Oscar Wao questions

Here are a few questions we've been mulling over:

1) Why does it seem the general tone of the novel is heroic? (We've noticed that each time the narrator talks about Oscar (and Lola, and Beli), they are discussed as if they were heroes.) So, let's look for connections between the rest of the text and this.

2) Do you find that the book parodies people of Dominican descent? How? What are some ways we might defend this parody?

3) How does the narrator in Oscar Wao establish authority? In other words, how does he go about convincing us that we should believe him?

4) The book begins with a poem the last line of which is "either I'm nobody, or I'm a nation." How is Oscar like a nation? How is Oscar representative of the Dominican diaspora?

5) If this book is "about Oscar", why have we seen so little of him so far into the book?

6) ...

Body Paragraphs Inspired by Oscar Wao

Please take note of the formula (1) MAIN IDEA, (2) clarify/restate/define, (3) explain importance of the MAIN IDEA, (4) use of examples and/or source and, (5) comments on the source.

I've labeled each section below.

--

(1) Oscar Wao is considered an atypical Dominican male. (2) By the narrator's standards of Dominican manhood -- sexual prowess, charm, extroversion, sociability -- the book's protagonist is a complete failure. (3) In this way, Diaz reveals how minority groups internalize stereotypes and how US mainstream culture rejects those that can't be neatly categorized. (4) Oscar is an outcast because of his lack of "Atomic-level G," his incompetence in bedding women and his overall social awkwardness. These factors distance Oscar from any 'coolness' he might have. Even the genre fiction Wao loves to read has historically been dismissed by mainstream literary minds for being irrelevant, "light" and not to be taken seriously. [source needed] (5) However, instead of poking fun at Oscar, the narrator greatly sympathizes with his plight, almost reverently; his tone is one of honest pity. It's the kind of tone we have when we gossip about a child who we know will one day become famous or important, or who might one day be our boss.

I thought that it might be interesting to watch this interview with Diaz, I really enjoyed, I hope you guys enjoy watching it too.

Open Office - Microsoft WORD Alternatives

WORD is expensive, there's no doubt about that. Since I require that you submit papers in WORD-readable format, for those of you who don't have WORD (or Microsoft Office) there's a free alternative: Open Office (which includes powerpoint and excel alternatives, too).

I've been using OO for over 3 years and I've never had a problem with it. From what I can tell, the functionality is very similar to WORD.

Junot Diaz

I'd appreciate your assistance in compiling a list here of Junot Diaz/Oscar Wao sites that you find valuable. Simply post them in the comments section and we'll stockpile them for future reference.

I'll start it off: "Natas"

The Annotated Oscar Wao. This is probably the best thing I've seen all day. What a resource!

Even Oprah loves Junot.

Cover Letter

This will be something that you attach to ALL essays for this class, just like we did today:

Cover Letter
(Answer on a separate sheet of paper and attach to each essay you hand in to me)

What do you see as your main points?
How did you go about writing and what happened?
Where in the paper were you challenged? What was easiest for you?
What is the most difficult, most rewarding or most entertaining part of the writing process?
Which part(s) are you most satisfied with? Least satisfied with?
What questions do you have for me as a reader?

Monday 3/5

Quick write topic:

What does it mean to de-eroticize culture?