1) discuss the meaning of the passage in context, (2) discuss the relationship of the passage to other parts of the book and/or to the work as a whole, and (3) discuss how the writer's choices contribute to meaning.
[Final final note, the last seminar--on Dogtown--as been moved to Wednesday, August 22 at the Cape Ann Museum on Pleasant St. in Gloucester.]
Those of you who did not attend the first AP English Language and Composition summer seminar must write a substantial response (300+ words) to the summary provided above. Your response may be informal but it must thoughtfully relate your careful reading of the memoir with the concepts presented in the summary. Although you are free to respond to anything in the summary of the first session, you might want to pay particular attention to the italicized passages. I look forward to hearing from you.
Next session 8:00 a.m. July 30.
All Souls by Patrick MacDonald embraces numerous purposes, varying on personal judgment and experience. Thus, every individual reader will depict a distinctive comprehension. A credible rhetorical rationale of the memoir was to inform the reality suppressed by residents in South Boston. Most importantly, Patrick MacDonald’s narrative voice guides the reader to portray his individual involvement and development throughout the years. In particular, the narrative voice used informal language, which significantly contributed to his purpose. Particularly, the narrative voice altered throughout his maturity and influenced the reader to image his challenges and advances. The word choice expressed by the narrator intentionally changed to grasp the reader’s attention and empathy. By providing characterizations of the people and places the reader was purposefully persuaded to respond similar to the narrative voice. Keeping in mind, Patrick MacDonald’s purpose was to cultivate the reader to correspond with his outlooks. Considering the fact, he characterized Frankie and Kevin in a certain manner to affect the reader in the same way he was.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, the purpose for beginning and ending with the vigil was to place the reader in a state of predicament. At the beginning he described the vigil and characterized the location and individuals. He provided the reader with a glimpse of the story, though he didn’t proclaim the reasoning for his presence. He began by describing Southie and his experience, to deliberately have the reader image his perspective. Patrick MacDonald described it as a vigil and not as the principal purpose of the novel. The narrative structure then shifted to introduce and describe his struggles, which obligated the reader to ponder about his objective. He began with the vigil so the reader would understand his personal experience and concluded with the vigil, when the reader completely understood his struggle at revealing Southie’s truth.
The relationship between the injustices, tragedies, and traumas in Southie was to depict the similarity amongst Southie residents and their Southie pride. Some viewed it a pledge amongst each other, yet it was the reasoning for concealing their reality. The need to tell the truth about what's happening in their neighborhood was due to the tragedies they faced. Some were bystanders and decided to live with it. For instance, the narrator viewed it as a normal subject in Southie, however once his family was placed in a challenging injustice, he sought for compassion and help. Some residents perceived it as a form of unity to keep silence and others kept silence due to fear. “Minding your own business” in Southie was usual, though when it came to revealing the truth in Southie, not one person was brave. It was evident that the vigil served as a form of healing for the residents, considering the fact that once one individual stood up to expose their memoir, others were comfortable at revealing their truth as well. Conclusively, their true Southie pride was created after gathering together as a city at the vigil, sharing their family memoir.
Zach S
ReplyDeleteSomething that stood out to me in All Souls was that every story, no matter how happy it may have started, had a sad ending or ended happily and allowed the reader to connect with a character who would die not too long afterwards. I could not really connect to anything in the book because I have been blessed to not experience anybody close to me dying as well as a good life free of poverty.
I believe the author's main purpose in his memoir was made on a basis of informing and small amounts of persuasion. MacDonald intends to let the reader know about all the troubles in the Southie that he grew up in and the fact that it's beliefs, and thereby it's ways and conditions, will not change. This introduces a small, troubled world that people want to help, something the author feels, in so doing he converts people to his opinion. He makes a convincing argument to this respect through his use of sorrowing stories. He also uses a combination of heavy pathos and ethos. I think MacDonald begins and ends with the vigil to create a reflective feeling as if his life were flashing before his eyes. This takes the reader on a journey that connects them to MacDonald as well as allowing the reader to become sympathetic with the author.
There are many injustices, tragedies, and traumas in Southie. These focus on young lives ruined and lost because of bad choice. Joining gangs and using drugs put teenagers out on the streets and thereby give them greater chances of being murdered and taken from this world at too young of an age.
The Irish of Southie feel huge pride in what they do and who they are. It doesn't matter if what they do is slowly killing them, they support and respect it, standing firm and true in their beliefs and traditions.
The people of Southie need to stand up and admit what is going on in their tight-knit neighborhood. They need to stop the thing that is slowly killing them: each other. If they do this, they can save their slowly dying race.
