The SET-UP
Now that we've read the poem, discussed the theme of authority, including looking at the cultural artifacts related to the New York police during the time, pull specific excerpts from the poem that you feel reference authority. What sections of the poem, short or long, speak most strongly to you regarding the theme of authority? This can be something as overt as a section including the word police (for example, "the policeman travels his beat..."), or perhaps something a little more hidden in the text (for example, "Patriarchs sit at supper with sons and grandsons and great grandsons around them..."). Take some chances with the poem. Try to find some excerpts that might be difficult to connect to authority. Experiment with the excerpts by writing a few ideas down as to why your excerpt connects to authority. Be prepared to share these ideas in class. Once we share some of these as a group, take some time to free-write on how your excerpt speaks to authority during the time the poem was written, discuss how it relates to authority in your own lives, and how "authority" works in relation to other themes of the poem we've brought up in class (for example, community, individualism, etc).When this is complete, we'll spend some time sharing the ideas you've come up with in your writing. Walk around the room and share at least 3 ideas that came up for you with other students. Then, we'll reconvene and each of you will share an idea that stuck with you from your conversations. For this discussion, you'll want to share the ideas of your fellow students, not your own.
The WRITING ASSIGNMENT
Working from your class writing and discussion, research some of your own artifacts of Whitman's time that relate to authority. Specifically, search the Library of Congress' website for photos of policeman in or around 1855, when Whitman published his first version of "Leaves of Grass." Spend some time doing a "close-reading" of your photo. What do you notice about the photo? Make a list. Describe the photo. Describe your relationship to the photo. How does it make you feel? How do you relate to the photo in terms of our focus theme of "authority"? What about your notions of police now - how does the photo relate to that? Now, on your blog, write your own 600-700 word poem in response to the artifact, this photo, the theme of authority - write in relation to Whitman's notions of authority in his poem and your own experience of authority. I encourage you to play with the words, ideas, craft of Whitman's poem, and use his poem as a starting point to craft your own work. What will your poem say about your experience of authority? What similarities will your poem share with Whitman's - in both form and meaning? This poem should be a minimum of 2 pages, double spaced. Remember to use references to Whitman's use of authority in the poem and references to your photo artifact and its representation of authority.
In addition, spend another 2 pages (600-700 words, double-spaced) writing on how your poem is similar or different to Whitman's. In what ways is your theme of authority similar or dissimilar to the theme of authority in Whitman's work? Could your poem work in the context of Whitman's time and, if so, how? What does your poem say about the theme community? individualism? freedom?
Ned - - this is great. A couple of things: which cultural artifacts do you want the students to look at? and what kind of things do you want them to look for in these artifacts? A couple of good focusing questions - - helping to guide the student's inquiry as they work with primary sources will help a lot - -both to give the students a sense of purpose and to work toward your culminating assignment/project.
ReplyDeleteSecond, this question is great: "What will your poem say about your experience of authority? " However, rather than waiting post-poem to ask about Whitman connections - - why not have the students use their poem to engage with Whitman/authority/1855 - -i.e. their poem as a response to Whitman's version of authority based on their experience. Maybe this is just a way of bringing the articulations/connections a little more sharply onto the table and of bringing to bear the students Whitman/context work a bit more explicitly.
This might be a good idea because, thirdly, you're going to have to figure out how to evaluate the students' effort and labor. It would be unfair to judge them on the "aesthetic" quality of their poem - - so it seems that if you can help them to make their knowledge/skills (in re Whitman and artifacts) more visible and explicit - - it will be both easier and more confident to evaluate.
This is an assignment I would be excited about. I think one of the most powerful and articulate ways to explore particular themes in particular works of art is to attempt to engage with those themes creatively, even if that creative work is somewhat imitative.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that might not work (and this seems to be a result of the angle at which we approached this particular assignment) is the necessity for students to stick with the theme of authority. I think this theme is an interesting way to encourage engagement with the poem, but I might be cool to see students find other themes that they are interested in. In other words, the example you use to begin inquiry needn't be the only theme inquired about.
Hi Ned, I really like the idea of using a creative project to assess students' understanding of the material. In addition to the poem, can you think of any alternative creative projects for those students who might not have any experience writing poetry? How would you guide these students through the process of writing a poem?
ReplyDeleteI actually did the same thing in my first assignment--asking them to write a poem.
ReplyDeleteBut I'm with Caroline... I myself don't actually mind writing poetry. I think English majors should have a holistic experience of reading + writing, expository + creative, etc. Not everyone shares that sentiment... especially undergrads resistant to poetry...