1. 6/1 (due 6/4 by 5p)

45 thoughts on “1. 6/1 (due 6/4 by 5p)”

1. 1) The syllabus is very well organized. I understood it well. I have no questions so far.
   2) To clear up confusion about the essay, do I make up my own story?
   3) “See me up in the club with 50 them girls Posted in the back, diamond fangs in my grill
   And every boy in here with me got that smoke

   Brooklyn brim with my eyes sitting low

   And every girl in here got to look me up and down

   All on Instagram, cake by the pound” (Beyonce Knowles, Partition)

   What does this verse tell you about Beyonce and how does it fit in the theme of the song? In the first verse of Beyonce’s song, the phrase explains that she is in the back of the club meaning the VIP section of it. She also describes herself in a way that makes her seem wealthy, famous and interesting to other people in the club surrounding her. She also explains that every girl is jealous of her, and that they are on instagram with a lot of makeup on. This verse fits in the theme of the song as it represents the youth, women and power.

   4) In the text “On Beginnnings” by Mary Ruefle, she suggests that a poem is an unfinished “interpretation”. What I make about this suggestion, is that it is indeed a fact. I believe this because, when you read a poem you can interpret it in many ways as long as you have the evidence to back up your claims regarding the poem. In addition, I believe that there is no limit to what a poem can be defined as or contain for that matter. For the author Ruefle, an interpretation of a poem is an act of mind with no limit. In Ruefle’s text she states, “I believe many fine poems begin with ideas, but if you tell too many faces this, or tell it too loudly, they will get the wrong idea.” I think what the author is saying is that many people get the wrong idea about a poem’s meaning, usually people misunderstand it. Interpretation for me is a way of communicating the meaning of something such as objects, people, etc.. that will help us understand it more on a more profound basis.

   Reply

   1. 2) You don’t make up your own story, per se, because you are modeling the main events of the story you write on those that happen in the story that you read. Now, do the “events” (a home break-in in Diaz’ “The Money”, for instance) need to be the exact same in yours? No–they can’t possibly be the exact same (otherwise you’d be copying the original story). So grant yourself some flexibility in re-writing them: instead of a home break-in, you could have the family get robbed while swimming at the beach, etc.

      3) Nicely posed question, but can you take this further? What exactly are you referring to by “theme” of the song? It occurs to me that the theme of “partition” or “splitting” is ever-present in this work by Beyonce. Perhaps you could look at the specific “splits” or “partitions” you notice taking place in the passage you’ve quoted. It occurs to me that one such “split” is between in-person reality (the club) and online reality (Instagram)—both of which seem to be spaces occupied by Beyonce’s imaginary audience.

      4) Good “beginnings” on your own definition of “interpretation,” but can you speak more to what the various things are that Ruefle might be suggesting a poem itself interprets (rather than the multiple interpretations of a poem made by readers)?
      THanks!

      Reply

2. 1- The only questions I have are about the Blog “comments”, I’m still a little confused on that. I don’t have any questions about the Course Syllabus.

   2- The Essay Assignment was clearly explained, organized, and straight to the point. My question is for the essay  is do we make our own version of of a story based on one of the text for the assignment?

   3-  In the literary text”On Beginnings” by Mary Ruefle, a quote that resides and brings up questions are “In the beginning was the word. Western civilization rests upon those words. And yet there is a lively group of thinkers who believe that the beginning was the act. That nothing can precede action-no breath before act, no thought before act, no pervasive love before some kind of act”.  My million dollar question about the quote is, to the people who disagree with the word, how can you act and know what to do without knowing words.  Before any action you do in  life  there is a word first. A word that I didn’t know was pervasive, It is an adjective and it means to spread something widely throughout an area or a group of people.

   4- Poems are made and read by by people who express what they think and feel. It is easy to start but hard to finish because there is no end just as rule also states “but it is the ending of a poem without an end”.  Meaning it will always be an unfinished thought. What I make of the suggestion a poem is an unfinished “interpretation” is, its an interpretation on how people feel and those feelings never have an end in a poem. Ruefle then helped me to better understand what an interpretation is by showing me there is an unlimited ways to view anything.

   5- Has been posted on 6/1/20

   Reply

3. 1) I have no questions or concerns in regards to the syllabus.

   2) The essay assignment seems clear enough and creatively thought out.

   3) The text “On Beginnings” by Mary Ruefle states “In life, the number of beginnings is exactly equal to the number of endings: no one has yet to begin a life who will not end it.” I’d like to pose a question challenging this statement because I think you may live and die with a big enough impact to live in others as well as plant the seed that will inspire many others after or change the world forever. Did the life of MLK die if his life was formed by the spiritual and political uplift of the civil rights movement? A movement that is still active and facing the same threat to this very day, I think that someone can live forever as long as they leave an imprint on the world such as an entire movement being a testament to their very existence.

   4) Poems are definitely an interpretation of the author’s conscious being creatively encoded onto literature for further adaptation and analysis by critical thinkers. Poems can be used to storytell, inform, challenge, inspire all the meanwhile being a opinionated visionary piece, an interpretation is conversion of a thought via perspective and conception.

   Reply

   1. Miguel, hi.

      3) Glad you’re bringing up the ongoing “life” of Civil Rights era protest; clearly the fight for racial justice in the US is ongoing and very much ‘alive.’ Let me ask you, though, do you think Ruefle is being literal when she writes the passage you’ve quoted? Like, do you think she really thinks that “the number of beginnings is exactly equal to the number of endings”? Or is she being ironic or conceptual? Also, I’d like you to address the question of for whom MLK is still alive. Certainly not himself! So in speaking of MLK’s death, we seem to be speaking of some sort of radical transformation in his state of being, are we not? Please give this some thought in your revision. I’d also challenge you to define what you think it means to be alive and to die.

      4) Cool. What do you mean by “Poems are…interpretations of an author’s conscious being”? What is a “conscious being”? Thanks.

