Sunday, December 10, 2017

The Devotion of Suspet X



We conclude the semester with a wonderfully compelling mystery novel--one that reveals the murderer at the very beginning of the narrative.


Relying on a mixture of both intuition and scientific reasoning, the detectives eventually uncover of what you already know.

Emotional and complicated, the narrative ends on a most ambivalent note of love and sacrifice.
 
You have a busy week: a quiz, final exam, and essay all due by midnight Friday, May 4.

Before taking the quiz, give this video your attention:





Do a good job on the final quiz of the term. We will not read this book this year.

Friday, December 01, 2017

The Case of the Missing Servant








This week, you have a shorter than usual quiz of just 16 questions.
 
The quiz will open on Tuesday and remain open until midnight, October 2. The Discussion threads will remain open the same times.

And I cover the quiz in an equally short video:


Quiz Review for Leonardo Padura's Havana Red


I offer here some links from my six-day trip to Havana a few years ago. Some of the photographs add to the atmosphere of the novel.

Tuesday and Wednesday 
Thursday
Friday 
Saturday
Sunday







You have two quizzes to take over this compelling novel. Quiz one will remain open Monday September14 until midnight Sunday, September 20: The quiz has only one question, and the answer is True.

 The video here addresses the 27-question quiz that will open from 24 September until midnight Sunday, 27.



Do a good job on the quiz:




 

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Welcome to Nonwestern Detective Fiction


Welcome to Nonwestern Literature.

Each week, I will post a new video, sometimes more than a video for the quiz.

Remember to take seriously both the quizzes and the discussion threads; and pace yourself with the reading.

We will spend two weeks on Linda Hogan's novel. Get familiar with all the characters, for they all interact in this tragic mystery narrative based on actual events.

This video offers an introduction to the class and a few words about our first mystery novel.


Wednesday, March 01, 2017

Children of the Street Video and Midterm Examination




Here you will find  information about Quiz 4 and your upcoming midterm examination.

Before you take the quiz, please watch the following video that covers in twenty minutes the twenty-five questions--you will have until midnight Sunday, September 13, too complete the quiz:

Do not mind my green hair I got colored for Dr. Seuss a few years ago! 

This video also mentions the midterm examination--note that contrary to what the video has to say, you will not write an essay for this midterm but will write an essay eventually, and I will supply potential topics. What the video says about the essay component points to essay topics about which you can write before the start of Week Seven if you wish to revise.

 
More on this  information later.

The midterm examination will remain open from Monday, September 14 until Friday, September 18. See Assignments in Blackboard for further information about the Essay and potential topics. 

For the midterm examination, you will respond to five prompts our of a pool of nine covering the three novels. Each prompt will offer you a choice of two or three characters about whom to write. In your response, address in a couple paragraphs (as you have practiced on the discussion threads)  the significance of the character for what strikes you as the novels central concerns.

You must write on two novels.

Here is a couple pretty good responses for a prompt about Michael Horse: 

Michael Horse is a character in which the duality of the Native American way of life is centered upon. Horse lives outside of town in a teepee, signifying the traditional way to live, but it's interesting as well because he takes advantage of payments he receives from oil rights on his land. Horse then splurges to receive the pleasures that life has to offer, such as a golden car. Horse has more importance for the Osage tribe people because he is the tender to the fire of his people; a flame that needs to keep burning as long as he is the carer for it. Another important role that Horse fills is that he journals prolifically, and that comes in handy later in the story as he is able to show Red Hawk later about the violent acts that have been committed against his people the last few years. This in turn helps Red Hawk and his own investigation that's affiliated with his office in Washington D.C. Overall, Horse is symbolic for the Native American people and how they're caught in the middle between their traditional lives and the modern age in which they lived. 

 

For Mean Spirit, discuss the significance of Michael Horse.

            Horse’s main role in Mean Spirit is as a foreteller who watches over a special, ancient flame. Whenever he cannot watch over the flame, he calls for a neighbor to tend to it, meaning the flame is very important to Horse and the Osage tribe. Horse’s foretelling skills are not as up to par as they used to be. He questions his predictions throughout the novel, especially after he wrongly predicts John Thomas’ death. Thomas does end up dead, but we hear about John Stink’s death first, which confuses and saddens Horse greatly. Horse also acts as a secondary detective, much like other Osage Indians in the novel. He keeps track of the murders and the Osage people in the community, which mirrors the care he exhibits with the ancient flame, meaning Horse cares about and sees the importance in caring for past and present Osage Indians. Horse writes letters to Washington, D.C., along with Moses Graycloud, to get someone from the US government to investigate the murders. So, Horse can take partial credit for getting Stace Red Hawk to come to their community. By the end of the novel, Horse disappears from the Osage village to go live among the Hill Indians, as do most of the characters who survive. Lastly, in a bit of irony, Horse acquires a horse through trade, but he is unable to ride it successfully, even though his name suggests otherwise.

 










Sunday, February 19, 2017

A Beautiful Place to Die Quiz


You have a quiz this week of thirty questions over  A Beautiful Place to Die.  

This quiz will remain open from this Thursday, September 3, until midnight 6 September.

Do a good job, Bill





Thursday, February 02, 2017

Mean Spirits Quiz Two



The quiz is ready for your attention. The quiz will open Thursday evening, 27 August to midnight August 30. The Discussion Threads will remain open for the identical period of time.

Watch the following video and do a good job on the twenty questions, all multiple-choice or true/false:




Friday, January 20, 2017

Quiz One Mean Spirit



I created a video for Quiz One you can watch on You Tube. The quiz will remain open until Monday at midnight.

As the video indicates, the quiz contains 21 multiple-choice and true-false questions.