Friday, November 6, 2015
Presentations Anyone?
So we had many guest teachers this week. I want you to comment on the presentations, not necessarily which ones you liked or didn't, but more of a thoughtful response about what you learned, what poems or assignments struck you and whether or not you really "own" some of the devices. What are some literary devices you love? Examples, devices about which you are unsure and devices about which you need more confidence may all warrant comment. Just have a virtual discussion about all the we have learned in the past week or so.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
After these presentations, I own similes, personification, apostrophe, overstatement, metonymy, rhythm, meter, understatement, connotation, and denotation. I own imagery as a whole but get confused between some of the different types when I am looking for them in a poem. I also own metaphors but have some difficulties when attempting to find extended metaphors. In the span of two weeks, I would say that is a lot to own! Great job teaching everyone, I learned many new devices and cleaned up some of the ones I was confused about. Although I know a lot more than I did before these presentations, I still do not understand everything that was taught. The device I have the hardest time with is symbolism. Embarrassingly, it is very hard for me to understand what poems mean if the meaning is not displayed in a semi-obvious fashion. Because of my lack of understanding, I do not find it easy to analyze what the author is trying to symbolize. This same issue gives me a hard time with allegory, paradox, and irony.
ReplyDeleteThe literary device I love the most is definitely imagery. I love imagery because it has so much power in making a poem either extremely beautiful or hauntingly disgusting. Imagery creates pictures in your head that are unique from anyone else's, which is amazing. The same words can create a totally different picture, depending on a person's connotations that they associate with that word. In addition to imagery, I love rhythm and meter. I understand this because I spent a lot of time studying the topic in order to create my presentation. I have a passion for beautiful music, and meter had the ability to transform an ugly poem into a beautiful song-like masterpiece.
Because I love imagery so much, the activities we did with that lesson were my favorite. All of our drab stories became so much more interesting when we used imagery to enhance them. Also, the After Apple Picking poem reminded me of the fall, which is my favorite season. I enjoyed everyone's presentations and they all had their own unique elements that made them exciting. In addition to all of the rhetorical devices I learned from my classmates in the past two weeks, I learned that I never want to be a teacher. Making one lesson plan was scary enough!
Grace, it seems like pretty much in the same boat with regards to what we grasped and what we need more work with. I also have a lot of trouble with symbolism because it's so abstract and I always feel like I'm interpreting it wrongly. I liked what you said about how imagery and connotation can work together to either create a pleasant or unpleasant experience based on how the reader interprets it. Now that we have all of these new tools in our toolbox, we can start to use them together to help us better understand the complexity of poetry.
Delete*like WE'RE pretty much in the same boat. :)
DeleteGrace, I also loved how imagery enhanced the fall poem that we read. When we read this poem, I felt like I was in the orchard with the poet. I think this poem was the perfect example of how imagery can affect the reader's experience of the poem, and how it can create beauty. Imagery is one of my favorite tools for this reason. I also thought it was interesting that you pointed out imagery and connotation work together. These two tools do seem to complement each other when they are used correctly.
DeleteGrace, I also am horrible with symbolism. It's hard to put yourself in the mind of the author to decide what they are tying to symbolize. It's not a straightforward concept so I feel like that is why so many people struggle with symbolism. It's hard to grasp the concepts that the author is thinking about while writing.
DeleteI agree, Grace, imagery is a very beautiful component of poems. It allows readers to transport themselves to the image the author has in mind. This is very a very special and intimate moment between words and their readers because it takes you somewhere without costing you money for transportation or gas.
DeleteKudos to everyone! I thought the presentations were really good this week! (And last week, Gizzy.) I thought that this was a great project because it gave us all a chance to master our own subject, and then present it to the class in a way that would help everyone understand it just as much! I liked how some of you incorporated activities into your presentations, because I think the only way to understand these complex aspects of poetry is to practice them firsthand.
ReplyDeleteAfter these presentations, I can definitely say that I "own" a lot more tools than I did before. I understand the difference between denotation and connotation, and I think it's so interesting how poets use both in their works. It adds a whole new dimension to poetry, I think. Since my presentation was on imagery, I read quite a bit into it, and as such, I can confirm that I "own" imagery. I think that imagery is my favorite "tool" because it adds so much to a readers experience, which in turn helps them absorb the poem so much more. I love writing poems and stories including imagery because I love creating a vivid experience, and I've found that I love reading poems with imagery for the same reason. While rhythm and meter was pretty much a foreign concept to me before Grace's presentation, (except for iambic pentameter - thanks to Hamlet) I can say that I understand it a lot more now. I guess I never really realized how poets used rhythm and meter so frequently. Even I use it in my own poetry without realizing it! I do get a bit confused on the stresses and unstresses of certain words, but I guess that takes some practice! As for the various types of figurative language, I think I understand some better than others. Obviously the common types such as metaphor, personification, overstatement/understatement, etc. were easier to grasp than the other, less frequently used ones. I think I need a bit more work with the newer types of figurative language such as metonymy, allegory, paradox, etc.