      Reply

4. 1) I would need a little more clarification on the Blog “comments”. The rest of the syllabus was straightforward.
   2) I am a little confused about the Essay. I come up with my own story which would consist of the same main events as a story that I choose? Additionally as we rewrite the story 2-4 times, should each of the versions be a well-organized essay that is about 3 or 4 pages long?
   3) In the text, “On Beginnings” by Mary Ruefle, the author states, “And I realized children very often denote the end because it is indeed a great achievement for them to have written anything, and they are completely unaware of the number of stories and poems that have already been written…”
   Why is ending a poem or a story with the words “The End” very important to a child?
   It’s very important for children to finish a poem with the words “The End” in order to indicate clarity in a particular poem or a story. A kid wants the rest of the people not to be able to make a change of the meaning or order of his poem or story. Thus, that will mean that he has a right to raise his voice and that he can come up with a conscious conclusion of the story on his own. Additionally, children do not have enough experience and skills for analyzing any actions or events. That’s why it’s valuable for them that their opinions are not being cast doubt on and impugn.
   4) I agree with Mary Ruefle’s suggestion that a poem is an unfinished “interpretation”. Poems are hard to interpret because you have to ponder and gain a good understanding about the reading. Additionally, poems contain a lot of symbolism, similes, and metaphors. Not many people can get a main idea of a poem because they misunderstand the message that the author tried to present to readers. For me, interpretation is the explanation of something that can be expressed to other people in order for them to gain a better understanding of the concept, object, or an idea. Everyone has their own perception of the world.

   Reply

   1. 1) The blog “comments” thing is just what we’re doing here. You’re doing it well! Your Listening Log and Essays will be created by you as separate posts, but the regular prompts will be answered as “comments”/”replies” as you’ve just done.
      2) All spot on except you need not write a bazillion pages! 3-4 pp doublespaced TOTAL is fine. If you end up wanting to fill that space with just one re-interpretation of the story that’s fine too.
      3) I love your thoughts about the importance for children of signing their work with “The End,” and I agree completely with the way that endings can be used to clinch certain meanings. This is especially true at the level of the sentence. “Johnny was having a nice day [period. the end.]” has a completely different meaning than “Johnny was having a nice day until Bobby showed up and spat in his face [period. the end.]” and the two sentences mean completely different things because of where they end. This is why it’s so important for writers to learn how and where to end their sentences using periods! That said, I wonder if you could inject an additional layer of complexity into this response by considering how poems (and sentences) can be re-interpreted in many different ways even after we have been told that they’ve ended, “THE END”, “Amen,” etc. In other words, does “The End” really work to stop the production of meanings and interpretations?

      4) Good work on your own definition of interpretation; keep going with your thoughts on what it is that Ruefle suggests a poem itself might interpret.

      Reply

5. 1) 1 comment and 1 question about the Course Syllabus

   Comment: I think everything was broken down nicely! I did have to read it a couple of times to fully digest the info.
   Question: None

   2) 1 comment and 1 question about Essay Assignment 1

   Comment: I love the creative freedom we have with the assignment!
   Question: Was there a page/word limit on the essays? I could have sworn I read something somewhere, but now I can’t find it.

   3) A reading response to 1 of the literary/critical texts we’re reading this week by Ruefle, Beyonce, Hooks, or O’Reilly.

   On Beginnings by Ruefle: “ In the beginning was the Word. Western Civilization rests upon those words. And yet there is a lively group of thinkers who believe that in the beginning was the Act. That nothing can precede action-no breath before act, no pervasive love before some kind of act.”
   One thing that caught my eye here is how Ruefle changes the use of “Word” to “word” and “Act” to act. When first mentioned, the words are capitalized as if they carry a heavier weight than when they follow in the next sentence. Their meaning much more powerful. But the true question raised is which group is right? The ones that believe that the Act came first? Or the ones that believe that the Word came first? Can there be one right answer? I mean people always ask “what came first the chicken or the egg?” and some may say the chicken, some the egg. Some may even bring religion into it and say “God created animals and put them on the earth” making it be the chicken came first and then laid the first chicken egg. Personally, when I read that section of the story the first things that popped into my head were :
   -The word = The 10 commandments
   -The act= when Cain killed Abel
   In this case, the act came first which led to the word. But oftentimes, a thought precedes action. Would a thought then be equivalent to a word? Thoughts consist of words. Every answer, leads to more questions so how can this even be answered? Is there even a correct answer? I don’t know, but I believe the answer changes based on the circumstance. There are times when words lead to action, and there are times when actions lead to words. You can’t have one without the other, they complete each other. The Word and the Act are like Ying and Yang.

   4) A creative response of some kind to the following prompt…

   A poem is that it is an unfinished “interpretation.” What do you make of this suggestion?

   I think she’s onto something here. A poem is written from the heart and speaks to other people’s hearts, but everyone’s heart hears a different meaning. That’s where interpretation comes in. No one poem is going to mean the same thing to everyone because everyone has a different experience in which that poem stems from. Imagine a tree. The poem is the trunk and the interpretation can either be the branches that grow randomly outwards or it can be the roots that grow in a mirror image of the branches. But each has a job of its own. One anchors the tree, while the other goes through cycles (spring/fall and everything that happens in between) a different feeling/ interpretation during each. Everyone will be affected differently by it.
   When it comes to poems not having an end, I think in a way that’s true. And, it connects to interpretations. What I mean by this is if a poem has no end, you can keep going back and letting new interpretations come to life every time you read it. If the poem ends, it creates this sense that “I’ve just read the whole thing, it made me feel x,y,&z. The end.” It makes you feel like you can’t go back and re-interpret it to fit what you need. You can’t change it.
   And for the poet, if there’s an end to their poem then that’s it. It’s finalized, there’s no room for them or anyone else to add to it later on. If there’s an end then no one can do anything to the poem because it ended.
   Yes, all things come to an end, but not by force. They end when they have to end, or when it’s needed for them to end. When a poem doesn’t have an ending it’s giving its writer and readers the freedom to choose when that ending comes.

