New Criticism is a lense through which literature is critiqued based upon its form and aesthetic pleasure. Through this lense, we see art as art with no references to historical meaning. Literature and art simply exist to be appreciated. The way in which we look at a literary piece through the lense of New Criticism is to look at the structure and style of the piece itself. Essentially, this is literary analysis, where you analyzing the setting, plot, characterization, imagery, symbolism, etc. The list goes on, but basically the writer’s craft is what’s important. Another huge part of New Criticism is “universal truths,” that certain human conditions will always be true. One quote that I found that held a “universal truth” was by Edgar Allen Poe. He stated (on pg 198 of the 9th grade LOL), “The death of a beautiful woman is, unquestionably, the most poetical topic in the world.” I found many other examples of New Criticism as well. On pg. 324 I found an overview that states the objectives as being: 1) appreciate a contemporary short story and 2) identify and examine different types of characters. On pg. 376, the instruction is to “ask students why Jerry refers to the other beaches as ‘her beach.’ What does the beach symbolize for Jerry?” On pg. 562 there is a question about style. It asks the students to “describe the shift of tenses between these two paragraphs. What dramatic effect does the shift achieve?” All of these things are examples of New Criticism because they want the student to look solely at the craft of the writer without worrying about if it has any historical values or beliefs.
Reader Response is another lense through which literature is critiqued, but instead of being critiqued on form and craft, it is based upon how the reader reacts and relates to a piece of writing. This suggests that not all people will have the same reaction to a text and that it is possible to get many different interpretations. On pg. 343, the book asks the students to connect the topic of the text to their own life. It states, “Think about how your life has changed in the last few years, and about how it is changing now. How do you feel about these changes? Using a chart like the one shown, describe the disadvantages of these changes and the immediate or long-term benefits.” On pg. 340 a question asks, “how do you react to the narrator as a person? Share your reactions with a classmate.” On pg. 255 the book asks, “what is your reaction to the way Frank is treated in the hospital?” And finally, on pg. 552 there is another question asking you to relate the text to your life. It says, “Different animals in nature evoke different responses from people. Copy the list shown and fill in your own opinions. Then, with a classmate, discuss your choices.” Each of these assignments exemplifies Reader Response because they only want to know what YOU think. It is not about what the author thinks, or what the historical basis is, but just how YOU, yourself, relate and respond to the text.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Lit-Crit Part 2
Example 1
The assignment: Look at the picture, “Solitary Confinement: Insects Witness My Agony,” then answer “What aspects of the story (“Marine Corps Issue”) can you find in the painting?” The story is about a boy whose father was in the Vietnam War. When he returns, he never talks about the war, but keeps three locked boxes in the garage. After watching a movie about the war, the boy becomes very interested in finding out more about the war and more about his father. He makes it his mission to find out what is in the boxes. He gets away with looking at the contents of two of the boxes and as he is looking at the third, his father finds him. Obvious anger is seen in his father’s eyes and stature, but he does not punish the boy. Instead, his eyes well up with tears and he goes out to his garden, where he digs up two more boxes. The picture that the question asks the reader to look at is a picture of a man in solitary confinement and in obvious agony. The assignment is an example of New Criticism because it is asking the reader to look at the piece of art and find out how it fits together with the reading. How does the picture work with the structure and the writers craft to unravel the universal human condition? Any person who is in forced solitude will suffer. This is a universal truth that is recognizable in the story as well as in the picture. The father is suffering from an internal solitude, and the man in the picture is suffering from solitary confinement.
Example 2
The assignment: “Connect to life.” After reading the two poems, “Young” and “Hanging Fire,” the reader is asked the following question: “Based on your own experience and your observation of adolescence in general, which of these poems do you think is more true to life?” This question is definitely an example of Reader Response because asking the reader to come up with their own meaning and interpretation of which poem they believe to be more realistic. Answers will certainly differ according to each reader, because no two people have experienced adolescence in the same manner. The question also encourages the readers to relate to the text by comparing the poems to their own life and perspectives.