I do wish that we would have worked a bit more with distinguishing the similar types of figurative language and also with picking them out of poems, but I guess we have the rest of the year for that! The tools I would say I do not "own" yet would probably be the different types of symbolism, along with irony. I have a lot of trouble finding symbolism, and an even harder time connecting it to its actual meaning. Again, I'm looking forward to practicing poetry with these new tools, and bettering my understanding of them. Great job, everyone!
Mary, I also wish that we had spent more time finding the devices in poems. It would have been a helpful way to reinforce what we had just learned. I could have used this extra practice after learning new devices and also after the lessons I didn't understand as well. However, we will be practicing this as the year progresses. I look forward to the upcoming chances we'll have to practice the skills we've just learned. I hope that because we've learned so much, poetry becomes much easier to interpret and understand.
DeleteYou're right, Mary. It is kind of amazing that we were using these literary devices when we actually wrote poetry back in the day, but we did not even realize it. Now that we actually know what literary devices are, we should be able to analyze poetry more effectively. And maybe someday, we'll even use these really cool literary devices when we all have careers as poets. And it is tough to get symbolism. It requires a lot of research and if there's a poet referencing something that happened in the 1600's, there's really no way for us to know what the poet was referencing.
DeleteOver the past two weeks, I've learned a lot of literary devices that are commonly used in poetry. Thanks to everyone's great presentations, I own almost every tool we discussed. However, there are still some tools that I do not understand. Irony has always been a weak point of mine, and while the presentation helped, I am far from owning this device. I think it's hard for me to understand because most irony just seems to be a weird coincidence in my mind. In addition, I struggled with rhythm and meter. The presentation about this subject was amazing, but I just don't understand it. I can never figure which parts of a word are actually stressed or unstressed. I realize that this is partially because the way I hear words does not necessarily correspond with the way everyone else does, and so I accept that I will probably not be able to understand this concept as well as I could.
ReplyDeleteI love symbolism and imagery. Symbolism gives many poems an extra dimension, and if the reader can discover the author's intended symbolism they can see the poem in a new light. In addition, symbolism can help relate a poem to a person in a very specific way even if the symbol was vague or unspecific. It is often a little difficult to find symbolism, but it is very rewarding when it is found. Imagery is one of my favorites because of the way it brings a poem to life. A poem with many uses of imagery is vivid and relatable. It gives the poem a realism that it would otherwise lack, and almost paints a picture in my mind.
I thought that these past few weeks were a really great way to learn about all these devices. I learned so much in just two short weeks, and all that knowledge will help me analyze poetry in the future. I hope that we can learn more about the subjects I don't understand, and practice finding it in poems as well. Great job, guys!
I also have trouble with irony, Ashley. I think that I, like you, feel as if it is merely a coincidence. As such, I have a lot of trouble picking it out of poems or even books. I think it takes a lot of different forms, so I'm not entirely familiar with it yet. Again, I hope that this is something that we will work more with so that I can say that I "own" this device.
DeleteWhen we first learned rhythm and meter, I missed school so I never really learned it. I had been struggling to learn what what I missed and I hadn't really understood rhythm and meter. I found Grace's presentation extremely helpful because once she explained the different types and the difference between feet and stanzas and how to organize everything, I finally understood. For me, Grace had the most helpful demonstration because it explained everything that I needed to know. Also, I thought the homework she gave was really helpful and fun. I also knew about imagery sand its effects, but I was not completely aware of the different kinds of imagery. I thought Mary's presentations was extremely helpful in distinguishing between the different kinds of imagery and their uses. I also really enjoyed the poems that she used.
ReplyDeleteAt this point I really think I own metonymy, personification, apostrophe, imagery, rhythm and meter, and connotation. These presentations really helped to understand different types of literary devices. Before this, I knew only a little about figurative language and was able to acknowledge them but now I feel as if I really understand the different devices in depth.