   Reply

   1. Update: Adding a question to #1: To confirm, our weekly assignments consist of
      -Listening Log
      -HW prompts to the readings assigned
      -Essay Drafts whenever date they’re due
      Did I miss anything?

      Reply

   2. 1) Glad you re-read. I hope other students follow suit as I suspect there in fact are a lot of questions some students don’t even know they have (yet) but which they would have if they re-read! But also happy you seem set for now.
      2) No word limit. Good question.
      3) Good observation on the de-capitalization of Word and Act that Ruefle pulls off. One way of thinking about this is through its reference to Idealist philosophy (i.e., Kant, Hegel, etc.) wherein it was a convention to capitalize the first letter of words referring to fundamental “Concepts” (aka “big ideas”). My read is that Ruefle is playing with this convention and de-throning it a bit. (As you will see in Plato, there is a bit of an historical feud between philosophy and poetry, at least amongst certain writers.)
      Ok, this gets very interesting where you discuss your associations to these two words–and the example of Cain and Abel. Can you keep problematizing this though? It occurs to me that the only reason we know about Cain and Abel is because their acts were written down in the Bible. I suppose it might be argued that these acts came first and then the writers of the Bible represented them, but we know that not all of the stories in the Bible are true——many are mythical——and so in a way it could be argued that the Word still comes first. Play with this idea in your revision!
      4. Nice point about the poem not having a definitive ending insofar as it is interpreted. But can you complicate what you write in your first paragraph by engaging with Ruefle’s proposal that the poem is in fact more like a scrap of fallen fruit than the trunk of the tree? It seems she wants us to rethink the order of events in which a poem is written (and therefore what it is in the process of trying to interpret). Also, are you saying that part of what a poem is trying to interpret is its reader’s response to it? How might this factor in?

      Reply

      1. I think my reply ended up posting as a separate comment, not sure, sorry!

         Reply

   3. *******************************Response to feedback:******************************

      M.S: Good observation on the de-capitalization of Word and Act that Ruefle pulls off. One way of thinking about this is through its reference to Idealist philosophy (i.e., Kant, Hegel, etc.) wherein it was a convention to capitalize the first letter of words referring to fundamental “Concepts” (aka “big ideas”). My read is that Ruefle is playing with this convention and de-throning it a bit. (As you will see in Plato, there is a bit of an historical feud between philosophy and poetry, at least amongst certain writers.)

      S.D: Oh wow! I didn’t know this, that’s pretty interesting. I can see how she’d be “dethroning it” by using lowercase. It’s like she’s throwing it in your face going from capital to lowercase.

      M.S: Ok, this gets very interesting where you discuss your associations to these two words–and the example of Cain and Abel. Can you keep problematizing this though? It occurs to me that the only reason we know about Cain and Abel is because their acts were written down in the Bible.

      S.D: I’ll add more about this! I’ll try my best not to word vomit and cause confusion haha.

      M.S: I suppose it might be argued that these acts came first and then the writers of the Bible represented them

      S.D: Yes, this is the idea I was playing with

      M.S:…, but we know that not all of the stories in the Bible are true——many are mythical

      S.D: This is actually the first I hear of this! But even myths are based off of a specific event, or act in this case.

      M.S: ——and so in a way it could be argued that the Word still comes first.

      S.D: I’m not sure I understand the way the story being a myth= the word came first. Are you saying that if the story is fictional then technically the word came first? I just want to make sure I understand!

      M.S: Play with this idea in your revision!

      S.D: I’ll incorporate everything discussed in this paragraph as well!

      M.S: 4. Nice point about the poem not having a definitive ending insofar as it is interpreted. But can you complicate what you write in your first paragraph by engaging with Ruefle’s proposal that the poem is in fact more like a scrap of fallen fruit than the trunk of the tree? It seems she wants us to rethink the order of events in which a poem is written (and therefore what it is in the process of trying to interpret).

      S.D: This actually gives me an idea to play off the fruit itself, thank you! (Note to self: Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree)

      M.S: Also, are you saying that part of what a poem is trying to interpret is its reader’s response to it?

      S.D: It’s not so much the poem doing the interpretation but the readers themselves. For example, reading a love poem: Person 1 will think of their current healthy relationship and how it’s blooming/the beauty of love. While person 2 will think on how toxic their relationship is that they’re in. Person 3 can remember how their relationship with an ex lacked everything the poem is describing.

      M.S: How might this factor in?

      S.D: Continuing on my previous answer, It’s still the same poem that all 3 are reading, but each one will interpret it differently. I’ll write all this in my revision!