The assignment: Look at the picture, “Solitary Confinement: Insects Witness My Agony,” then answer “What aspects of the story (“Marine Corps Issue”) can you find in the painting?” The story is about a boy whose father was in the Vietnam War. When he returns, he never talks about the war, but keeps three locked boxes in the garage. After watching a movie about the war, the boy becomes very interested in finding out more about the war and more about his father. He makes it his mission to find out what is in the boxes. He gets away with looking at the contents of two of the boxes and as he is looking at the third, his father finds him. Obvious anger is seen in his father’s eyes and stature, but he does not punish the boy. Instead, his eyes well up with tears and he goes out to his garden, where he digs up two more boxes. The picture that the question asks the reader to look at is a picture of a man in solitary confinement and in obvious agony. The assignment is an example of New Criticism because it is asking the reader to look at the piece of art and find out how it fits together with the reading. How does the picture work with the structure and the writers craft to unravel the universal human condition? Any person who is in forced solitude will suffer. This is a universal truth that is recognizable in the story as well as in the picture. The father is suffering from an internal solitude, and the man in the picture is suffering from solitary confinement.
Example 2
The assignment: “Connect to life.” After reading the two poems, “Young” and “Hanging Fire,” the reader is asked the following question: “Based on your own experience and your observation of adolescence in general, which of these poems do you think is more true to life?” This question is definitely an example of Reader Response because asking the reader to come up with their own meaning and interpretation of which poem they believe to be more realistic. Answers will certainly differ according to each reader, because no two people have experienced adolescence in the same manner. The question also encourages the readers to relate to the text by comparing the poems to their own life and perspectives.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Lit-Crit
I flipped through quite a few pages before I started to realize that I kept focusing in on the “Customized Instruction,” particularly for the “less proficient readers.” With each question and possible response I read for the less proficient reader, I began to get more and more frustrated. The questions the book suggests to ask less proficient readers to answer are very basic and cause very little thinking to take place. When it comes to Bloom’s Taxonomy, the questions are all at the very bottom level, knowledge. There is not critical thinking that is being asked to take place what-so-ever.
On page 487 of the ninth grade version of The Language of Literature, I found a customized instruction that went along with an excerpt from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. The instruction was for the teacher to ask the less proficient reader the following questions: “What are the ‘gifts’ that Mrs. Flowers gives Marguerite?” and “How does Marguerite react to these gifts?” Both of these questions ask for a very simple response, where the student could simply look in the text and answer straight from the text. Neither question inspires a thoughtful answer.
It frustrates me that people do not realize that by labeling students “less proficient” not only lowers their moral, but discourages them from trying to learn or putting forth any effort. When little is expected from you, you are going to show little in return. Also, the book does not do anything to try to encourage the less proficient readers to think critically. If a question can be answered by taking a sentence or two straight out of the text, then it is not a good question!
Actually, now that I think about it, every time I have ever had to read something out of a textbook and answer follow-up questions, I can remember taking direct sentences and copying them as my answer. All that does is cause a student to remember where they heard that same thing before and go back to that spot in the text. It certainly does not ask a student to go through their own thinking process to come up with an answer. I do not think that when I am a teacher I am going to want to make my student just answer the questions from the text, because they are not very reflective of learning and understanding. And the less proficient readers need to have more encouragement, and need to be answering the same things as everyone else, or else their learning will be inhibited.
On page 487 of the ninth grade version of The Language of Literature, I found a customized instruction that went along with an excerpt from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. The instruction was for the teacher to ask the less proficient reader the following questions: “What are the ‘gifts’ that Mrs. Flowers gives Marguerite?” and “How does Marguerite react to these gifts?” Both of these questions ask for a very simple response, where the student could simply look in the text and answer straight from the text. Neither question inspires a thoughtful answer.
It frustrates me that people do not realize that by labeling students “less proficient” not only lowers their moral, but discourages them from trying to learn or putting forth any effort. When little is expected from you, you are going to show little in return. Also, the book does not do anything to try to encourage the less proficient readers to think critically. If a question can be answered by taking a sentence or two straight out of the text, then it is not a good question!
Actually, now that I think about it, every time I have ever had to read something out of a textbook and answer follow-up questions, I can remember taking direct sentences and copying them as my answer. All that does is cause a student to remember where they heard that same thing before and go back to that spot in the text. It certainly does not ask a student to go through their own thinking process to come up with an answer. I do not think that when I am a teacher I am going to want to make my student just answer the questions from the text, because they are not very reflective of learning and understanding. And the less proficient readers need to have more encouragement, and need to be answering the same things as everyone else, or else their learning will be inhibited.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Ch. 12 and 15
In chapter 12 of Talking in Class, the author discusses the importance of presenting students with thought-provoking problems and concepts in an effort to make them think critically and participate in deliberation and debate. By contributing to debate-type discussions, students are exposed to diverse opinions and ideas, and are also encouraged to defend the position they have taken. Through-out this process, the students reason with themselves and others, and in the end make realizations about themselves and their own ideas. A student may begin a discussion with a firm understanding of what he or she believes, but come out of the discussion with a revised idea after hearing different perspectives. This change in thinking is the result of analyzing and assessing one’s own perspectives to develop a stronger, less biased opinion of an issue. This process also open’s up the minds of students to diversity.
