AF: Your questions, my answers

I woke up to two emails this morning, and I got permission (sort of) to reproduce their content here.

The first one:

I'm emailing you just to clarify a few questions I have about the summer homework. First, for the blog requirements, does replying to a comment on your own post count for one of the eight "responding". I just want to make sure... Second, when I am writing the essays for BNW, does each prompt get its own 500-750 response... or it that in total of all three. Third, I am confused on the "asking a question and then answering it" portion of the last name book. Do I ask questions about the chapter as I read? Then answer only one if I find my answer? Just looking for a little guidance.

And, next:

I'm working on my Brave New World essays and remembered that I need to submit them and the Amusing Ourselves to Death summaries to turnitin.com . However, I doubled checked the instructions and realized that you said to write 3 sentences for each chapter of the Postman novel, but for the last name books you said "your summary can be no more than five clean, clear American sentences". So I was not sure if it was okay for me to write more than three sentences for the Postman summaries because it doesn't really specify if it's ONLY three sentences. As of right now each of my summaries are around 3-6 sentences but I figured there's no harm in asking hopefully. I just want to be able to fully get my opinions across without getting marked off points. 

Addressing the first one first :) -- you can comment on a comment in your own post.  Think of the "spirit of the law" before you think of "the letter of the law."  I do count up what you do, but I'm looking at the quality of your participation, if that makes sense.  Are you engaging ideas?  Speaking with one another, and with me?  (Why do so few of you comment on what I post?  Maybe you don't care?)

Each Brave New World essay needs to be 500-750 words -- anything less than that will lead to a superficial, insufficient response.  It's pretty hard to say something important in under 500 words.  AP essays in English need to be around 650-800 words -- and that's me talking, not the College Board.  But I've been an official AP reader for many years, and have read thousands and thousands of AP essays as a teacher, and I'm telling you -- you gotta get your word count up.

But don't forget -- it's ONE document, so you'll have three 500-750 word essays in one document.  By the way -- could you do me a favor and NOT name your document "Brave New World essays"?  Everybody is going to use that, and your work will just blend in to one indistinguishable blob.  You are a unique human being, so why not think up a title that is more original than "Brave New World essays"?

OK, moving on.

To ask and answer questions is actually an intellectual move -- I am making the interior life visible by asking you do do this.  When you encounter a new chapter in your LASTNAME books (Shallows/Alone Together), preview the chapter before launching yourself into it.  Ask yourself, "what is this about?"

So for example, I'm looking at Chapter 5 of The Shallows, "A medium of the most general nature."  Because I've already read the introduction and chapters 1-4, I KNOW Carr is talking about the internet (duh), so that has to be the medium he is referring to.  Glancing down, I see that the first few lines mention Alan Turing, and I'm familiar enough with Carr's style now to understand he's going to tell me a story to lead to his point.  So, I'm going to ask,

• Why is Carr saying the internet is a general medium?  (It doesn't feel that way to me.)
• Why is he saying it is the MOST general medium?  What does he mean?
• How does Alan Turing fit into this argument?

By asking those questions, I have made a small intellectual investment into the chapter.  I'm more curious, and I'm reading to see what in the heck he means.

At the end of reading the chapter, I look back at my questions.  Were they good questions?  Did I get an answer?

Sometimes, your question may be so dumb and off-base that you won't get an answer.  

Moving on to the second writer this morning...

That writer also asks about the LASTNAME book, but is asking about the summaries.  The chapter summaries here are where you jot down 5 sentences or so to help you remember and review the book later.  Five is enough.  If you write 4 or 6,  I won't wig out.  Here is that SPIRIT of the law thing again.  Did you capture the gist of the chapter?  

The LETTER of the law means, "You must follow the rules exactly, no matter what."  And the POSTMAN summaries MUST BE 3 sentences.  I need you to find the MAIN IDEA -- Postman's thesis.  This summary writing is a little more rigorous and difficult than what I'm asking for in the notebook.  

Getting deeper into summer with every moment.  I'm starting to feel September creeping up on me.