      ***********************************Revision:************************************

      3) A reading response to 1 of the literary/critical texts we’re reading this week by Ruefle, Beyonce, Hooks, or O’Reilly.
      On Beginnings by Ruefle: “ In the beginning was the Word. Western Civilization rests upon those words. And yet there is a lively group of thinkers who believe that in the beginning was the Act. That nothing can precede action-no breath before act, no pervasive love before some kind of act.”
      One thing that caught my eye here is how Ruefle changes the use of “Word” to “word” and “Act” to act. When first mentioned, the words are capitalized as if they carry a heavier weight than when they follow in the next sentence. Their meaning much more powerful. But the true question raised is which group is right? The ones that believe that the Act came first? Or the ones that believe that the Word came first? Can there be one right answer? I mean people always ask “what came first the chicken or the egg?” and some may say the chicken, some the egg. Some may even bring religion into it and say “God created animals and put them on the earth” making it be the chicken came first and then laid the first chicken egg. Personally, when I read that section of the story the first things that popped into my head were :
      -The word = The 10 commandments
      -The act= when Cain killed Abel
      In this case, the act came first which led to the word. But oftentimes, a thought precedes action. Would a thought then be equivalent to a word? Thoughts consist of words. “It occurs to me that the only reason we know about Cain and Abel is because their acts were written down in the Bible. I suppose it might be argued that these acts came first and then the writers of the Bible represented them, but we know that not all of the stories in the Bible are true——many are mythical——and so in a way it could be argued that the Word still comes first. ” There were many “acts” that were written in the Bible and although it may be true we may never know if they were true or just myth, there are other factors that come into play here. Yes, there may be the notion that the only reason we know about Cain and Abel is because it’s a written word. It could be just a myth, but then again even myths are based on specific events, or “acts” in this case. Since we’re discussing the Bible, let me give you a biblical example. Jesus being born Dec.25. We know that Jesus wasn’t actually born in the winter in December. Based on the bible story he was born at some point around springtime. But nevertheless, we celebrate it in December. This is because “When Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity in the early 4th century, the traditional Roman holiday date was appropriated by the Christian church as a parallel holiday to celebrate the birth of Jesus.”[https://thebestschools.org/magazine/25-popular-history-myths-debunked/] If the word came first, then this would have been decided to be written before Jesus was born. But how could anyone have known he was to be born ahead of time or the events leading to his birth? He had to have been born first, lived the events we know of, and later it is decided and written on how we are to celebrate him. Therefore the act “his birth” was first. Another example is when it was said that George Washington cut down his father’s cherry tree. Although this was “word” that was invented by Mason Locke Weems, a Washington biographer, it was written to show the world the kind of man Washington was, based on his actions. But these pieces of evidence aren’t the only factors that come into play when deciding which came first, the act or the word. What about recent events? Where words lead to actions? The protests happening are an example of that but it can be a little tricky. The trick though is to isolate the events. Some may argue that The action (George Floyd’s murder) led to the word (The words used in the protests) led to another act (upgrading the murder charge and arresting the accomplices). Some may say an act led to an act led to an act. Murder->Riot->Upgrade of charges etc. In reality, every answer leads to more questions so how can the question even be answered? Is there even a correct answer? I don’t know, but I believe the answer changes based on the circumstance. There are times when words lead to action, and there are times when actions lead to words. And there are times where the actions lead to another action (skipping the word) and there are times where the words lead to more words (skipping the action). One can even say the word is also the action as in writing or saying that word IS the Act. So what then? But one thing is for sure, you can’t have one without the other, because one will always precede the other at some point, even if it’s skipped a couple of times in between. They complete each other. The Word and the Act are like Ying and Yang.

      4) A creative response of some kind to the following prompt…
      A poem is that it is an unfinished “interpretation.” What do you make of this suggestion?
      I think she’s onto something here. A poem is written from the heart and speaks to other people’s hearts, but everyone’s heart hears a different meaning. That’s where interpretation comes in. No one poem is going to mean the same thing to everyone because everyone has a different experience in which that poem stems from. Imagine a tree. The poem is the tree and the interpretation is the fruit (let’s use apples). There isn’t one single apple that is identical to the other but they are all related and from the same family. And like the saying says, “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” Here’s what I mean: Imagine a Love poem (The tree). You’re going to have multiple interpretations of that poem (represented by the apples). Some examples of these interpretations are:
      -A current healthy relationship comes to mind, thinking of the beauty and happiness associated with it, you imagine that relationship blooming.
      -A current toxic relationship, this poem, an image of something unfamiliar.
      -A past toxic relationship where everything in the poem is something that lacked in your relationship.
      -You can even have an interpretation with a mix and match of the previous three but it is still unidentical to the above interps.
      Everyone will be affected differently by it.
      When it comes to poems not having an end, I think in a way that’s true. And, it connects to interpretations. What I mean by this is if a poem has no end, you can keep going back and letting new interpretations come to life every time you read it. Bringing back the tree example, just because all the apples have been picked, doesn’t mean that there won’t be new ones growing in their place. The branches are still there, the tree still fruitful. A never-ending cycle where new interpretations come to life, different each time, and different for each generation. If the poem ends, it’s like saying that tree has been cut down…killed, and it can only be interpreted as many times as the number of fruit that are on it. If the poem ends, it creates this sense that “I’ve just read the whole thing, it made me feel x,y,&z. The end.” It makes you feel like you can’t go back and re-interpret it to fit what you need. You can’t change it. But if there’s no end (no dead tree), you can keep going back to that same tree and picking a new apple (interp) every day flowing simultaneously with the events of your daily life.
      And for the poet, if there’s an end to their poem then that’s it. It’s finalized, there’s no room for them or anyone else to add to it later on. If there’s an end then no one can do anything to the poem because it ended. What this means for the tree is once the poet completes the poem, they rip all the apples off of it, leave them there and take the tree with them, and burn it. Whatever apples are there will either be gathered in time or eventually wilt and die too. They can’t be brought back to life and neither can the tree.
      Yes, all things come to an end, but not by force. They end when they have to end, or when it’s needed for them to end. If the poet cuts down that tree it’s because it was time for it, it had to be ended. No one is forcing the poet to cut down the tree. When a poem doesn’t have an ending it’s giving its writer and readers the freedom to choose when that ending comes.

      Reply

6. 1.) Comment- Looking forward in taking this course because English Comp 1 was great. Just wish the old crew was here too.
   Question- Do we also have to comment on another person’s blog response too?
   2.) Comment- That’s a lot of writing lol.
   Question- When will the revision of the different styles of essay be due?
   3.) In Partition a song by Beyonce she says “We ain’t even gonna make it to this club. Now my mascara running, red lipstick smudged . Oh he so horny, he want to fuck. He bucked all my buttons, he ripped my blouse. He Monica Lewinski’d all on my gown.”

   This verse obviously shows her sexualizing herself in a provocative way. The question I can ask is why she used Monica Lewinsky’s name even though she was taken advantage of by our former president. Why is she being so provocative in the song in the first place? I believe she used Lewinsky name because in this deviant song she decided to use what we in society deem deviant. The Monica Lewinsky scandal was huge as she had an affair with a married man who was the president of the united stated at the time. I assume when Beyonce name drops she wants her listeners to understand she’s being deviant.

