There is no point in looking for hidden meanings in everything you read. If a meaning is important, it shouldn’t be hidden. And besides, once you’ve determined what you believe a text might mean, how would you possibly know if the meanings are really there or not? And even if you could confirm those meanings, why spend time talking about it? In short, what is the purpose of crafting an analysis of text? No one benefits from that. The author doesn’t need to know. And whether we analyze a text or not, the text doesn’t change. It’s still there, just like it was before it was analyzed. Whether or not I determine that text Y has a beautiful motif of red, no one’s life gets changed. In fact, the original gets ruined with all that talk talk talk about the text. So what's the point? -- internet blog on English classes
"Talking with friends about books harks back to the original impulse behind storytelling, the forging of human bonds. We have told ourselves stories not just in order to live, but in order to live with one another. Primary storytelling itself is insufficient for the forging of human bonds, for audiences need to talk about the stories they read and to compare their interpretations in order to be sure that they have read the same story. The more isolated from one another readers feel, the more they need such secondary conversations in order to establish a bond with other readers. " --paraphrased from Brian Hall's essay on book groups
"An unfortunate split runs through arts education, reflecting the romantic culture war between creators and critics, between the teaching of art itself and the teaching of art criticism. The assumption is that a great masterpiece is so powerful that it cannot help making an impact on any student who can be brought to read it carefully. If the experience of reading is to mature and be stretched beyond the place where it already is, it needs a critical vocabulary with which to express itself. It is therefore misleading to oppose the firsthand rexperience of reading to secondhand critical analysis about our reading. How we talk about books shapes how we read the books themselves." -- Gerald Graff, "Clueless in Academe"
"Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar." -- attributed to Sigmund Freu
Respond to these thoughts and to one another. Please use your "joining the conversation" template.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
What Is Talking About Fiction For? -- IB ENGLISH SECOND PERIOD
There is no point in looking for hidden meanings in everything you read. If a meaning is important, it shouldn’t be hidden. And besides, once you’ve determined what you believe a text might mean, how would you possibly know if the meanings are really there or not? And even if you could confirm those meanings, why spend time talking about it? In short, what is the purpose of crafting an analysis of text? No one benefits from that. The author doesn’t need to know. And whether we analyze a text or not, the text doesn’t change. It’s still there, just like it was before it was analyzed. Whether or not I determine that text Y has a beautiful motif of red, no one’s life gets changed. In fact, the original gets ruined with all that talk talk talk about the text. So what's the point? -- internet blog on English classes
"Talking with friends about books harks back to the original impulse behind storytelling, the forging of human bonds. We have told ourselves stories not just in order to live, but in order to live with one another. Primary storytelling itself is insufficient for the forging of human bonds, for audiences need to talk about the stories they read and to compare their interpretations in order to be sure that they have read the same story. The more isolated from one another readers feel, the more they need such secondary conversations in order to establish a bond with other readers. " --paraphrased from Brian Hall's essay on book groups
"An unfortunate split runs through arts education, reflecting the romantic culture war between creators and critics, between the teaching of art itself and the teaching of art criticism. The assumption is that a great masterpiece is so powerful that it cannot help making an impact on any student who can be brought to read it carefully. If the experience of reading is to mature and be stretched beyond the place where it already is, it needs a critical vocabulary with which to express itself. It is therefore misleading to oppose the firsthand rexperience of reading to secondhand critical analysis about our reading. How we talk about books shapes how we read the books themselves." -- Gerald Graff, "Clueless in Academe"
"Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar." -- attributed to Sigmund Freu
Respond to these thoughts and to one another. Please use your "joining the conversation" template.
"Talking with friends about books harks back to the original impulse behind storytelling, the forging of human bonds. We have told ourselves stories not just in order to live, but in order to live with one another. Primary storytelling itself is insufficient for the forging of human bonds, for audiences need to talk about the stories they read and to compare their interpretations in order to be sure that they have read the same story. The more isolated from one another readers feel, the more they need such secondary conversations in order to establish a bond with other readers. " --paraphrased from Brian Hall's essay on book groups
"An unfortunate split runs through arts education, reflecting the romantic culture war between creators and critics, between the teaching of art itself and the teaching of art criticism. The assumption is that a great masterpiece is so powerful that it cannot help making an impact on any student who can be brought to read it carefully. If the experience of reading is to mature and be stretched beyond the place where it already is, it needs a critical vocabulary with which to express itself. It is therefore misleading to oppose the firsthand rexperience of reading to secondhand critical analysis about our reading. How we talk about books shapes how we read the books themselves." -- Gerald Graff, "Clueless in Academe"
"Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar." -- attributed to Sigmund Freu
Respond to these thoughts and to one another. Please use your "joining the conversation" template.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
What Is Talking About Fiction For? -- FIRST PERIOD
There is no point in looking for hidden meanings in everything you read. If a meaning is important, it shouldn’t be hidden. And besides, once you’ve determined what you believe a text might mean, how would you possibly know if the meanings are really there or not? And even if you could confirm those meanings, why spend time talking about it? In short, what is the purpose of crafting an analysis of text? No one benefits from that. The author doesn’t need to know. And whether we analyze a text or not, the text doesn’t change. It’s still there, just like it was before it was analyzed. Whether or not I determine that text Y has a beautiful motif of red, no one’s life gets changed. In fact, the original gets ruined with all that talk talk talk about the text. So what's the point? -- internet blog on English classes
"Talking with friends about books harks back to the original impulse behind storytelling, the forging of human bonds. We have told ourselves stories not just in order to live, but in order to live with one another. Primary storytelling itself is insufficient for the forging of human bonds, for audiences need to talk about the stories they read and to compare their interpretations in order to be sure that they have read the same story. The more isolated from one another readers feel, the more they need such secondary conversations in order to establish a bond with other readers. " --paraphrased from Brian Hall's essay on book groups
"An unfortunate split runs through arts education, reflecting the romantic culture war between creators and critics, between the teaching of art itself and the teaching of art criticism. The assumption is that a great masterpiece is so powerful that it cannot help making an impact on any student who can be brought to read it carefully. If the experience of reading is to mature and be stretched beyond the place where it already is, it needs a critical vocabulary with which to express itself. It is therefore misleading to oppose the firsthand rexperience of reading to secondhand critical analysis about our reading. How we talk about books shapes how we read the books themselves." -- Gerald Graff, "Clueless in Academe"
"Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar." -- attributed to Sigmund Freud
Respond to these thoughts and to one another. Please use your "joining the conversation" template.
