Today’s Agenda
Journal/Blog Assignment:
For the next five to seven minutes, I want you to write on the following topic: This will go in your JOURNAL, or directly onto our BLOG as a post for today, your choice.
Have you ever been part of an experience where you and someone else have had a very different interpretation of an event? For example, have you ever had a specific argument about a situation with someone? Have you ever had a disagreement with someone about a movie, television show, book, or play? Describe the argument, and why you think you were correct in the argument. Post when you are finished and we will discuss in class.
Group Assignment:
In groups of three, talk about why you prefer certain forms of literature to others. Why do you prefer movies to books? Or books to movies? Why do you prefer television shows? Talk about your favorite and least favorite forms of entertainment.
Less on for the Day #1: [This lesson is so important we think about it twice!] Different people will have different interpretations of the speaker. That’s okay, as long as you can defend your interpretation.
Take out the homework for today.
Let’s get into groups of four, count off.
I want you to share your writing with each other. Every person in the group should read every other person’s writing. When finished, discuss similarities or differences
Group discussion: What kinds of interpretations did we produce? How close were we sticking to the actual specific details that were in the poem? THIS IS IMPORTANT.
Today, we are going to talk about AUDIENCE.
Audience: The individual or individuals for whom the poem is intended.
Each of the poems you have read so far was intended for a specific audience. How do we figure out who the audience is, or was? How would we describe the audience?
The Red Wheelbarrow?
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening?
I’m Nobody, Who are You?
I hear America signing?
Journal entry:
For the next five-seven minutes, I want you to describe your culture. We each have our own. What or who are the most important influences on your day to day life? Understanding out culture can help us understand why we like or do not like a particular poem (it can help us figure out whether or not we are part of its intended audience)
Let’s look at a poem:
William Carlos Williams’ Danse Russe:
Read the poem.
1) What is this strange little poem about?
1
2
3
ect…
You can come up with many answers, but it is important to know that Danse Russe is the name of a famous piece of Piano music written by Stravinsky. Williams knew this, and he expected his audience to know it too.
Let’s listen to the music. (<– Click to listen to the music)
Cultural References:
Poems sometimes make cultural references. They refer to things that are part of a common culture for the audience the poem is intended for.
We come across cultural references all the time. Can we think about some of the cultural references in the poems we have already read?
Optional Lecture Videos
Video One
Video Two
Video Three
Video Four
Video Five
Homework:
Read For Next Class:
Alfred, Lord Tenneyson ‘s “Ulysses”
William Butler Yeats’ “The Second Coming“
Listen to these Podcasts For Next Class:
William Carlos Williams’ “Danse Russe“
Alfred, Lord Tenneyson’s “Ulysses“
William Butler Yeats’ “The Second Coming“
Write a page and a half journal entry in which you A) interpret who the intended audience is for one of these poems and B) whether or not you are part of that audience. If you are or are not, then you need to explain WHY you are or are not.
[...] Thursday, September 11 [...]
Pingback by Your Syllabus « Approaches to Literature, Fall 2008 — August 13, 2008 @ 2:30 pm |
An argument that i have had over a movie was over the 3rd Pirates of the Carribean. I thought the movie was not as fantastic as the others thought. i actually fell aslepp during the movie and saw maybe the first 20 mins of it. i argued that the movie was dark and cold and showed not a lot of color and the type of excitement i like to watch. They argued that it was a very exciting movie and that it had a lot of action and things going on to keep you entertained, yet to me, i could care less for it. i am the type who likes colorful scenes and happy endings. Yes i do watch other films other than those. but it then came to the point that everyone has their own opinions.
Comment by Jen Campbell — September 11, 2008 @ 4:41 pm |
My roommate and I are both die hard Red Sox fans. We both agree that Pedroia should be the MVP, we both believe that the J.D. is god. However, When it comes to the pitching staff, we are very much separated. He has a new found love to Jon Lester. I think that Lester is probably one of the worst pitchers we have on the team. Granted, at the moment, Lester is doing the best, but my argument is that even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes. Lester is streaky and lucky. Every time I see that he is pitching, I get a bad feeling in my stomach. Thankfully, he is proving me wrong the later part of this season, and I hope he continues to, but when his streak ends, the Red Sox will have placed so much trust in him, it will hurt the team.