I feel that "pride and critique" fit Southie the best. The people as a group are very full of pride: proud to be Irish, proud to be from Boston and especially proud to be from Southie. Looking at how the people see each other shows how critical they actually are of the goings on in their community. The neighborhood women on the stoop and the judgment of outsiders and blacks during the period of the busing typify this.
In Michael Patrick McDonald’s memoir All Souls, McDonald depicted the meaningful characteristics Southie withheld and expressed the story through Southie itself. Each reader itself is affected by what they read in all different ways, tying back into their own knowledge and experiences. The themes and choices outlined throughout the story really gave a new view on what really happened. The author chose to use vulgar words, to really exemplify the true meaning of an everyday conversation. Ways of communication tied into the themes. Throughout the memoir the reader was thrown curve balls. One moment we are reading about a death, and the next page they are at a club dancing the night away. The current change really showed the everyday life in Southie; you never knew what to expect next.
ReplyDeleteThe purpose of the book could deal with persuasion, information, and entertainment. They all collide with one another to create the memoir. The three concepts work together to make the purpose of the story. The information about Southie, given by McDonald supports the idea of persuasion exemplified throughout. McDonald basically just informs the reader about the everyday life he faced growing up as a child, and how every place is different; most importantly the difference in each individuals eyes. In the book we were informed that in Southie, life is secret. Only the ones living there, knows what is going on; if you are a stranger you are clueless to the truth. The purpose could be also shown in a way of finally letting out the reality.
The structure built into this piece of work shows the creativity, life, and knowledge used to write the memoir. The word choice added the quality character of Michael Patrick McDonald himself. The narrative wasn’t as complex as other books, but that added the reality into the story. Emotion was around every corner. The traumas, injustices, and tragedies that took part in Southie, are the illustrations of hope, pride, healing, family, and truth.
In All Souls the fact that the people in the town lied to themselves so that they could go on with their lives while thinking that everything is fine stood out to me and the word deinstitutionalize, that’s a fun word. I felt like the fact that everyone wouldn’t tell the truth to each other was because of their pride and that they needed to survive, if one said anything or speak out they would be excluded. My knowledge of the temptation to lie and hurt others to belong to a group helped me relate to All Souls. Also that Gloucester has some traits like Southie, probably not as intense but the traits are still there. It was interesting how MacDonald wrote in the narrative so that you knew bad things would happen but whenever they did you were still taken by surprise. It was different than most books because the author used swears and stuff in it that most writers would be afraid to use. MacDonald used his more personal language so one would be able to understand his sufferings on a more personal level. Because of people’s pride the poverty, crime and drugs in Southie were ignored by a lot of people in Boston, and instead looked at other towns that had those problems. Sothie though is a place where everyone feels at home and they can trust the people in the town. MacDonald characterizes each person in the story differently so that you feel differently about all of them, and the people that you feel sorry for you feel it differently than you do for others.
ReplyDeleteThe logic of the Southie community was that family matter over everything. Southie was the family and if people stole and if they did drugs then it was ok for others to do that. These people would commit crimes to help their families like Frankie did and ended up dying for. The people in Southie were susceptible to drugs and crime because they trusted others not to rat them out and that they could trust them to do right by them. The emotion of the community was depressed because so many of the people were dying and suffering.
In conclusion the tragedies and injustices were caused by the pride of Southie and the people wouldn’t tell the truth about it because of their pride. It was only when they swallowed their pride that the people could start to heal.
