This week was another poem-heavy one. We looked at Elegy in X Parts and how poetic elements such as imagery shape and create meaning, emotion, and most importantly- for me, at least- setting. A big focus this week was on how certain words create setting. This website talks a bit about how/what setting can be in poems. We discussed the setting of our poem of the week, how concrete it really is, and what it says about the poem and even the author. In my opinion, this specific poem had no real setting, as it took place in the mind of the speaker. I guess that that could be considered the "real setting", but I doubt the author wanted readers to literally imagine his work taking place inside of someone else's brain. Instead, I believe the author was trying to create a more personal work, allowing readers to fill in the blanks with settings and characters and situations that suit their fancy. This was, though the art of phrasing, each reader feels instantly more connected to the text. Stories are quite boring without language that creates imagery. I'm not trying to imply that it was boring, while this poem did in fact not have a set scene it had enough gentle guidelines to make it personable and quite fun. I am always a fan of writing that allows the readers to have some say in what they are reading, so this poem was right up my alley. However well this was done, though, I still began to think. Is it a big gamble for authors and poets to leave the concrete setting and interpretation of their work up to the readers? I imagine it is not as big a deal for poets as conventional authors, as poetry is meant to be subjective anyways. Whenever I write, I always feel pressured to insert a specific scene in glaring detail almost immediately. It's something that frustrates me, but I am trying my best to overcome my shortcomings. All in all, Elegy in X Parts just got me thinking about setting, individuality, and the risks that can come with those things. I quite liked this poem, and am hopeful that the next poem of the week will be of equal pleasure for me. I don't mind analyzing poems so much if I enjoy reading them. Here's to hoping!
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This week was heavily focused on reading and analyzing books and literature to gain a deeper understanding of them. We discussed underlying themes and patterns, as well as why these aspects are important. This to me was important, as I had previously never really gave much thought as to why these things were of value; I just accepted that they were and moved on with my life. Doing my poster and presentation this week, I was faced with this reality. I had absolutely no idea how to delve further into a piece of writing and scrape up something worthwhile or intelligent. After speaking with a couple of people, however, I was able to see that it was in fact something that I was able to get done. I just needed to know where to start. After having these conversations and getting the know-how, I was surprised on how manageable it felt. Sure, I was (and still am) maybe not quite achieving all I had hoped to, but I am making progress at a rate that is satisfactory to me. If you are curious about good tips and tricks to pulling things out of books, Stanford University has some good information on the subject . So, as I conclude my third week as a Mount Pleasant High School senior, I leave with knowledge and strategies to help me become a better reader and student. To be able to read text at a deeper level means that I now am able to fully apply myself to my books and get all that I possibly can out of a text. I know that these skills will be of much value as I progress not only through the remainder of my senior year, but at the college level as well. I am very happy that I was able to grasp this subject and cannot wait to see what next week has in store for me! This week, we worked with a poem titled The Eagle by Tennyson. At first glance, I took this poem quite literally, (Here is a link to the poem for reference), as it seemed to me like it was actually about an eagle. However, upon further study, I came to a few different conclusions about the poem. The first thing that changed my mind about this work was my group. My table partners both had incredible ideas that I may never have worked out for myself if I had not been in this group. They brought up how the poem begins with mentioning "crooked hands", leading them to the conclusion that this poem was in fact about a man and not an eagle. In my mind, I just assumed that the author was referring to the crooked talons of a bird. It was then that I was able to approach the poem from a different viewpoint. If I took a step back and really looked around the edges, I was able to begin to form a separate opinion. In my eyes, the poem transformed from a piece about an eagle diving to get food to the story about a king and the fall of his kingdom or reign. The poem became so much more than it had originally been, just because I was shown a new way to analyze works. If you would like more information on good ways to analyze poems, click here. Now, when I look back yet again at the poem, it is obvious to me that it never was just about an eagle. I really need to work on not taking things at face value all of the time. I am glad that I was eventually able to find a meaningful plot to the poem, but in the future I would like my critical thinking skills to kick in automatically if at all possible. Throughout my life, I have loved books. Reading is how I pass all of my free time when I am at school. However, I have not known until recently that there should be a certain amount that I read in a given time frame. Because I have always viewed reading as a fun activity to pass boring school days by, I never really thought too deeply about how much or little I was actually getting read. It did not matter to me whether I finished one or one hundred books a year, as long as I was reading. After doing the little reading test that we did in class today, I realized that I have been wrong. When I had finished the test, I learned that I should be reading about five and one-third books every twelve weeks. That is something that I am sometimes able to do easily, and other times not. I learned that it is very important to read as much as possible to meet my student-specific goals in order to be ready for college, no matter how impossible it may sound. While it is true that my five and one-third book goal is based solely on my current book, Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor, I feel like it is a pretty standard goal for someone like me who likes to read but is not overly serious about it. The more the class discussed, the more it really sank in that reading goals are something serious. Reading two hours a week can seem difficult, but it is necessary for college readiness. Here is a link to a website that discusses the importance of reading. Even if it means reading five minutes here, ten minutes there, whatever it takes to reach my goal is what I must do. It has been a good week for self-reflection. I now know what I must do in order to have a successful future as a college student. I still love to read, so hopefully meeting set goals will not prove to be incredibly difficult for me, however there is a lot that I know I will have to train myself to do in order to maintain my ability to read so many books in such a short window of time. I am excited to see where this trimester takes me, and hope that it will lead to only good places! |
AuthorThis is an AP Lit and Comp blog by MPHS senior Peri Sanderson Archives
November 2017
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