Against Ordinary Language: The Language of the Body

Kathy Acker was a phenomenal writer, activist, and artist. Her 1992 essay titled "Against Ordinary Language: The Language of the Body" is autobiographical (she writes about her life as a bodybuilder), but it's also analytical, critical, historical, etc. Here's an excerpt from a longer film, Who's Afraid of Kathy Acker. 

Please follow these directions carefully. Choose ten brief excerpts from her essay. It could be a single sentence or a couple of sentences. It shouldn't be an entire paragraph unless it's really short. These excerpts should speak to you in some way. List these excerpts in the order that makes the most sense to you. After you've listed them, write your response in italics directly under Acker's words. Maybe you agree, maybe you don't. Maybe it's not about agreeing or disagreeing but activating a related idea. Give specific reasons based on your own life experiences. Your responses should be longer and more detailed than the excerpts from Acker's essay that you choose. Give yourself space to write. This is a difficult assignment, I know. 

Your finished piece should be single-spaced, 11 pt. Times New Roman or Garamond. It shouldn't be shorter than one full page and it shouldn't be longer than two full pages. If in doubt, ask me.

Be sure to revise, edit, and proofread carefully. Sloppy writing will be graded accordingly. Remember to give your piece a meaningful title. Do that at the very end of the process. 

Due: Upload to Populi no later than noon on Wednesday, September 8.

Questions: csmith@dcad.edu