assignment 3 Labour Fiction ?1page words:300?
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For this week’s graded component you may choose one of three possible discussion board topics.

Assignment Guidelines

Please choose one of the following options:

1. Please choose one of the two fictional works provided in this module. Read the work carefully, and make notes in answer to the questions posed in the Works: Introduction. Then, conduct some research in connection to some of the themes and subjects explored in the story; i.e. you might look at migratory labour (that of Western Europeans to East Coast Canada or the migratory patterns of labourers within Canada for instance), the real Springhill mining disaster, or actual strikes that might relate to the fictional strike discussed in ‘Praxis’. Then present a brief of exposition of your research and how it related to the story you have chosen. Be sure to carefully indicate your chosen story, the theme or subject you have chosen to research, and to cite all of your sources.
2. Read both stories making notes in answer to the questions posed in the Works: Introduction section. Then provide a post in which you compare and contrast the two works. Try to think about the ways the stories are similar, and the ways they are different. For instance, how is the division of labour presented in the two stories: that is, what sort of work are women depicted doing, and what sort of work are men depicted doing? What is significance of this division in the stories? How do the differing work roles play into the stories? How do the characters from the two stories relate to their work? How does work impact the lives of the story’s characters? How is work show to influence the migratory patterns of the working people in the stories? How does location or the region the story takes place in affect the narrative? In general, try in your post to address similarities and differences of the stories over all?
3. Choose a short work of fiction related to labour that you might have encountered elsewhere. The narrative does not need to connect to labour trends in mid-century Maritime Canada, nor mining work, nor necessarily migratory labour. You might for instance look at other stories in Crummey’s short story collection, or at Fred Wah’sDiamond Grill, or at Michael Ondaatje’s In the Skin of a Lion. A brief internet search will provide you with other fictional accounts of how work is done in Canada. You may also ask a librarian for assistance in this. If you are not sure if your story qualifies, please email your professor for clarification. In your posting talk about how work is presented in the narrative you’ve selected: how does work affect the lives of the characters in the story? Is the account sympathetic? Why or why not? How does race and gender play in to the work explored? In both ‘The Vastness of the Dark’ and ‘Praxis’ class plays a central role in the lives of the characters of the respective stories, how does it play in to the lives of the characters the work you have chosen?

Tips for the Successful completion of this Assignment

• Successful postings should be made in Word or Power Point, running from 300-600 words in length. What is important here is making sure that you have explored your topic in sufficient detail. You are free to go over the limit in the case of more involved responses. Strive to create organized readable material.
• Be creative and try to make your response as original as possible.
• READ other postings before making your commentary; make reference other students’ postings where you can, and respond to them to show your consideration for their contributions.
• Be sure to provide original content. Student work that repeats something stated in another posting will receive lower grades.
• Be considerate of other student’s ideas and be polite.