Chapter 15 goes along with the concept of diversity and creating an atmosphere where students are able to debate on critical issues. The book states that it is important to “provide frequent occasions for students to engage in meaningful, content-related conversations about challenging issues that matter to them” (McCann 197). Exposure to diverse views increases awareness in all students, and in turn, this awareness is carried out in real-life situations. Not all students are conscious of the fact that everyone has their own opinion about each and every issue. But by engaging in debates where multiple perspectives are being presented, they develop this awareness which will most likely lead them to be more open-minded of other people and their ideas.
I can only think of a small handful of times when I have been involved in truly meaningful discussion, particularly in a classroom. Sure, I have taken part in many of these discussion in various other scenes, but in the classroom, where this type of discussion is critical, I can recall very few. In one of my high school classes, we had a debate on stem-cell research, but instead of actually having a true discussion, we were given a side to take and had to debate from that particular discussion. While I feel that this could be one way to open up your mind to another point-of-view, I feel more strongly that it only touches upon the stereotypical debates instead of getting down into what people actually think. When you are forced to put aside your own perspective, it eliminates the passion with which you will fight for your cause. For example, if I felt strongly about being pro-choice, and I was told to argue for why abortion should not be an option, I would not argue as strongly and passionately as I would if I actually believed what I was fighting for. Also, the group to which I was presenting/debating my argument would get a deeper understanding of my beliefs if I were actually arguing my true beliefs, instead of making something up. I feel that in order to have a true debate, you have to speak from the heart. That is the only way other people will be inclined to consider what you have in mind, instead of disregarding an argument they know you don’t even believe in.
For the most part, I agree with the authors that meaningful discussions are essential to the reduction of biases and broadening perspectives. The only way to open up the minds of students is to get them to realize that diversity is prevalent everywhere. Not just in the way people look and act, but also in the way people think. However, I also believe that a teacher has to be very careful about what debates to allow in the classroom, because people can easily become offended, and in turn, a teacher could get into a lot of trouble by allowing certain discussions to take place! It would make me very nervous to have debates on ultra-controversial topics, but I know at the same time that they are necessary to an extent.
Chapter 15 goes along with the concept of diversity and creating an atmosphere where students are able to debate on critical issues. The book states that it is important to “provide frequent occasions for students to engage in meaningful, content-related conversations about challenging issues that matter to them” (McCann 197). Exposure to diverse views increases awareness in all students, and in turn, this awareness is carried out in real-life situations. Not all students are conscious of the fact that everyone has their own opinion about each and every issue. But by engaging in debates where multiple perspectives are being presented, they develop this awareness which will most likely lead them to be more open-minded of other people and their ideas.
I can only think of a small handful of times when I have been involved in truly meaningful discussion, particularly in a classroom. Sure, I have taken part in many of these discussion in various other scenes, but in the classroom, where this type of discussion is critical, I can recall very few. In one of my high school classes, we had a debate on stem-cell research, but instead of actually having a true discussion, we were given a side to take and had to debate from that particular discussion. While I feel that this could be one way to open up your mind to another point-of-view, I feel more strongly that it only touches upon the stereotypical debates instead of getting down into what people actually think. When you are forced to put aside your own perspective, it eliminates the passion with which you will fight for your cause. For example, if I felt strongly about being pro-choice, and I was told to argue for why abortion should not be an option, I would not argue as strongly and passionately as I would if I actually believed what I was fighting for. Also, the group to which I was presenting/debating my argument would get a deeper understanding of my beliefs if I were actually arguing my true beliefs, instead of making something up. I feel that in order to have a true debate, you have to speak from the heart. That is the only way other people will be inclined to consider what you have in mind, instead of disregarding an argument they know you don’t even believe in.
For the most part, I agree with the authors that meaningful discussions are essential to the reduction of biases and broadening perspectives. The only way to open up the minds of students is to get them to realize that diversity is prevalent everywhere. Not just in the way people look and act, but also in the way people think. However, I also believe that a teacher has to be very careful about what debates to allow in the classroom, because people can easily become offended, and in turn, a teacher could get into a lot of trouble by allowing certain discussions to take place! It would make me very nervous to have debates on ultra-controversial topics, but I know at the same time that they are necessary to an extent.
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