Day 4

W-Th Jan. 19-20

• Share scenes from Short Cuts and Here Is New York

• Share scenes based on micro-poems

• Intro to concrete & abstract

---

Homework

➤ Readings

Read Yiyun Li’s “Orange Crush” and Rick Bragg’s “Savoring a Sweet Taste of Southern Summers.” (Note that “Southern Summers” requires a VPN, and there are annotations, which I highly recommend you read. If you can’t view them, please let me know! If you hit the New York Times paywall, use the login I will share in our WeChat group.)

As you read, notice contrasts. Be ready to share some examples of contrasts next class.

Also, notice: How do these authors use concrete and abstract language to complement each other?

➤ Think of an object

Read the instructions for Essay 2: Essay on an Object. Note that you can choose one of two deadlines: either before or after Chinese New Year vacation.

Think of an object, larger than a thimble and smaller than a refrigerator, that you associate with the place you grew up or the culture of the place you consider “home,” however you define it. Be ready to tell us what it is next class.

➤ Give titles to “micro-poems”

For each “micro-poem” on the list I gave you, give it a title that is abstract. Try to think of a title that either perfectly captures the feeling of the poem, or adds a new layer of meaning to it.

Upload the poems with the titles to gave them to our SharePoint folder, in the folder called “6-Titles for micro-poems.”