Paper #3 (Final): Read a Book, Save the World

Intro to Lit Study/Teaching Lit in Secondary School

Paper #3 (Final): Read a Book, Save the World

In Chapter 46 of Station Eleven, Jeevan, his wife, Daria, and their friend, Michael, are arguing about the purpose of a post-apocalypse education. As Michael argues, “Does it still make sense to teach kids about the way things were?...It’s like science fiction to them, isn’t it? And if it only upsets them…” to which Daria responds, “I suppose the question is, does knowing these things make them more or less happy?” (270).

Though we’ve never endured a civilization-ending apocalypse, we live in a world that is constantly changing and threatened by disaster in terms of disease, technology, and climate change. In light of these factors, many would argue that our curriculum based on the past—especially great or influential books, is no longer relevant. Book bans are rampant throughout the country, with classics such as Catcher in the Rye, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and 1984 being taken out of libraries and school districts because they are “upsetting,” “racist,” or “outdated.” More than ever, English teachers find themselves on the front lines of the cultural war, having to defend a curriculum that can actually save us from ourselves—if we take the time to read it and listen.  

For this paper, I want you to discuss ONE specific book (whether or not it’s been challenged yet) that you feel an essential part of anyone’s education. This should be something that as a teacher, you would make it your mission to teach, promote, and keep alive through reading and discussion. As you develop this conversation, consider some or all of the following:

• Why might this book be controversial today? Who would oppose it? Deny its importance or relevance?
• Why do you feel reading this book is crucial for a 21^st century education? What keeps it relevant despite its subject matter, genre, or age?
• How did you first discover this book? How was it important in forming your own educational or cultural identity?
• Would Culler agree with you? Why or why not? (find a passage…)
• How can you relate some aspect of Station Eleven to this discussion to give us fresh insight? (quote a passage…)
• And responding to Daria’s quote above, how can knowing about this book make students happier and more useful to society? In other words, why can this topic actually, in a small way, save the world?

REQUIREMENTS: At least 3-4 pages double spaced (minimum), using both Culler and Station Eleven in a significant way to support or expand your conversation. Be sure to introduce quotations and cite them by page number, and include a Works Cited page. Due no later than Thursday, December 7^th by 5pm.

Questions for Parts 4 and 5 for Station Eleven

Remeber that you can respond to these questions and get credit for them if you're a bit behind on your daily responses (part of your Participation grade!). You can also respond to other Part 4 questions if you want, even though we wrote about Q1 in class. 

Station Eleven: Part 5 Questions (Canaan & Madison)

Q1: In Chapter 36, When Jeevan is walking in the snow, he starts off repeating biographical facts about himself to “anchor himself to this life, to this earth.” but just a few lines later, the only words he repeats are “Keep Walking.” Is this Jeevan forgetting his identity, or representative of something more? Moreso, if Jeevan is losing his identity here, do you think that identity is dependent on one’s world and context within it?

Q2: Even after months after the Georgian Flu, Franklin still refuses to tell Jeevan who the philanthropist in the memoir is because he ‘signed a contract’. Is this the real reason that Franklin won’t tell Jeevan? Consider the lens Culler posits in Chapter 8, about how ‘the fundamental identity of characters emerges as a result of actions.’ What does this say about Franklin’s relationship to the philanthropist, and his refusal to name him?

Q3: Why are we as a culture so obsessed with celebrities, to the lengths that we climb trees to get pictures of them? Shouldn’t Arthur be flattered by this, instead of complaining? Similarly, what do you think “drives and moves” the paparazzi? Is it really a paycheck, or “truth and beauty,” like Jeevan says, or is it something else? Why are they so passionate?

Q4: Near the end of part 5, Kirsten says it was easier for children during the pandemic, because “the more you remember, the more you’ve lost.” Do you think this is true? Is this why it is so hard for Jeevan at the end of the chapter, and why Frank clings to his ghost-written memoir until his eventual suicide, because they are unwilling to let go of their past identities to resort to lives of survival? How might this relate to the Symphony’s motto: “Because survival is insufficient?” 

 Station Eleven Questions, Part Four (Christine & Joshua)  

In class writing: Culler tells us on page 115 “identity is the product of a series of partial identifications, never completed.” We see throughout the book that people are either called by their name or by what they do, specifically on page 128 when we are reading about Viola “She’d had a different name when she was younger, but had taken on the name of her instrument after the collapse.” Is there anything wrong in finding your identity in what you do? Is that really who they are? Does the pandemic have an influence on that?  

 

Question 2: On page 120, Kristen is trying to imagine watching a Star Trek episode with her family based off Dieter's description of the episode alone. If that image/ memory gives her comfort, does it make it less valid if it may not be real for her or if it never happened? 

 

Question 3: Because we are curious, there’s a lot of imagery to skeletons in part 4; do you think this is a reference to the phrase “skeletons in the closet” meaning someone has dark secrets/ baggage they’re carrying (Arthur has a TON of skeletons in his closet). Or is it just to paint a better picture of the world 

Question 4: On page 155 in the “Dear V” sections, Arthur writes “the instructor told me he felt I was a little flat, which is his way of saying he thinks I’m a terrible actor.” As English majors, how do you relate to this? When people critique your writing, do you take it as constructive or as them tearing you down? 

For Thursday: Station Eleven, Part 4 (Part 3 Questions Below)

NOTE: If you've fallen behind on responding to question in class, you can respond to TWO of these and e-mail them to me or bring them to our next class. 

ALSO: No Class on Tuesday! The ECU Interscholastic Meet is taking over our class. So read Part Four for next Thursday's class! 

 QUESTIONS FOR STATION ELEVEN, PART 3  (Jess & Josie)

Q1: In chapter 15, Miranda narrates that “He [Arthur] doesn’t tell the whole story,” about how they came to be together. He leaves out details about how Pablo hit Miranda. This seems to happen often, because Arthur talks for/about Miranda pretty regularly. Are we, as people, made up of facts? Do we get to reinvent our stories through the retelling or omitting of pieces? Does this make us all actors?

Q2: As we get more description of Dr. Eleven in part three, we can see exactly how much of it is based on Miranda’s life. She draws from personal experience to inspire her art. Luli the pomeranian, Neptune Logistics, even her ex-boyfriend Pablo all make an appearance. Does this make her art bad or unoriginal? What do other characters seem to think? Why, of all the mediums out there, does she pour herself into comics? How does this contrast with Arthur, a renowned actor?

Q3: Jeevan tells Miranda that, “Work is combat.” (pg. 103). How have we seen this illustrated throughout the book? Is Jeevan saying that he has hated every job he’s had? Does this conflict with what we know about Jeevan?

Q4: Part three is told almost entirely in the past (before the pandemic) except for the transcript between François and Kirsten. What was the significance of including this transcript? What affect did these transcripts have on the overall story of the novel? Are the transcripts relevant to the rest of part 3? Specifically the interview in chapter 18? How?