   4.) In the text “On Beginning” by Mary Ruefle, she suggests that a poem is an unfinished “interpretation.” I enjoy reading poetry. So to think that a poem is an unfinished interpretation I really enjoy that perspective. To me poetry is an art form. Any form of art is up to any form of interpretation. I believe a poem is an interpretation of what you want it to be. You can read the poem however you like based on your feelings, emotions and what your mind is thinking about as you’re reading it.

   Reply

   1. 1) Glad you’re back for more, Brittny–I miss the old crew too but this one seems pretty great. Feel free to comment on other students’ posts if you’re inspired to, but unless I explicitly say to do so, I won’t be expecting that. I will, however, ask you to comment on other students’ Essays starting next week when those are posted.
      2) Revised essays will, like last semester, be due at the end of the course. (July 1.)
      3) These are great questions about Beyonce’s attempts at provocation via sexuality in “Partition.” Your close-reading of B’s reference to Monica Lewinski is pretty stellar, but let’s take it one step further if you revise. I guess I’m thinking about the racial dynamics and class dynamics of the “Partition” video in saying this, but is there something rather “white-washed” about the way Beyonce presents herself in the video (and perhaps in the reference to Lewinski–a white woman). Are the song and video also commenting on how the use of sexuality can subvert conventional class/race dynamics? For instance, Lewinski was an “aide” (or, in less politically correct terms, a servant) of Bill Clinton’s; on paper, she was subservient to him, and yet when she broke the news of the affair she acquired a good deal of…how to call it… power? Can you speak to some of this more? (How) do you think sexuality might subvert power?
      4) Please say more about what it is that a poem itself interprets. I think you may be somewhat interested in the Plato reading that’s on tap for this weekend.

      Reply

7. 1) The syllabus is detailed very well and self-explanatory thus I have no questions about it.

   2)The essay assignment is pretty extensive, Can we rewrite the short story we pick from a different perspective? For example in “The money” we are reading from the point of view of the author whose family was the victim of the robbery, would write from the perspective of the thief count as a different style?

   3)In the literary text “On beginnings” by Mary Ruefle the quote that drew me to the text and fascinated my mind was the following: “We only speak one sentence in our lifetime. That sentence begins with your first words, toddling around the kitchen, and ends with your last words before you step into the limousine, or in a nursing home, the night-duty attendant vaguely on hand. Or if you’re blessed, they are heard by someone you know and loves you and will be sorry to hear the sentence ends.” What about when we’re sleeping, crying, or doing things that we can’t exactly put into words? The only answer that I could come up with for this question is that those things would be put into a parenthesis like the movies when you have subtitles and someone cries or yawns they do the following: (cries), (yawning), etc. The meaning of the phrase “the night-duty attendant vaguely on hand” vaguely means slightly, the night duty attendant most be the last one to hold your hand slightly in your final moments.

   4) A poem is an interpretation for a strong but unpolished feeling or thought, most poems are written to send some kind of message across, to make people think about a certain thing, or just to try to express your emotions. Many people will interpret a poem in different ways depending on their point of view of life, everyone has a different point of view therefore different interpretations come up for the same topic. What Ruefle meant by a poem being an unfinished interpretation is that if the writer of it doesn’t intend for it to have a clear ending or start then you can’t explain the meaning because there might be none or infinite meanings. Personally, an interpretation of something is just the way you look at it and explain it to someone from your point of view.

   Reply

   1. 2) Yes–by all means re-write the story you choose from a different perspective. Some rhetoricians might disagree with me, but I’m down to think of perspectival shifts as a form of stylistic change.

      3) I think the question you raise about the interruptions in Ruefle’s “lifelong sentence” is great to think about. Your answer is even better and more complicated because aren’t you sort of suggesting–when you propose “parentheses” to designate non-verbal moments in the lifelong sentence–that even when we aren’t explicitly speaking we are nonetheless participating in the language of that lifelong sentence? Can you discuss this more if you revise?

      4) Ok, good, glad to see someone getting into what the poem might itself be an interpretation of. I hope the whole class reads what you’ve written here and gleans a bit of its cleverness. 🙂

      Reply

8. Assignment #1

   1) All of my questions and concerns were answered by other students as well as you, professor. I have no questions or concerns in regards to the syllabus.

   2) After reading through the essay assignment I am clear about the expectations. I also agree with the other students about the creative freedom we have for this assignment.

   3) The text “On Beginnings” by Mary Ruefle states “In life, the number of beginnings is exactly equal to the number of endings: no one has yet to begin a life who will not end it.”
   In literal terms I agree with this statement, but metaphorically if we turn to our history books there are many people whose legacy remains forever. A recent example would be Kobe Bryant, who recently passed away at the beginning of this year. I believe that he lives on forever. He was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame where his name, statistics, championships, score records, and memory will stay. He will be remembered for his greatness and fearlessness on the LA Lakers even though his life has ended. During his memorial service at the Staples Center it was evident by the amount of fans, celebrities, and supporters that they would not let his legacy die. Even his jersey numbers “8” and “24” have been retired. Kobe Bryant is the only player in the NBA history to have two numbers.

   4) In the text “On Beginnings” by Mary Ruefle, she states that a poem is an unfinished “interpretation”. I agree with this statement because it can be interpreted in many different ways. Ruefle also mentioned, “I believe many fine poems begin with ideas, but if you tell too many faces this, or tell it too loudly, they will get the wrong idea.” I believe the author is correct and what she means is similar to the game of “telephone” where a statement is whispered into someone’s ear and by the end of the line the statement has changed into something completely different.

   Reply

   1. Hi Melanie,

      It seems there is at least one Kobe fan amongst us. 🙂 I’m glad you were drawn to this dark moment in Ruefle’s essay where she seems to face death head on. In your elaboration, you seem to be interested in the way the different registers of existence through which people seem to live. Theorists inspired by psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan sometimes refer to what you’re talking about as the “space between two deaths”—-that is, the space between the moment when one’s body ceases to continue living and the moment when someone says your name for the last time (one’s “Symbolic” death). It’s true that some famous people seem to live forever because they haven’t yet undergone “Symbolic” death. But I suppose it’s a question of for whom is someone like Kobe Bryant still alive? He’s certainly no longer alive for himself, no? If you revise this, could you respond to these questioning thoughts?

