- What was your thought process behind the idea of this book and the strategy of collecting stories and weaving them together?
- Is there anything you want to tell us now that we’ve not only had an opportunity to read your story but now we can hear firsthand from you?
- Why did you go along with this idea, what made you stick it out?
Reading the poem about compost was very visual, some parts more than others. It gave me memories in different senses, one of them being my sense of smell and one of them being my sense of touch. When the poem was taking about fire and the compost pile itself, I could imagine the smell of fire as well as the compost pile because I have worked with compost before. I could also imagine the feeling of the corn husks, when it described what went into the compost pile, as my family husks and eats a lot of corn in the summertime.
The relation between burning and compost was interesting as we noted that they both bring about something new. I noted that decomposition reflects that the only absolute in life is death. Everything that was put in the compost came from different places, but they all meld together to form something new. Angelos’ point was very interesting, he said, we are similar to compost, being made of several things for example: our experiences, relationships, families, etc., the combination of this all helps to shape us as people. Essays are also similar in a way because of their parts: the introduction, thesis, body paragraphs, and conclusion. The thesis is what eventually brings an essay all together, kind of like heat in a compost pile as it all relates to the thesis.
Next in class, we shared our compost heaps, about the person’s story we were most intrigued by, with a classmate. For me and my partner we both decided to write about Kelvin and so we noticed similar quotes. We also noticed similar themes shared by our person as well as other people’s stories. To finish class, we did briefly cover our future meeting with Dr. Coogan and Kelvin and we were tasked with creating questions to have ready to ask, as it is more awkward to sit in silence than ask an “uncomfortable” question.
- (David Coogan) There were several times when people in your class said that no one had ever asked them these kinds of questions before. How did you come up with these questions? Did you prepare them in advance or improvise?
- (Other writers) Do you still find yourself writing these days? If so, what forms of writing are they (journaling, more published works) and how has this writing helped you?
- (For David Coogan) “When you started this project, did you have some sort of ideal end goal, and if so did you reach that goal?
- (For the other writers) “Why did you decide to join this project at its inception?”
- (For the other writers) “Did you ever feel like you wanted to leave the project?” (For Dr Coogan) “What did you do to try and ensure the writers stayed with the project?”
- (To David) Why did you choose to organize the book the way you did? What was the meaning behind whose story went first, second, last, etc.?
- (To the writers) Did writing these stories together help you guys bond outside of the classroom? And if so, how did your relationship change throughout the course of the class?
In preparation for class today we created a quote compost heap for one person’s story we were most intrigued by.
We then began class by reading a poem and closing our eyes. Our goal was to visualize the words of the poem as we listened. This visualization helped us to connect the words of the poem to our memory and create a deeper meaning behind the poem.
We talked about the comparison between compost and fire. Decomposition takes time but eventually, the result of the process is useful soil. Fire is the same concept, breaking things down and ultimately creating new life. The only difference is that fire is quick while decomposition takes time.
Will made a good point about how decomposition is proof of there being no absolutes in life besides death. All of the things in the compost came from different places but all ended up decomposing in the same place. However, this idea of death is not negative, but rather positive since it gives way to new life.
Angelos also made a good point about how we are similar to compost in the sense that we are comprised of many different things, such as our experiences, relationships, families, etc., and the combination of all these factors forms us as a person.
We also talked about the different components of an essay including the introduction, thesis, body paragraphs, and conclusion. We went into more detail about the thesis and how our evidence throughout our body paragraphs should all tie back to the thesis.
We then paired up and discussed the compost heaps we created about the character of our choice to compare similarities between the different characters or maybe common themes.
We ended class by briefly covering the plan for meeting with Dr. Coogan and Kelvin.
Source: Group Discussion Prep Note (Dr. Coogan)
- How has the prison literature class progressed since the book came out?
- How has his story progressed since the end of the book?
Character Analyzed: Stanley Craddock
Major Themes: Identity, Faith, Control, Abandonment
Task: Choose one quote to start with, and write a paragraph in which you analyze the language in the quote, looking for metaphors, resonance and meaning. What is happening in that quote? Do this for several more quotes. Do you see a pattern? What are you learning about how the writer is creating meaning?
Quotes:
- Chapter 1
- “Everyone laughs when a new man come through quartermaster here… We all were. You just forgot!” (14)
- Although not necessarily integral in terms of language or analysis, in terms of understanding Stan at his current point in which the project starts, it is important to understand: He initially does not believe Doctor Coogan is doing it out of the goodness of his heart (asks earlier in Chapter about motives), but he is one of the first to embrace the project in a sense.
- “My story starts in Egypt… I remember all that I’m not supposed to remember…” (18-19)
- As discussed in the previous class, Stan uses a fair amount of allusions as well as metaphors, especially those pertaining to the Bible. His faith is a defining attribute from the start of his story, but the real question dives deeper into how he arrived here. Naji is often the most iconic when we think of religious elements or presence in the book, but Stan’s story has much to be told. The author is constructing an element of love present.
- “You’re asking us to write about our lives, who we’ve been and who we want to be. Right?… I don’t know my birthday… I don’t have an identity!”
- This interesting component instantly introduces us to the struggles that become part of Stanley’s story- his adoption, which likely is accompanied (generally) by fears of abandonment and other features that might have landed him in his lifestyle. His lack of identity, and how even at the start of the project, he is looking for it.
- “Everyone laughs when a new man come through quartermaster here… We all were. You just forgot!” (14)
- CRY – LOST SEVERAL MORE QUOTES
For Thursday’s lesson, I prepared by focusing on a specific character that was particularly interesting and motivated me to delve more into his story. Nanji had one of the most significant personal changes during his lifetime with his ideology and approach in life being shifted during his time in prison.
Throughout Nanji’s story, some common themes were highlighted that convey bigger ideas about life. Firstly, the common theme of identity was challenged through his struggles of questioning himself. Under the umbrella of identity, many other aspects come into play including religion and race. Nanji communicates the broader concept of religion as an incentive for change and as a supporting mechanism. Race is perceived as a characteristic that goes beyond skin color being a shaping element of his character development. Finally, a driving force for positive change in his lifestyle and personality is the connection with family through the characters of his wife, daughter even her grandma, empowering the concept of transmissive love.
In preparation for Tuesday’s class visit, everyone split into groups to discuss and analyze the roles of some characters as well as the significance of their stories. We also formed questions that would be important to ask the book contributors when they came into class.
As stated by Kaylee, men throughout the book thought of women in two different perspectives. We discussed how men treat their mothers with respect and love while they treat other women in the book as sexual figures. A primary reason for this is because of the sense of purpose and belonging that these men feel between themselves and their mothers. With a majority of them having a poor father figure, their moms symbolize strength and stability in their lives. As for the miscellaneous women throughout the book, these men look at them with lust and not the qualities that they see from their mothers. The men don’t believe any other women can replace the mold of their mother.
Dr. Coogan:
- What does he become to them? A character witness, a sponsor, a connection to the outside, a way of connecting to themselves? There’s a note that some people are followers, and when they’re together, they follow him.
The best way to describe Dr. Coogan is as the light at the end of the tunnel. For many of these men, they grew up with poor role models, whether it be their parents, partners, or friends. Through starting the writing program for the prisoners Dave allowed them to reflect and solve their greatest problem. Identifying who they were, who they are now and who they want to be. These prisoners struggled to express themselves, for example, sucking up their emotions and not crying. In some way, writing out their stories become the coping source to express all the feeling they felt and kept bottled up within themselves for their entire lives. Dave serves as a leader to the men but primarily as an initiator. He puts prisoners in position to be successful by initiating their personal growth through writing.