We are about to start our poetry unit in American Literature, and I'm actually a little bit excited about it. I know a lot of people really hate poetry, but I think there's a lot more to analyze than with prose. We've already looked at The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe, which is the perfect example. There's repetition, in the line "Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore.'" But there's also the author's decision to only end every stanza with that line towards the end of the poem. To me, there's just so much you could read into that - maybe the narrator is losing his mind until this is all he can think of, or the idea of never seeing his wife again is overwhelming him the more he thinks about it.
We were also given that very long packet, chock full of poems. It's daunting because of the size, but it's also, in my opinion, better than the readings we've had in the past. Because there are so many poems, we have options of what we want to analyze or close read - and you could probably find one that you either relate to or are interested in. There are also so many different styles and topics of poetry that it's very easy to connect with as a category of literature, so I'm hoping we'll be able to choose some of our own. Are you dreading or looking forward to this unit? Do you like poetry?
Poetry is a very engaging subject, and undoubtedly, I am thrilled to be studying it in American Literature. However, I fear that the section will be quick and vague, therefore disengaging.
ReplyDeleteOo! Oo! I'm looking forward to it! And I'm glad to hear that you appreciate an opportunity to find a poem you like, however limited the circumstances. Muaaz, I hear what you're saying. I regret that we don't get to spend more time with the texts we study, but I'm hoping that if we dig deeply into a few, then you will have an effective set of tools to take with you to other poems. However, I'd appreciate your feedback after we're done with the poetry presentations.
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