Class Notes: September 13-17

Class Notes (September 13-17)

Poetry: language condensed to artistic effect; takes longer to explain the meaning and themes of the poem than it does to read the poem aloud

It’s important to note that there are no answers in literature; we don’t know what the author intended, but we do know what was written, and that’s what we have to analyze.  We always assume that there is meaning, whether that was conscious or unconscious on the author’s part.

“Hidden Meanings” – Dabney Stuart

 Ambiguity: the possibility of interpreting an expression in two or more distinct ways

At the surface level, Dabney Stuart seems to be comparing life to fairytales and suggesting that fables are unrealistic and incongruent with everyday experiences.  However, as we looked at the “hidden meanings” within the poem, we discovered themes of castration, autoeroticism, and molestation.  As we continued to analyze this work, we finally concluded that Stuart is suggesting that women are vampires that control men, and that society reinforces this by revering and continuing to tell fairytales.  However, the themes that we originally noticed were not wrong, thus illustrating ambiguity.

“Kitchenette Building”

Brooks analyzes themes of reality vs. dreaming.

Diction: Why did the author choose this word?

“A primary distinction between the practical use of language and the literary use is that in literature, especially in poetry, a fuller use is made of individual words” (Perrine 757).

Three parts to a word:

1.      Sound: combination of noises and tones

2.      Denotation: the definition of the word

3.      Connotation: the hidden meaning(s) behind the actual definition

“A frequent misconception of poetic language is that poets seek always the most beautiful or noble-sounding words.  What they really seek for are the most meaningful words, and these vary from one context to another” (Perrine 760).

“The poet, we may say, plays on a many-stringed instrument and sounds more than one note at a time” (Perrine 763).

Connotation and Denotation: the difference between the dictionary definition and the cultural baggage attached to it (gaunt, skinny, thin, slender, svelte)

Concreteness vs. Abstraction: the specificity of language and naming (clothes, pants, jeans, levis)

Precision: empty words vs. content-laden words (“nice!” or, “good!” vs. “I’m so relieved you answered that question!”)

Elevation and Colloquialism: the continuum between slang and epic diction

Dialects: only four in the continental United States (west, midwest, northeast, southeast)

Regions: smaller than dialects (the Great Lakes region) ex: pop vs. soda vs. coke

Jargon: like “military jargon”; language specific to a certain group of people

“Naming of Parts” and “The Widow’s Lament”

Reed and Williams both employ diction cleverly to create the tone that they’d like.  It amazes me how changing just one word can alter the entire meaning of a phrase.

Imagery: representation through language of sense experience

Visual: most common; produces a visual picture

Auditory: represents a sound

Olfactory: represents a scent

Gustatory: represents a taste

Tactile: represents touch

Organic: represents an internal sensation

Kinesthetic: represents movement or tension in the muscles or joints

“Poetry is fact given over to imagery.” – Rod McKuen

The diction and imagery worksheets we did in class, plus more: http://mreldridge.net/dailyExercises.aspx