Comment by Gabe Cheney — September 11, 2008 @ 4:41 pm |
My culture is some what old fashioned. My childhood setting was on a farm so I was taught at an early age the value of hard work. My word was something else that was important. If I said that I was going to do something, I had better do it. Discipline was also strongly encouraged. Respecting my figures of authority was demanded, and not loosing my head in difficult situations. Because of all these aspects of my culture growing up, I find myself with family being the center of it all. One important decision making factor is how it would effect my family. I have carried all of this influences with me and feel that my culture doesn’t necessarily have a lot of people in it, but is something that defines who I am today.
Comment by Gabe Cheney — September 11, 2008 @ 5:24 pm |
the most powerful influences on my day to day life are my parents. i grew up knowing what was right from wrong. i may be old enough to fend for myself, but they still have expectations for me each day. I see how they have had to work their ass off to get where they are, and still work hard today to get the things they want and need. My culture so to speak had a lot to do with work. my parents always worked, and since i turned 15 i have always worked. I know no other style than going to school and working. my life is revolved aroudn those, and i am scared to think what the world of just working is about. My family is also very family oriented, its not common to find an empty house, there is always someone home, and there is always something cooking each night for dinner even if only 2 out of the 5 are eating, the others will have plates made and ready for them when they get home.
Comment by Jen Campbell — September 11, 2008 @ 5:26 pm |
I feel that in the poem ‘The Second Coming’ the audience is intended for young people. I don’t think that the poem is for all young people, just the ones who have not followed the approved path by god, their parents, or grandparents. Feel that it is intended for them because you see so often now that the young people are taking a different path then their parent has set for them, such as going to a party, or listening to non-Christian music. I feel that the part about the falcon getting away and soon going so far as to not hearing his masters voice is a way of relating it to a parent and child. The child is so far gone, that he cannot and does not hear what their parent is telling them, their mind is gone, and possibly so is their body into a new era of time.
I feel that I am a part of that audience. I have always done what my parents have asked of me. I grew up earning their trust, and never lying to them. I have gone to college and I am earning a degree, but I have don’t stuff along the way that they didn’t approve of. I was drinking at the age of 18, which was not what they wanted me to do. So I in a way took a different path. I am a young person still learning where to go in life, and in order to get to a place to make my parents happy as well as myself, I have to listen to them, as well as my heart. I will not always please them, but I am the type of person who will always look to my parents approval, because they are the people I will have in my life and who will never intend to let me down. They are my blood and they have been through the stage of life I am at, and they can guide me.
I feel that this poem is intended for all young people starting out in the world and not just myself. It could be after getting out of high school, or when you are first entering the job place. Not everyone is perfect and will follow the right path. I think that this poem is intended to show parents how the younger generations over time go away and how they don’t listen, and that it just isn’t the parents who push their children away, it’s the independence part in their child’s mind.
Comment by Jen Campbell — September 15, 2008 @ 8:31 pm |
For the poem “The Second Coming” the intended audience is for people who are educated in religion. People who believe that there is a second Jesus that will be born. This poem explains the events happening that lead up to the birth of the new Jesus, then it tells you what bodly form he takes on and what is happening at this time. This poem is intended for readers who may believe that there will be a second coming of God.
I myself would probably not the intended audience, because I am very uneducated with religion and am undecided with my beliefs. I try to stay away from any unexplained beliefs. I just do not understand the ways of religion and would rather base the way I live my life on how I would like to lead it. I feel as if life is something that people take for grante much too often and take too seriously. I try to live to my fullest and experience as muh as I can. I dont believe in something that I dont know is really true. To me I would feel as if my whole life I was searching for an answer and may not ever find it. I would rather live how I feel is right and do what makes me happy. To me everything about God in general is confusing and I just dont understand it. I dont look down on religious people and I would never preach my opinion on someone else, but it’s just something that I was not taught at a young age and am very uneducated about. So to me this poem is intended for people who do actually believe in a God of some sort and have knowledge on the issue.
