This week we will begin reading Ben Fountain's Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk. The men of Bravo Squad are certified media heroes after winning a battle against Iraqi insurgents. Billy Lynn, our titular hero, is perhaps the most celebrated among them. Sent on statewide tour to drum up support for the Iraq War, the men now find themselves on their final day as guest of the Dallas Cowboys where they will perform during the halftime show. Surrounded by patriots who witlessly mouth slogans, Billy tries to make sense of his experience, the war, and how both have been presented in the media.
This
is the first substantial reading assignment that you have had in this
class, possibly ever in college. If you attempt to do all of the reading
in just a few hours before class or the night before you will be
unsuccessful. This will lead you to fall behind in the class and you
will be unprepared to write our third paper, which is worth twenty
percent of your grade. You can work toward your own success by breaking
up the daily reading into smaller, more manageable chunks over the
course of days. In addition to our daily homework, I will hold you
accountable for doing the reading by having brief reading quizzes at the
beginning of the class.
This
week we will also be using double entry reading journals. The general
directions are attached to the document. Read these. In addition, I ask
that your entries be fairly distributed throughout the
reading. Thus, your entries will not come from the first ten pages of
the book.
Homework:
Ben Fountain, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, 1-49
Double Entry Reflection Journal (Note: The double entry reflection must be typed)
Current Event Due
Reading Quiz
Paper 2 Due:
- Final Draft
- Working Draft
- Peer Review
- Revision Assingments
- Editing Log
- Writer's Memo