      Also, for #4, can you speak a bit more specifically to what the poem itself is an unfinished interpretation of? I get that the poem can be interpreted by readers in different ways, but I think Ruefle is suggesting something else as well.

      Reply

9. 1- I have no questions or concerns in regards to the syllabus.
   2-with the essay assignment I’m going to need a little bit of help.
   3-In the text “On Beginnings” by Mary Ruefle states “I believe the poem is an act. I think is easier to talk about the end of a poem then it is to talk about its beginning.” here what the author is saying is true. At the beginning of writing a poem to most people it can be a struggle, to come up with what is going to mean, what is going to illustrate. the struggle with coming up with a poem that it’s going to be showing the writer’s feelings. Meanwhile, when one talks about the end of the finished poem it already has its meaning, it already has everything that the writer wanted to show in it.
   4-Poems are certainly an illustration of the author’s consciousness being dynamically written for further translation and study into literature by critical thinkers. Poems should be used to explain, remind, question, motivate something that is in the meantime an opinionated piece of vision; an understanding is the translation of a perception into insight and definition.
   5-has been posted.

   Reply

   1. 2) Yes. Please keep an eye on other students’ responses and essay drafts. If you click on “Essay 1 Feedback” in any of the menus, you’ll see at least 1-2 students have posted Essay 1 drafts already. Please read them and find inspiration therein!

      3) I like how you point out that one reason backing up Ruefle’s claim that it “is easier to talk about the end of a poem than it is to talk about its beginning” is, perhaps, how embarrassing it is to struggle at the beginning of writing a poem (or anything, really) and the difficulties of facing the blank page. This is a great start, here, Emanuel, but this response feels somehow incomplete to me. When you revise this, can you try asking a question about the quotation and trying to answer that question?

      4) I’m not quite clear here on how you are understanding Ruefle’s notion of the poem as an interpretation—and what YOU think an interpretation is. Can you focus more on this when you revise? Thanks.

      5) Good.

      Reply

10. 1) The syllabus is very self explanatory and the details are clear. I have no outstanding questions about the syllabus at the moment.

    2) Essay Assignment 1 is very detailed and clear. The only thing I need clarification on is how many texts do we have to refer to when writing the essay. Also, I am still confused on what exactly we are supposed to be writing about.

    3) In Ruefles’ “On Beginnings”, It states “But there is no book I know of on the subject of how poems begin. How can the origin be traced where there is no form or shape that precedes it to trace? It is exactly like tracing the moment of the big bang-we can go back to a nanosecond before the beginning, before the universe burst into being, but we can’t go back to the precise beginning because that would precede knowledge, and we can’t “know” anything before “knowing” itself was born”(Mary Ruefle, “On Beginnings”). One question that immediately pops up in my head is how can humans ,being the young species that we are, determine when and how the universe came to be if we’ve only been on earth for around 200,000 years. We’ve only recently become the dominant species after the dinosaurs’ extinction, so it baffles me when scientists make far fetched hypotheses and theories regarding the age of the Universe. Time is a human construct as well as mathematics. As we know, the universe does not abide by man-made constructs. The universe is based on movement and vibrations. Even though the quote is strictly talking about the beginnings of a poem, the author directly correlates the making of a poem with the beginning of the universe. My response to this would be to agree with Ruefle by saying that you cannot create a blueprint for something that had no blueprint to begin with. Meaning that poems are meant to be created without a premeditated construct which proves her point that action came before the word. The word traced means to copy or draw over the lines. Meaning, in order to trace something it must have a preexisting shape or form.

    4) As a poet myself, I have lots of unfinished poems, so I can agree with Ruefle on her statement. She’s right because anyone reading a poem can have a completely different perspective on the message. Biographies, Articles, and Narratives start and end with complete ideas, but poems are not structured by complete ideas. When I write my poems, I usually don’t have a title for it until I finish the piece. This tells me that when a poem has incomplete ideas, the result will most likely be an incomplete interpretation. To prove my point, the universe is seemingly endless due to the fact that we cannot find a definitive starting point. This results in an unfinished “interpretation” because we would assume there is no end. In my opinion, interpretation is the way an individual can explain or translate a piece of information to his/herself or others.

    5) Has been posted in 6/1/20

    Reply

    1. Jamal, hi.

       2) I think we clarified this in our meeting yesterday. Lmk if not, though. Nice to meet you!

       3) Glad that you’ve latched on to Ruefle’s questioning of the origins of all things–from the poem to the universe. It seems like you’re almost questioning the Big Bang theory in a way I find quite interesting; it seems any poet (or scientist) interested in origins (which you seem to be) might raise the question of WHY the Big Bang happened (and…upon receiving an answer to this question, might ask what led to the presence of the forces that produced the Big Bang…and so on…an interestingly infinite regress of questions).

       4) Glad to have a poet with us, and I like what you’ve pointed out about adding the title of your poem last. I think a lot of writers who I’ve had in classes in the past seem to think that they have to get their topic and their intro and their thesis and their title all squared away BEFORE they can begin writing. But so often it is the reverse and writing takes place BACKWARDS. You write without knowing what your topic is in order to find your topic. You write without a title in order to find your title.

       5) Great–will check it soon.

       Reply

11. Due 6/4 by 5pm – Indeevari kumaras
    Q 1)
    i. I like the fact that the syllabus extends into different platforms, programs and softwares which gives me the opportunity to learn different skills while working with course material. 

    ii. I have no questions at the moment.

    Q 2)
    i. In regard to the essay,  rewriting the same story but in different styles seems very interesting and this is new to me. 

    ii. The only question I had about the way of sharing my essay you already answered.