Comment by Selina Staples — September 15, 2008 @ 11:34 pm |
My boyfriend and I were standing in line at the grocery store behind a woman with two young children. The children were grabbing at all the stuff they put in the aisles of the check out. We could both see that the mother was getting really annoyed that her children wouldn’t settle down and stop grabbing things. The mother continued to load the groceries on the conveyor belt, and one of the children tried to put a couple of candy bars on the belt. The mother slapped the child’s hand and made him put the candy bars back. I thought that slapping a child’s hand was slightly abusive, and my boyfriend thought that slapping the child’s hand was perfectly fine and that it was necessary to get him to stop putting things on the conveyor belt. This event spurred on an argument about whether or not slapping children was okay, i definitely think that it is not okay.
Comment by Jana Craig — September 16, 2008 @ 2:54 am |
My mother and sister are big influences on my life. I have learned by example from both of them. My sister is 4 years older than me, so she has always done things first, which enabled me to learn from her mistakes. My mother has shown me the importance of independence and the necessity of honest work. I love to paint and draw, expressing myself through art is a big part of my culture. sports were a big part of my life when i was younger, and I now coach, so it is still part of my culture. I really love animals, and i don’t believe in eating them, being a vegetarian is definitely a big part of my culture.
Comment by Jana Craig — September 16, 2008 @ 3:16 am |
In Alfred Tennyson’s poem “Ulysses” the audience was intended for most anyone that lived many years ago. The poem talks about a main character in a writing piece called the “Odyssey” which was published a very long time ago. The poem was directed toward people of that time who were familiar with the Odyssey and of Ulysses. The poem can be appreciated by anyone now, as long as they have some knowledge of who Ulysses was, or have read the Odyssey. The poem is not an easy read for anyone who is not familiar with old style writing, and all the references back to the writing would have much less meaning.
The poem was written for an audience that had knowledge of the original story of Ulysses. Many places and things are mentioned that refer back to the story, such as; Hyades, Troy, Telemachus, Achillies, and his crew. If someone was not familiar with the original story the places and things would not really mean much. It is clear that the author expected the audience to have knowledge of the story of Ulysses and probably have read the Odyssey.
The style of writing is not a common style this day in age. Someone alive now would need to read carefully to understand the meaning, whereas in the time this poem was written this style of language was common. It would have been easier for someone from many years ago to understand the poem more accurately, and faster. The writing style shows that the author’s intention for the audience was directed for that people of that time period.
I am not apart of the audience that this piece was originally intended for. I found that the writing style was more difficult to understand since it is not a common style that I come in contact with everyday. I remember learning about the Odyssey in high school, and possibly reading it. I am definitely not apart of the audience as far as knowledge of the character goes. The poem was intended for people with a lot of knowledge of the story, since the Odyssey was very popular long ago. With a little background knowledge of the story it was easier for me to make more sense of the poem and recall things from the story, than someone with no knowledge at all. Due to the writing style and topic of the poem “Ulysses”, I am not apart of the audience that the piece was intended for.
Comment by Jana Craig — September 16, 2008 @ 2:31 pm |
The second coming
At first I thought that the second coming was about just some old war that the author was in the war or, is witnessing what happened in the war. After reading the poem I went on to listen to the interpretation that the instructor had given us. In doing so it opened up my eyes to what the writer might be saying, I don’t know much about the book or revelations but it seems to me that it might be right. After finishing the intupatation I went back and I read it again and I started to pick up on some of the things that I had missed. Like when the writer refuses to Bethlehem being born, that happened after a great battle between the jewish and the christens.
So how I’m interpreting the poem is that it is about a war. The writer paints a good picture for us when he says “The falcon cannot hear the falconer” (The second coming By William Butler Yeats). When he says this all’s I can see is a bloody battle field filled with the screams of dying men. Then the author goes on to say “The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned” (The Second coming By William Butler Yeats) this just paints the sensory more for me instead of being in the woods I can see them on a great beach fighting for what they believe in. as the tide comes in it washes some of the bodies away from the shore.
Then the last thing that lead me to believe that this was a great battle has been fought and over with but a great battle none the less is when the author says “Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert A shape with lion body and the head of a man, A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun” (the second coming William Butler Yeats). When the author says this I can see a troubled king or leader standing over the battle field in ruins as the servant’s go over the bodies of the dead and the half dead.
That is why I said that it was a great battle and that is what I still think. He could be talking about what the instructor said in the MP3 file but I think that theirs only one person that truly knows that they were talking about and that’s the author of the storie
Comment by Michael Austin — September 16, 2008 @ 2:59 pm |
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