Modernism is...

Tomorrow we're going to look at the poetry of Robert Frost.  For all intents and purposes, Frost seems out of place among the other Moderns we've explored:  Hemingway, Eliot, and Fitzgerald.  So we're able to see how he fits and so we can build on our understanding of this delicious literary movement, let's try to nail down our thinking about what characterizes the Moderns.  You are welcome to just explore one characteristic of Modernism or many, but try not to give it all away so we each have something to contribute.  You are also welcome to use research to add to your understanding.  Regardless of the option you choose, use one idea or passage from one of the Modern texts we've explored to support your thinking.  Oh yes, and did I mention the fact that we're thinking metaphorically?  I'll start, but with a different movement so I don't inadvertently steal your thinking.

Realism is a family portrait.  It zooms in on people, rather than landscape, to try to show who they really are.  Though a portrait might be staged, if one looks close enough, he can see the reality beneath.  Look at their eyes, demands realism.  Look at their body language.  What is in the background, this movement asks?  What story does this truly tell?  It is these sensory perceptions that will lead us to reality.  Hayden's "The Janitor Who Paints" shows these tenets of realism.  It is, in fact, a family portrait, but if one looks closely, one notices the spartan nature of the subjects' apartment, the broom and mop in the background.  The title itself tells us that reality--the janitor--is not as beautiful as it seems--the artist.  Realism is a family portrait.

Love Songs

Tomorrow we're going to read a famous Modern poem entitled "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock".  It just happens to be my favorite. :)  Because we've been exploring the idea of love in our Modern texts, I want us to think about this idea, but particularly how it looks in "Prufrock".  Eliot tells us from our first glance that this is a love song, so let's think about what that idea means.

In a brief, well-proofread post, identify a favorite love song.  This might be one of yours, or one that's considered so by pop culture.  In addition to naming that song by artist and title, give a sense for it.  What is it about?  What story does it tell?  Consider even capturing a bit from the lyrics. 

I'll start...
One of my favorite love songs is the song my husband and I danced to at our wedding called "Feet Don't Touch the Ground".  It's by an obscure Texas country singer named Stony Larue.  The lyrics tell the story of two people who come from completely different backgrounds and think they could never get used to the other setting; one is from a small town and doesn't think she could love a big city while the other is used to an urban setting and doesn't think he could live in the country.  Ultimately, as one might expect, he is willing to forego what he's used to because he falls in love with her.  Here is a little taste:  "I was used to the boulevard./ When I saw you, I fell so hard./ Now I never want to leave;/ I could stay forever..." 

A Practice Synthesis Thesis...

Using your notes and understanding from today's discussion, post a synthesis thesis below.  This can be the one with which you're currently working for your ALIS essay or can be about 2 texts we've read this semester.  Regardless, combine your 2 texts AND the theory you plan on incorporating into your sample argument.

I hear Arapahoe singing...

Today we read 2 famous poems by Langston Hughes and Walt Whitman, both of whom profess to hear America singing.  They each go on to describe what they hear their cultures singing, saying, when they close your eyes.

Close your eyes and imagine you hear Arapahoe singing--the building, its people, its culture.  What do you hear?  Add a stanza to our collaborative poem.  Please be sure to avoid naming names. :)

I'll start (kind of).

I hear Arapahoe singing, the varied carols I hear...

ALIS book check in and recommendations

I would love your feedback on the following questions so your classmates have some ideas and guidance as they choose their spring ALIS books.  Please answer the questions below in a short paragraph.

1. Name and title of work.
2. To whom would you recommend this book and why?
3. What material, if any, might one find objectionable about this text?
4. To what extent did this novel selection help you experience ALIS success?

A Transcendental Experience

Capture your thinking about your transcendental experience.  What was the experience itself?  What thoughts did its ensuing reflection questions provoke for you?  Respond in at least 1 good-sized paragraph. 

One Last Fishbowl Blog: "A Good Man Is Hard to Find"