    Q 3) 
    When reading Mary Ruefle’s “On Beginnings”, the following caught my interest: “I believe the poem is an act of mind. I think it is easier to talk about the end of a poem than it is to talk about its beginning. Because the poem ends on the page, but it begins off the page, it begins in the mind” This passage forces the reader to dive into the mind of a poet. I can’t help but wonder if that’s truly the case? And I come to conclusion that the author is right. The poem comes from an idea, which was fished out by poet’s mind from an unknown inspirations. It is not often that the reader can effortlessly understand and fully grasp the poet’s state of mind from the very first lines of a poem. Poets often venture deep into their fantasy world and when they come back to write down their poem, the beginning will most likely hard to understand to anyone who hasn’t traveled to that fantasy world along with the poet. Only by reading in to their poem we can try to understand their message.
    Analyze the meaning of“act of Mind”. “It is an act that allows human beings to make sense of any thing”.

    Q 4) 
    In the text “On Beginnings” by Mary Ruefle, illustrates that the poem has “unfinished interpretation” which allows the reader to venture in many different directions when dissecting and interpreting the poem. It gives the reader infinite possibilities to interpret the message.Poetry is a form of art. All art seeks to engage the viewer in to thinking and experiencing this art in their own way. Every person has thousands of thoughts a day. Unfortunately most of those ideas die where they were born. Artists are the ones who find a way to express those ideas through a medium of their choice and it is up to us to consume their art and interpret it. Different people have different experiences in life, and they see life from different points of view.  Interpretation can vary based on one’s life experiences or even their current mood at the time. Since we all have different experiences in life, we are all susceptible to interpret art differently. A poem can have as many interpretations as there are people willing to review it.  Therefore, interpretation of any poem is an ongoing process. I believe that poets deliberately leave their poetry to be open for interpretation and that categorizes it as a true form of art.

    Q 5) Posted My first “Listening Log” on Open Lab under category- Listening Log
    song used – “The Greatest” by Sia

    Reply

    1. Wonderful response to Ruefle, Indeevari. I’m particularly taken by the line where you write: “The poem comes from an idea, which was fished out by poet’s mind from an unknown inspiration.” As I think you will find, this thought will challenge Plato’s notion of what poetry is. It seems at times in his text (which you will read over the weekend) as though his notion of the poem is as a text that merely copies other kinds of writing and speech—rather than as a form of art that chases directly after an original idea of the poet’s. (Of course, poetry was very different in Plato’s time, as any of you who had to read Homer’s work in high school likely know…)

       I hear you in Q4 on the poem producing many interpretations amongst its reader. But it seems Ruefle is saying something else as well—-that the poem itself is an interpretation. Of what, do you think? If you revise this post, I’d be interested in your response to this.

       5) Will check on your LL in the coming weeks–looking forward!

       Reply

       1. Thanks, professor!

          Reply

12. 1. Comment: The syllabus seems very well thought out.
    Question: We only on you blog posts, correct?

    2. Comment: I have no comment
    Question: Just to clarify, the body of the essay is our interpretations, correct?

    3. A quote that leaves me thinking is when Ruefle claims ”I believe many fine poems begin with good ideas, but if you tell too many faces this or tell too loudly, they will get the wrong idea”,(Mary Ruefle, “On Beginnings”). My question is how would anyone get the wrong idea out of a good one. But then you realize not every person is the same, and neither is their mentality.

    4.According to Mary Ruefle in “On Beginnings” she says that a poem is an unfinished “interpretation”. I feel this best describes poetry as a whole. A poem can mean one thing to one person, another thing to a different person, and both they’re interpretations would be very different from what they’re mutual friend thinks. All in all, a poem can be seen as a work of abstract art. Your perception is what makes it important to you.

    Reply

    1. 1) Thanks. Can you rephrase your question? I’m not quite sure what you mean (yet).
       2) The body of your essay is your re-interpretation of the story, meaning your retelling it in your own “style,” from a different perspective, etc.
       3) Your question is a good one. When you revise and add to this, I’d suggest looking at the part of the essay where Ruefle talks about poems as fallen fruit–scraps of language from which the poet attempts to re-imagine the tree. This to me suggests that she thinks poetry often begins with a good-sounding word or phrase that attracts the writer’s attention not for its meaning but rather for the different kinds of pleasure it produces in itself. This is a different way of experiencing language than the conventional way we experience language as referring to ideas. Ruefle is suggesting poets are just as concerned with the sound and image of language as with its ability to convey ideas. Can you talk about this in your own words and connect it back to your question?
       4) Yes, point taken, but please direct your attention to what a poem itself might be interpreting (not the fact that there can be different interpretations of a poem).

       Reply

       1. Sorry I made a typo.
          The question was supposed to say “we only comment on your blog post, correct?”

          Reply

          1. Ah got it. Yes, please just respond to HW prompts as a “comment” and do separate posts for Listening Logs and Essays (remember to categorize them accordingly). Thanks!

             Reply

       2. Sorry I made a typo.
          The question was supposed to say “we only comment on your blog post, correct?”

          Reply

13. 1. The syllabus is clear for me

    2. I don’t have any comments to make about essay 1, but I do have one question : What do you mean by a different style professor?

    3. Reading response of:

    O’Reilly, Interview w/Russell Simmons “on Beyoncé”

    During Bill O’Reilly’s interview with Russell Simmons (on Beyoncé) from March 2014, Simmons and O’Reilly discuss a multitude of topics, one being the idea of introducing mediation periods into school, much like the David Lynch Foundation does. Simmons discusses how he supports the idea because it provides students the opportunity to calm down, relax, reflect, and listen to their mind. O’Reilly responds by suggesting that this would have to be optional for students. O’Reilly further continues to say, “All right and that would be unconstitutional. You couldn’t do it…”He exclaims,”… You can’t require any outside thing if parents object. “ This led me to question, what role should parents have in a school’s curriculum? This is a difficult concept, and is further complicated by the fact that there are numerous types of schools including public schools, private school, and charter school. A parent’s role in a private school curriculum should probably be more influential because they are paying high tuition for the school. Public school curriculums are often based more upon state guidelines. At the same time, the constitution provides and protects citizens’ individual liberties. If a school were to mandate meditation sessions, the school does not have power over the constitution, and thus, a parent should be able to ask that their kid sit out of the meditation sessions. One word in this quotation that is important to consider is the word constitutional or unconstitutional. For something to be constitutional it must abide by the freedoms promoted in the United States constitution. Oftentimes it can be difficult to translate freedoms provided by a 250 years old document to modern times, but that is something that is the best left up to the court system.

