Andrew Hicks

Discussion Questions:

1.) What is Hicks' "purpose" (or "aim") in writing this piece? What does he hope to accomplish?

2.) Who is Hicks' "audience" for this piece? How can we tell for sure?

3.) How is Hicks' selection about "literacy"? How is literacy important to him? How does he "use" literacy?

4.) Are there any elements of "power" involved here? Does Hicks acquire power, or is power taken from him?

Prewriting:

1.) Why would / does anyone keep a journal? What do you think would be some of the advantages of doing so?

2.) Journals are normally informal and perhaps somewhat random, but Hicks' "journal" seems a bit more formal, even "literary." Why might that be?

3.) What are some stereotypes you associate with "nerds"? Why? Does the narrator conform to or violate any of these? Is he really a nerd?

4.) What would say are the funniest lines or scenes in Hicks' piece? Why are they so funny?

5.) Recall your experience of first coming to campus. How was your experience different from Hicks's experience? How was it similar?

Other Questions:

1.) What might be some of the differences between keeping a journal for yourself and going online with one? Pay attention not only to what you would say but also how you would say it.

2.) Hicks wrote his Another Year in the Life of a Nerd series years before "blogs" became so popular. Why do you think writing blogs is a current craze?

3.) Imagine the author reading his journal some ten or twenty years in the future. What do you think he will think and/or feel about it then?

4.) How much did you value writing before you came to college (growing up, in high school, etc.)? What kinds of writing did you do before coming to college (either for yourself or for school)?

5.) What kinds of writing do you currently do, now that you are in college, both for your college classes and for yourself? How much do you currently value writing in your life?

6.) Have your ideas, attitudes, and values about writing changed over time? If so, how?

7.) How much writing do you think you will have to do, or want to do, in the future, both for your career and for yourself?