finish reading, and marking, the chapter on SOUND (to the end of page 161) . . .
in preparation for the “WRITING ASSIGNMENT ON SOUND”
30 Friday Aug 2013
finish reading, and marking, the chapter on SOUND (to the end of page 161) . . .
in preparation for the “WRITING ASSIGNMENT ON SOUND”
30 Friday Aug 2013
Posted agenda, discussion, poetry
intogether, examine and discuss sound devices in two poems (156-7):
William Jay Smith’s “A Note on the Vanity Dresser”
Robert Frost’s “Desert Places”
28 Wednesday Aug 2013
Posted Uncategorized
inIn Introduction to Poetry, read through–and mark the margins* of–the sections on alliteration/assonance and rime (147-50), including the accompanying poems.
*i.e., mark the margins for sentences or questions you want to remember
28 Wednesday Aug 2013
google doc check
SOUNDS THAT CAPTURE MEANING
read classmates’ poems–where are poets playing with sound?
start reading Intro to Poetry–through Yeats poem (144-8)
report on classmates’ poems playing with sound
review cacophony, euphony, onomatopoeia
partner exercise–euphony and cacophony
read aloud four poems in “Listening to Meaning” (147-8)
HW: read sections, and corresponding poems, on “Alliteration and Assonance” and “Rime” (149-155)
27 Tuesday Aug 2013
post (i.e., publish) your who-i-am poem before next class
challenge: attach a representative image to your post (be sure to credit the image with its URL)
27 Tuesday Aug 2013
Posted direct instruction, poetry, teacher reflection
inWith the benefit of hindsight and time, several features from Rumi’s who-i-am poem remain in my memory. What stays means something because of its strong initial presence. For example, the opening stanza about dust particles and the sun stick in my mind over time perhaps because of extreme contrast in size and significance. I have trouble imagining two things more different in magnitude. In addition, one of the elements, the sun, shines light on the other, thereby rendering it visible. Visibility equals possibility; the sun brings the tiny dust particle into being, just as it does the day. In other words, the two metaphorical objects are related not just by serious contrasts in size; they have a cause-and-effect relationship, as well.
Another metaphor that remains in my mind over time is the stanza devoted to a ship. This image stays with me in part because we discussed it in class. Beyond this reason, though, the naming of specific parts of the sailing vessel lodge the stanza in my hippocampus. Rumi identifies the parts responsible for propelling, directing and stabilizing the ship, which works wonderfully as a metaphor for our lives. After mentioning these specific parts, the stanza moves to a single image–the reef on which someone’s ship “founders.” We steer our ship, and sometimes, when we are sleeping or distracted or simply inattentive, we run our own ship aground. The specific naming of parts keeps this stanza alive, and the contrast between the two lines assures its vitality.
Finally, the last few stanzas work memorably–not because I recall exact lines, but more for structural reasons. In other words, the poem has an overall momentum or development. In at least the first half of the poem, the stanzas are self-contained–with end-stopped lines. Towards the end, however, run-on lines start spilling the content of one stanza into the next. A kind of dissolution results; the poem is dissolving, or the speaker is dissolving into more than a single being. The lines blur, and the connections build. Trying to imitate this particular dynamic in my own poem will not work, but Rumi’s poem shows me one specific way to implement a general idea: build the metaphors on each other, thereby creating an overall movement through the poem, which differs from making a simple laundry list of images that do not cohere. Following Rumi’s instruction, I am more likely to compose a unified poem, one that will not dissolve under the gaze of attentive readers.
27 Tuesday Aug 2013
Posted agenda, direct instruction, poetry
inintro to Quickmarks (annotate your desktop document; check your email for copy of Quickmark buttons)
playing with sound–southern ghazal (how many different occasions do you hear?)
time to revise poem (cf. tchr reflection on Rumi and buddy feedback)
HW: post (i.e., publish) revised who-i-am poem before next class
26 Monday Aug 2013
Posted feedback, general info, teacher reflection
inIn our first writings, the origins-of-poems blog post and the TURNITIN “choice paragraph,” I wanted to hear your thoughts about poetry and see your facility with writing. From this perspective, the opening compositions succeeded. I observed, for example, who is more or less able to focus a post, especially given a broad prompt. I also gained a sense of what specific grammatical issues cause confusion in people’s sentences.
In other words, successful responses in our first two assignments distinguished themselves by clearly defining their main idea; maintaining focus on that concept, largely through the effective use of transitional words or phrases; and by composing clear individual sentences.
At this early point in the year, my main suggestion is: proofread your work before publishing or submitting it. Take the time. For my part, rather than show examples of frequently occurring, yet basic, errors from these first two assignments, I will simply leave you with this advice to proofread. Incidentally, I cannot help but remind some of you that “there” and “their” mean two different things. As for proofreading blog posts, in today’s class we have established blogging buddies who, like lab partners in science, will help you produce clean results. Make a habit of using the “request feedback” feature in WordPress, in order to run your writing by a willing classmate.
a note on grades–see the “evaluation” section in the course description page of this course blog
26 Monday Aug 2013
Posted Uncategorized
increate a draft post of your “who i am” poem [no need to publish this post yet; for now, work solely in the draft mode]
use the “request feedback” to seek comments on this draft from your blogging buddy
respond to the request from your blogging buddy, using the suggested questions below. Note, these are suggested questions.
Which metaphors are most striking or memorable?
In which stanzas do the combination of metaphors work best?
Do any of the lines puzzle you too much?
26 Monday Aug 2013
metaphor quiz (submitted to TURNITIN)
introduction to week’s focus, “Playing with Sound”
HW: “request feedback” from blogging buddy on who i am poem