English 1C Tuesday, August 21, 2012 Melissa Gunby

Day by Day: Armageddon

I have discussion questions, but I want to hear what y’all have to say, first. What are some of the things that you wrote about in your response for this week?

In this first section of “Day by Day” we get some of the lead up to the zombie action. Included in the warning signs that our narrator has, are questions asked by reporters, Presidential addresses buried on AM radio, and messages that are designed to pacify the people. What warning signs do you look for in the media that something isn’t all “kosher” with information or situations? What examples from modern history/current events can you think about where the public was generally misled for a period of time before the truth was revealed? Who eventually revealed the truth and how was it accepted by the population?

On January 11, the narrator writes “There was an FBI agent on board, which is very unusual. During the brief prior to flight he stated it is technically illegal under Posse Comitatus for the military to be deployed inside the United States for official missions.” How is the narrator’s mission different from deployment of National Guard units to keep peace in urban areas or the deployment of Army Corps of Engineer units to assist in rebuilding after natural disasters?

Was our narrator right to break his non-disclosure agreement about the mission he flew over Georgia?

Is our narrator paranoid or well prepared in his actions in preparing his house? What is the difference or where do we draw the line?

Our narrator writes at 2350 hours (11:50pm) “I told him that I was going to stay here alone and try to keep out of view of anybody and anything,” instead of going to the “the shelter that they had organized” on base. Was this a good decision or a bad one in a time of emergency (would this be a good strategy in the case of a terrorist attack or hurricane, for example)?

At one point the narrator reports that the television news is “only portraying death doom and destruction.” Is this normal for an emergency situation or just the news in general? Is it particularly helpful to only get the “doom and gloom” from a source that’s supposed to provide information?

January 14, 2212 hours (10:12 pm): “I came across a post on a survivalist forum online. I guess the news isn’t reporting the whole truth. A sailor holding out on a US Naval warship posted today. Apparently he is living off fish and seagulls. I hope he makes it. This just reassures my thought that the government is and will continue to hide the facts. This brings up a question. What government? I haven’t seen any representatives of the White House in the TV in over 24 hours.” How does the survivalist forum post make our narrator believe that he’s not getting the whole truth from the government? Yes, this is supposed to be a survivor’s journal, but what evidence does he provide that the truth is not getting out there?

This is our narrator’s journal. What do we know about him as a main character so far?

Ethos As a tie in to the previous question, how can we rely on our narrator as generating “the truth” of what he is experiencing? What are his qualifications, and how can we be sure he is who he really says he is?

Pathos What are some of your emotional reactions to what you’ve read so far? Are there any particular things that have stood out?

ESSAY ASSIGNMENT 1 Literacy Narrative

The Assignment In the literacy narrative, your goal is to reflect on the role that reading and writing have played in your life. In other words, you will write a story about yourself as a literate person. At one time, you could neither read nor write, and now, many years later, you are taking a critical thinking and advanced composition class at a college.

The Connection to the Zombie Theme This ties in with the current text we’re using, Day by Day Armageddon, through being a first person text about how an event, in the case of our text, the zombie outbreak, shaped each of us into the person we are today. As we explore essays written about the phenomena of Zombie Literature, we will be looking at the origins of the zombie legends through voodoo and folklore, and it seems an ideal place to begin our journey with thinking about how we became literate individuals.

Purpose In this assignment, you will explore the part of your identity that is immersed in language. You will explore yourself as a reader and a writer. This exploration will take place in a narrative format, meaning a story with a beginning, middle and end. Narrative can employ techniques such as the use of dialogue and a progression of scenes.

Due Dates Workshop Draft: Due Wednesday 8/29 Final Draft: Due Wednesday 9/12