My favorite literary device is definitely rhythm and meter. I think that it makes poems so much more enjoyable to read. Also, when a poem has a rhythm to it, it flows so much better and it helps underlying meanings much more clear. I think everyone did a really great job with the presentations :)
Oh, Abigail! I am flattered! Rhythm and meter is so confusing but in order to understand it completely, you need to practice it a lot. Forty minutes is not enough to completely teach it, especially when it is all at once because doing too much of it can get confusing as well. It is very clever how poets make the rhythm flow along with the meaning of their work. It is hard enough to write a poem, let alone writing it with rhythm!
DeleteI agree Abbey, rhythm and meter was so confusing...I really just didn't get it...at all. It was so confusing. But Grace's presentation really cleared up a lot of my struggles with this difficult literary device. I still struggle with it...a lot. But Grace's homework has continued to help me figure this out. Someday, we'll all look back and be like, "Oh, that literary device isn't so hard to find. I mean, I can literally see it everywhere." But...well just have to wait for that magical day.
DeleteThe presentations this week were very well organized and very helpful in helping me learn the subject matters. Before Gizzy's presentation, I was struggling with connotation and denotation, but now I can say I own these devices. I think it was very helpful that Gizzy got this because his science was helpful to me. I can usually own rhythm and meter unless in instances where I overthink it. That is when I get confused. I also own understatement, overstatement, irony, paradox, imagery, symbolism, personification, and apostrophe. The only one I believe I am confused on is metonymy. It probably really is not that difficult, but I just have not had a lot of practice with it so hopefully I will own that.
ReplyDeleteAnnabel Lee in Grace's presentation really helped me learn the example of rhythm because I am already well acquainted with that poem. It is one of my all time favorites so since I already can recite it word for word, it is really good for me to refer back to if I need to identify one like it.
My favorite literary devices are probably similes sand metaphors. There is just something beautiful about them. They make everything so lively and deep. But the literary device I probably use most is overstatement because I am very dramatic about everything so when I complain I completely overstate everything. Oops. Bad habit.
Lauren, I agree that it's really hard to understand rhythm and meter if you overthink it. I usually am pretty good at it until I start trying to stress syllables I know aren't supposed to be stressed or trying to make words fit in. I think Grace's presentation was really helpful in differentiating the different kinds of rhythm and meter.
Delete
ReplyDeleteWell, the presentations got off to a very rough start. Sorry about that, guys. But the rest of you were able to rebound, and made this a very good week for learning. I really think that now I get imagery. Before this, I just kind of thought that every line of poetry under the sun was imagery. But that thought couldn't have been more wrong. Imagery is not just something that is flipped around wherever. It is much more subtle, and is only used when it is actually needed. Much to my surprise, that does not mean everywhere.
I love alliterations. I just think they're really cool. So I think that would fall under figurative language. I don't know what it is about alliterations...just whenever I hear one, I always get extremely excited. Boy, alliterations just make my day. I also love connotation. I feel like Indiana Jones as I dive into a poem and discover alternate meanings of words that completely change the meaning of the poem. It's really cool. Again, I don't know if there's a definitive reason for why I like this literary device. It just kind of fulfills my childhood dream of becoming the modern day Indiana Jones.
I still struggle with Rhythm and Meter though. It is not Grace's fault though. I don't think anyone could've done a better job than her of explaining it to me. I think I'm just too much like Doctor Pam because I just struggle with recognizing the rhythm. But oh well, I'm not very musically oriented. That is probably the key reason why I struggle with this literary device.
So I would probably say that I "own" figurative language, denotation and connotation, and imagery. On the other hand, I still struggle with homework. The homework assignment that probably struck me the most was Grace's. It is really challenging, but I feel it will only help me become better at recognizing rhythm and meter. So in conclusion, I would just like to say that everyone (except for me of course) did an excellent job with their presentations. I feel like this was a very beneficial week, and I can't wait to do something like this again. Overall, I think it was very worthwhile. Good job everyone.
Your presentation was lovely, Gizzy! We all learned connotation and denotation enough that we own it, and that was the goal of the presentations! I still struggle with some rhythm and meter too. It is different from the other devices in that it is mechanical and it does have wrong answers to it. The other devices were a lot about interpretations and how you feel as a reader, but rhythm and meter is the opposite.
DeleteI agree, Giz, connotations are very fun to think into because it can change our whole perception of a poem. Finding the hidden meaning is like a treasure hunt, which is always fun! I like how connotation makes the reader think deeper into the words in front of them. It leads to thinking deeper into the whole poem.
Delete