We begin English 50, Introduction to Minority Literature, this quarter! I am very excited about the literature and am looking forward to our upcoming discussions. We will travel through cultures, languages, ethnicities, and struggles this quarter. We will step instead the Harlem Renaissance, and walk onto Angel Island. We have to learn how to read, not literally, but metaphorically, paying close attention to each text, each word even. The literature we are reading is both heavy and light-hearted, both a struggle and a revolution; we will have to struggle with our writers and we must give them the necessary time to express themselves. That said, make sure to read each poem three or four times, only then will you really enter inside its boundaries. Just when you think you’ve “got it,” read it again! Take your time with the novels and short stories, engage in close readings and allow the author to take you on the journey he or she envisions for you. Be patient and accepting, do not rush through these works and do not get discouraged–a reader is an artist, a creator of the work alongside the author, keep that in mind. If YOU do not read the novel, the short story, or the poem, IT no longer lives—- YOU make it come to life, YOU define its contours.
Please remember to laugh when things are funny, or cry, or scream. Read outside, read with jazz in the background, enjoy yourselves!
The Modernist Circle 