“All Souls” by Michael Patrick MacDonald really struck home with its message to inform readers of the injustices towards the people of Southie, the prejudices thought of Southie, how nothing was said for Southie, and the circle that everyone was stuck inside. It was not just part of MacDonald's life, it was his life; his neighborhood which, because of the way the people of Southie acted, everyone’s lives revolved around. Because of this connection and the way that MacDonald wrote; on a personal level, you could easily follow and empathize with MacDonald’s journey. MacDonald was always part of the story that he told, whether he was the main role or just a presence on the sidelines. His beliefs always were the beliefs of the neighborhood as a whole; he grew up around a shared mindset that stuck with him, and so the personal beliefs in the book seemed more like facts of the neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteMacDonald explained all of the good and bad qualities, and the downfalls, causing us to fully understand all of the characters of his life, Southie included. Everyone in MacDonald’s neighborhood was filled with pride for their neighborhood and welcomed each other and worked compatibly together. The children all played together and were never bored. Of course, what the children did for entertainment was not productive or positive… And as they grew up, their lives became progressively worse, being sucked down by the neighborhood. Anybody who stayed in Southie was predetermined ruined; set for an early death or worse. And though each neighborhood may stick together, every separate neighborhood despised each other; living evidence of the suffering going on around them. The pride in McDonald’s neighborhood was to hide from all of the negativity, as to not show weakness. The people of Southie wanted the same amount of respect as anyone else, and the same amount of happiness. So their pride was enormous; they only believed in the good of their neighborhood. This was a trap for the people; nobody would admit the problems in the neighborhood and nothing could be done to improve their lives. They were all trapped in a vicious circle: you move to Southie, and you are stuck there trying to survive. If you admit the bad, you will be sucked down. To not acknowledge how bad your life is you can live on happily and try to enjoy what you make of life. However, you cannot work to improve your life if you are too proud of everything you do have. You cannot tell anyone how bad it is, or ask for help if you are ignoring the fact that you need help, and everyone is stuck either surviving behind their façade, or battling the depression and negativity to find something better that may or may not come. They battle between the appearance they keep up and the reality that faces them; which one to acknowledge? The people of Southie also have to deal with the appearance that they are given from bad publicity and politics. The wrong bad is talked about, and nothing is done to help anyways. When outsiders did try and help, the violence and dissention in Southie worsened. By asserting the fact that they needed to help, they made the negativity surrounding them more apparent. The only time that the neighborhoods of Southie seem to work together- to get rid of meddlesome, harbingers of reality.
Someone needed to tell the truth about Southie, to stop the prejudice that was thought of about the neighborhood, and to begin the healing process of losing what you love. To fix, so you will not lose more. MacDonald was healing at the end because he saw all of these people showing remorse for the people who have suffered because of their neighborhood, and he was ready to start moving in a positive way to help his old neighborhood. The pathos that MacDonald obviously shows for his neighborhood is shown when he stands at that vigil. Where the people were all ready to heal, and might admit to the wrongs in the neighborhood. The vigil shows how the neighborhood can come together… The neighborhood is already healing; their pride usually made them hide from recognizing the bad, but now with their pride intact they are standing together saying good-bye to all that suffered. It is now time to stop the injustices, take a stand, tell the truth.
ReplyDeleteThat is why MacDonald begins and ends with the vigil. At the beginning, they are gathering, they are beginning. They are a mess. He tells how he came to the neighborhood. How everything was fun and everyone seemed to be friends on the outside. Then how everything began to fall apart; out of childhood he could see the drugs, violence, and gangs. His family, the neighborhood fell apart. Then things quieted down, all emotions seemed to be dulled. And he closed with the vigil, where everyone stood up together and supported each other. Beginning to heal and truly become friends. Is the neighborhood fixed, has the circle been snapped? MacDonald has successfully made his point. Wonder, and get interested and stop areas like this from suffering; you do not know what is bubbling right under the surface of a pretty calm.
MacDonald's book, All Souls, must have proved a hard task for the author to write. To have to recall the pain and the struggle of his earlier years could not have been an easy thing to do. So why did he choose to write it? Why add salt to the wound? Despite the difficulty that this book must have posed for MacDonald, there is an undeniable mission in it. Towards the end of his book, MacDonald writes about how he discovered what he believed to be his purpose in life: to better areas such as Southie and make them safer places to live. It seems as though by writing this book, the author hopes to inspire others to work through their hardships and find purpose in their lives. This book is also rich in information. Many of the readers, I'm sure, myself included, may not have had such a clear picture of the poverty and difficulty that exist in such great numbers in our own country. Perhaps MacDonald was hoping that the readers of this book would become better informed of the many problems in our own country, and then be inspired to do something about them.
ReplyDeleteMacDonald's signature voice in this memoir added to the emotional connections of the story. It wasn't an outsider who was telling the reader what happened, but rather someone who had lived through the pain that they were recalling. His writing could be described as scarred. Although the author has found a purpose and has been able to reconcile with the tragic events in his family, there is undoubtedly still the dull pain of a once vicious hurt. His words are bare and open, allowing you to see his feelings, good and bad, and taking the reader into his full confidence. It is MacDonald's ability to open up to the reader and share his experience so completely that forces the reader to form connections to not only Michael, but all of the other members of his family. His powerful first person narration causes one to feel as if they, too, are reminiscing about lost loved ones.
