This term I'm teaching trying to teach literary analysis to undergrads. Last week we began the dreaded poetry section. Hit any undergrad and you get the knee-jerk answer, "I hate poetry." "Why?" "It's hard. I don't understand it." (There's a point to this story, really. Just bear with me).
In an effort to liven things up, I brought in a couple of poems in English. The first one begins,
Blinking on and off it's the Queen of Eyes With her carapace shell and her black lace thighs I don't know why she never gets anywhere with you
[etc.]
So we talked about the imagery in the poem, the use of metaphor and allusion, the use of repetition, etc. and then I said, "I've got the poet reciting this on CD. Would you like to hear it?" "OK," they said numbly.
Three minutes later: Prof. Minx is yelling, "Look! Poetry is all around you! But you call it MUSIC! You're surrounded by poetry in your daily life! Pay attention to it!" And the students are sitting there thinking, "My God, she's really gone right round the twist now."
The kicker? Today in class a student said, "I don't like poetry. It's hard and I don't understand it."
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Date: 2005-03-05 04:01 am (UTC)teachingtrying to teach literary analysis to undergrads. Last week we began the dreaded poetry section. Hit any undergrad and you get the knee-jerk answer, "I hate poetry." "Why?" "It's hard. I don't understand it." (There's a point to this story, really. Just bear with me).In an effort to liven things up, I brought in a couple of poems in English. The first one begins,
Blinking on and off it's the Queen of Eyes
With her carapace shell and her black lace thighs
I don't know why she never gets anywhere with you
[etc.]
So we talked about the imagery in the poem, the use of metaphor and allusion, the use of repetition, etc. and then I said, "I've got the poet reciting this on CD. Would you like to hear it?" "OK," they said numbly.
Three minutes later: Prof. Minx is yelling, "Look! Poetry is all around you! But you call it MUSIC! You're surrounded by poetry in your daily life! Pay attention to it!" And the students are sitting there thinking, "My God, she's really gone right round the twist now."
The kicker? Today in class a student said, "I don't like poetry. It's hard and I don't understand it."