"Talking with friends about books harks back to the original impulse behind storytelling, the forging of human bonds. We have told ourselves stories not just in order to live, but in order to live with one another. Primary storytelling itself is insufficient for the forging of human bonds, for audiences need to talk about the stories they read and to compare their interpretations in order to be sure that they have read the same story. The more isolated from one another readers feel, the more they need such secondary conversations in order to establish a bond with other readers. " --paraphrased from Brian Hall's essay on book groups
"An unfortunate split runs through arts education, reflecting the romantic culture war between creators and critics, between the teaching of art itself and the teaching of art criticism. The assumption is that a great masterpiece is so powerful that it cannot help making an impact on any student who can be brought to read it carefully. If the experience of reading is to mature and be stretched beyond the place where it already is, it needs a critical vocabulary with which to express itself. It is therefore misleading to oppose the firsthand rexperience of reading to secondhand critical analysis about our reading. How we talk about books shapes how we read the books themselves." -- Gerald Graff, "Clueless in Academe"
"Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar." -- attributed to Sigmund Freud
Respond to these thoughts and to one another. Please use your "joining the conversation" template.
Monday, October 13, 2008
THE MOST EFFECTIVE BREAK UP SONG ever, and WHY
Today you will be listening to a radio show called "This American Life." It's a [fantastic, insightful and often really funny] radio show that tells all sorts of stories with shared themes.
Please go to the following link: http://thislife.org/favorites.aspx
Be prepared to scroll down.
Scroll down until you see a show called "The Break Up." The entire show is one hour long, but you only need to listen from minute 5:15 to minute 32:31, or about 27 minutes of story. During that time, you'll hear from a writer named Starlee Kline who is going through a terrible break-up and trying to write a song about it.
Then:
1. Bearing in mind our discussion (and Plato's and Aristotle's, and Starlee Kline's) of what art and fiction are for, argue with this claim:
Here is a link to hear the song again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Sd0W1RyMnE&feature=related
2. If you do not agree, please nominate the one song that you believe instead to be the most effective break up song EVER. Be prepared to compare the effects of your choice and the Phil Collins song.
a. Explain why this song does the things that you believe fiction/art should do.
b. Discuss the specific overall effects your choice of song actually creates.
c. Explain how -- with what techniques -- this song creates the effects that it does.
d. Explain why this song is a more effective break-up song than Collins' song, or ANY other song nominated by ANYONE else on the blog.
In your discussion of technique and effect, you must refer to specific details and choices in the song. Please use your cheat sheets for this assignment. They will help ensure that you are discussing specific techniques and effects.
If you can, ALSO post a link to youtube or elsewhere so we can hear it, too.
Check your grammar.
Strongest argument for most effective song wins a homework extension certificate.
http://thislife.org/favorites.aspx
Please go to the following link: http://thislife.org/favorites.aspx
Be prepared to scroll down.
Scroll down until you see a show called "The Break Up." The entire show is one hour long, but you only need to listen from minute 5:15 to minute 32:31, or about 27 minutes of story. During that time, you'll hear from a writer named Starlee Kline who is going through a terrible break-up and trying to write a song about it.
Then:
1. Bearing in mind our discussion (and Plato's and Aristotle's, and Starlee Kline's) of what art and fiction are for, argue with this claim:
"Against All Odds" by Phil Collins
is the most effective break-up song ever made.
is the most effective break-up song ever made.
Here is a link to hear the song again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Sd0W1RyMnE&feature=related
2. If you do not agree, please nominate the one song that you believe instead to be the most effective break up song EVER. Be prepared to compare the effects of your choice and the Phil Collins song.
a. Explain why this song does the things that you believe fiction/art should do.
b. Discuss the specific overall effects your choice of song actually creates.
c. Explain how -- with what techniques -- this song creates the effects that it does.
d. Explain why this song is a more effective break-up song than Collins' song, or ANY other song nominated by ANYONE else on the blog.
In your discussion of technique and effect, you must refer to specific details and choices in the song. Please use your cheat sheets for this assignment. They will help ensure that you are discussing specific techniques and effects.
If you can, ALSO post a link to youtube or elsewhere so we can hear it, too.
Check your grammar.
Strongest argument for most effective song wins a homework extension certificate.
http://thislife.org/favorites.aspx
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