I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. How nice to have a few days to rest and relax!!
Regardless of your prior experiences with poetry, this is a NEW POETRY YEAR, and we'll begin quite simply with how to read a poem. In preparation for the poetry response question on the exam, close, careful reading is essential. In order to write about poetry, you have to understand what's going on.
Reviewing the suggestions on reading poetry from Chapter Two of the Perrine text, which of the suggestions do you consider to be your "new poetry resolution"? Think of this like a New Year's resolution - what do you promise to do with poetry in order to come away with a better understanding and a positive experience? And if you have a different approach to reading poetry, please share what works for you; it doesn't have to be a suggestion from the text.
Remember, this counts toward class participation. Let the blog discussion begin!
I think a promise I can make to myself in order to become better at reading poetry would be, to pay careful attention to what the poem is saying. Usually I just glance over the whole thing and get a meaning out of it that is totally off. So in final, I must actually read it ^3^
ReplyDeleteFrom Amber Heaton...
ReplyDeleteI suppose the suggestion from the text that I should work on would be number two: reading with a dictionary and other references. I tend to just skip over unknown words or references. Doing that doesn't allow a full understanding.
My favorite of the suggestions would be number 5. I have found that reading poems aloud helps me to understand a lot better. Especially if I read them one section at a time and then stop to think about what that section means.
ReplyDeleteI have to say that suggestions 3 and 4 are my favorites. When I read poems I have to read it word by word and understand what's going on in between the lines. A poem could start off in one direction and then end in another direction. It's important for me to read it slowly and a couple times over.
ReplyDeleteSuggestion 5 is definitely my favorite. When I read out loud, whether it is to myself or my dog, it forces me to slow down. It also helps me with number 2, reading with a dictionary. That way, if I reach a word I cannot pronounce or don't know the meaning of, it is a better reminder to look it up when I have to say it.
ReplyDeleteI will definitely be working on suggestions # and 4 as I read. I usually just hurry through poetry, and then get confused with what I'm reading. Reading it over again or slower the first time will help me actually understand it :)
ReplyDeleteMy favorite suggestion is #5 - reading outloud and also reading over the poem more than once. I never really read outloud but since I saw the suggestion I decided to try it and MAN DOES IT HELP! It has also really helped to go SLOW and read the poems more than once. Doing this over break has been helpful so I don't have to rush or worry about much other homework. During the school week though I think it will be more difficult to find enough time to slow down and indulge in the poems so I'm getting as much done now as I can!
ReplyDeleteI'd have to say that having a dictionary is the thing that I SHOULD take from the text. The other things I tend to do naturally. And if I don't understand a poem (or any text really) I resort to reading aloud. However, the dictionary is usually not on hand and I rarely feel like changing that. So, my poetry resolution is to unbury my pocket dictionary and use it for the duration of the poetry unit (and possibly beyond).
ReplyDeleteFor me personally, reading aloud would probably help me a lot. Also, I tend to read through poetry as if it were a short story. When I do that, I go too fast and I don't focus enough on the meaning. The use of a dictionary would also help, but I have to agree with Andrea on her point of the dictionary usually being far away and me feeling far too lazy to go get it. I did make myself get it when reading these poems, however, or else they would make no sense whatsoever.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to work on reading with a dictionary as well. I never really noticed how I skip over unknown words but now that I see that I'm going to try and fix it. I also find it helpful, for certain poems, to read it aloud. So my resolution is to do what I can to understand what i'm reading better.
ReplyDeleteDue to technical difficulty, I am posting Robert Roths response, which is as follows:
ReplyDelete"I need to pay more attention to what I'm reading, so I need to work on number four. I tend to go with the flow and not really let the poem sink in. Though, using a dictionary or reading aloud would help a lot too in slowing down my pace and getting to the message of the poem. "
I have to say #5 is what I promise to do. Even reading these poems to my brother made them more interesting. We giggled and surprisingly I gained a better understanding. I could even go further and say... Alex and I had a better bond after I read the text to him... maybe? Anyway, that's what I promise to do!
ReplyDeleteReading poetry aloud and equipped with a dictionary would be the most beneficial aids to understanding the poem. I resolve to sit alongside a dictionary when reading poetry, as well as pronouncing each and every word to myself to make the connotation more understandable.
ReplyDelete