MacDonald's style of narration isn't the only thing that struck a chord with me. Having grown up in Gloucester, I feel that my piers and I can probably all relate to the neighborhood of Michael's youth. Gloucester is one big family, both literally and metaphorically. Outsiders are easy to spot, but so are those who belong. There are codes and cultures to follow that exist only on our tiny little island. And although Gloucester has certainly seen it's share of nightmarish stories and broken dreams and families torn apart, most of the time it is like our own little haven. It seems as though no matter where you go after high school, you'll always be able to come back and be welcomed by the same people who saw you off. This same theme of loyalty and local pride knits MacDonald's story of Southie together. For better or for worse our respective towns will always be our homes. It's this knowledge that makes it so hard to leave them. I think I will always have a bit of Gloucester engrained inside of me forever, and I'm sure the author feels the same way about Southie. We can move away, but we can never forget.
Macdonald, through his autobiography, attempts to tell the tale of a white Harlem (so to speak) in the midst of all the chaos of the ‘70s. The history books are only written about black persecution but Mac goes out of his way to add his story to its missing pages. Even though his siblings are not honest and do dark things in the streets, Mac never says anything negative; he never judges them. Actually, he partook in Kevin’s dealing exploits from early childhood, and Kevin had always shared (stolen) things with him e.g.-the carnival thing. By sharing spoils, Kevin makes it seem as though they were accomplices.
ReplyDeleteAs for the book, Mac’s colloquial style makes it easier to sympathize with him in his seemingly messed up world that is out of anyone’s control. Every time Ma shows up, you know things will get moving. She is either knocking someone foolish enough to get in her way, or getting pregnant. Not much is written about Mary or Joe or the two youngest for that matter but we get the general feel that Kevin and Frankie were living it up. He looked up to them-“and of course (the dropouts) usually looked as if they were having the most fun.” No one really tried to understand them-grandpa kind of looked down on them but he was too far to know anyways. I noticed Mac speaks of everyone in Southie as if they were friends or family. For example, when they first got into Old Colony, they beat him down but later Mac reassures us that was inly an ‘initiation.’ On a final note, a person long ago said ‘if you invest in temporary things your happiness will be temporary.’ In Kevin’s case, his life was rather more temporary than others.
I didn’t really catch (4) but for certain, Mac was involved in secret-keeping basically from the time Kevin started stealing. Perhaps it was the accomplice mentality, but he could not snitch on him. It is doubtful Southie had always been Southie. In the far beginning (book-wise) something about the depression was hinted. Ignoring the fact that they are all for some unknown reason mothers, we can surmise this is probably the first generation of people to be destitute. The kids raised up in such a place cannot help but being fiendish in nature. They cannot tell anyone of their problems because everyone is using each other for drugs and their stubborn ‘pride, ’ a curse by now, keeps them from talking with the police. In the span of 20 years, this 2nd generation gets wiped out- kill themselves, more like, and the mothers are left feeling sorry for themselves and having nothing to look forward to. They were all playing in Whitey’s hands.
What was most prominent to me in Michael MacDonald’s book All Souls was how similar South Boston, or Southie, was to Gloucester and in a broader aspect, Cape Ann. Gloucester contains many close knit, large families, varying neighborhoods that are usually differentiate between a poorer class of people most likely on some form of government aid in a certain are and the more well to do or wealthier people in another. Waterfront property that is more in East Gloucester is dominated by large victorian houses that cling to the rocks close to the sea with large price tags stuck on them is very similar to Dorchester Heights of Southie where all the wealthier Irish people lived with their turtleneck sweaters and sweaters tied around their shoulders. When MacDonald wrote this book I believe he described Southie in such a way that people could translate the area around them into the book. The reader can be Italian and still be able to relate to this book because of the parallels you can draw between Irish and Italian family dynamics or likeness between the Irish Mob and the Italian Mafia. MacDonald created an elasticity to his book that forms a relationship between the reader and the writer. This is considered writing basics though. While a book should be specific it shouldn’t so much so that it is impossible for your average reader to pick up the book and want to read it.
ReplyDeleteI believe the main purpose of this book was not to spread the story of Southie. While that was a main point to the book, MacDonalds writing points towards our own awareness within our communities and instead of ignoring the problem, strive to fix it yourself. Whitey Bulger dominated the drug scene in Southie and was an FBI informer against the Italian Mafia. Violence and drug use quickly escalated in Southie throughout the book and soon became an even more important aspect. The first and last chapters or so of All Souls focused on what MacDonald did once he escaped Southie. He strove to better Boston and the surrounding areas. Instead of simply putting it behind him, never looking back and ignoring the issue, he strove to better the community. He saw the good in what was considered a bad neighborhood. The drugs, poverty and government reliance that was hidden so cleverly came abruptly into view when MacDonald nearly forced them to acknowledge what they already knew.