    4. A creative response of some kind to the prompt

    Among many other things, part of what Mary Ruefle is doing in “On Beginnings”

    Reufle’s understanding that a poem is an unfinished “ Interpretation” is truly a wonderful example of the uniqueness of her mind and the elegance of her writing style. After reading, “On Beginnings” I have to admit that I agree with Reufle. A poem is just an interpretation of one’s life experiences. Of particular note was the concept that a good poem does not set out with a mission, or a destination, but rather follows the path on which life guides it. An interpretation is historically the act of determining the meaning of something, and in Reufle’s sense, an interpretation is the act of determining the meaning of one’s life. A poem, like a life, is written as we live and experience, with similar beginnings and endings, but entirely different filler components making up the middle. In a sense , an interpretation, itself, is the story that makes up each of our lives, and leads us to write our own poem along the way.

    Reply

    1. Revision after Professor Street comments:

       Thank you professor for your inputs. To answer your question about the tree, i will continue by adding : If the opening line of a poem is represented as ” a piece of fallen fruit” then my interpretation of this, is that the piece of fallen fruit which you have never previously encountered is the start of a poem which you never read before.

       The fruit as a whole would be the entirety of a poem which is new to you. The tree, then, appears to be the source of the poem, or rather, the story that influenced the writer’s creation of the poem.

       In the scenario, if a poem is a fruit itself, then the style with which a poem is written would be the form of the fruit. You could eat the fruit whole, blend the fruit, cup up the fruit and drink the fruit juice.

       While these are all different forms of the fruit, they are each the same fruit. While different style’s are all uniquely written, they each tell the same story.

       Reply

14. Hw – week 1
    1. I don’t really got questions about the syllabus since most my classmates pretty much asked what I was mostly confused on, my only concern was the listening blog and how we was need to post which watching Stephanie video help me a lot on that.
    2. For the essay assignment It was pretty much clear to me and organized which help understand what I have to write for my draft the only question I have is that how long does drafts have to be or it doesn’t matter the length since its only a draft.
    3. In the Mary Ruefle “Beginnings” reading this specific quote had my attention while reading it: “I think it’s easier to talk about the end of a poem than its is to talk about the beginning of a poem. Because the poem ends on the page, but it begins off the page, it begins on the mind”. When reading this quote made re-think it and even re-read it few times if I was the one writing an poem because its true about what the author is saying that before you talk about the end or the beginning of the poem, its all in your mind first which is were you can generate your thoughts and ideas of the specificities type of poem you want to write it all comes down to begin on your mind, we can look at this way any poets create in their mind a unrealistic world which helps them get into beginning on their mind which eventually they would have something to begin with. Also this idea of “beings on your mind” can be used or example in any type of writer because we all generate thoughts in our minds to be begin writing or even before having a conversation it all comes down to beginning of your mind. I’m even doing it as writing this response.
    4. In my opinion any type of poem could be interpreted differently but a person reading it could interpreted differently as well. The author Mary Ruefle states that every poem is an unfinished interpretation and that a poem could never end that it merely gets abandoned. In a way I could agree with the Ruefle because even if a poet its done with the a poem maybe someone would want to add on more like I stated in the beginning poem could be interpreted differently were someone who is reading it like Ruefle doesn’t think that could be an ending to a poem.
    Posted My first “Listening Log” on Open Lab under category- Listening Log
    5. song used –”Skywalker” by Miguel and Travis Scott. (06/02/20)

    Reply

    1. 2) 3-4 pages, double-spaced is great!
       3) You’ve chosen a really interesting quotation here and your discussion of it is… dense (in a good and challenging way). Can we slow down? Before you write a poem is “all of it” really in your mind? It’s just all spelled out? Or do you have to write some of it in order to realize what the language of the poem wants to become? (I think this may be part of what Ruefle is suggesting when she proposes that the poem begins like a piece of fallen fruit–a scrap or morsel of language–from which the poet attempts to retrace the tree.). Can you discuss this more when you revise? And feel free to slow down the thoughts when you need to by using a period. Don’t be afraid of the period; the period is your friend!
       4) Ok, I hear you, but when you revise this, please see if you can speak to what you think the poem is an unfinished interpretation of. (I get that there are interpretations of poems; but what does Ruefle seem to think poems themselves interpret?)

       Reply

15. 1)
    Syllabus Comment:
    I’m excited about doing the listening logs because generally I haven’t been listening to a lot of music with substantial lyrics lately and mostly listening to dance music so it’s a welcome break to analyze more lyrical songs.

    Syllabus Question:
    How necessary is the City Tech Library activation? My ID card was misprinted so they’ve never been able to activate my library access.

    2)
    Essay 1 Comment:
    I’ve never done a re-write like this so I’m still trying to figure out what kind of styles I can re-write something in.

    Essay 1 Question:
    Does the introduction also have to lead into these re-writes? Like how if someone were to introduce a film and say “now enjoy the film” or “here it is” at the end. Or is it just like:
    1. Introduction [what I set out to do]
    2. Re-writes
    3. Conclusion [how’d it go]
    all generally less tied together I guess?

    3)
    During the bell hooks, Shola Lynch, Marci Blackman, and Janet Mock panel, Are you Still a Slave? Liberating the Black Female Body, bell hooks says, “[Beyoncé’s] colluding in the construction of herself as a slave. Are you still a slave? It’s not a liberatory image” when talking about Beyoncé’s appearance on a TIME Magazine cover. This quote made me wonder how conscious is Beyoncé about her portrayal in various forms of media? I agree with bell hooks that the TIME Magazine cover is not liberatory, Beyoncé’s odd deadpan stare does not convey any sense of strength or control that the Beyoncé in the lyrics of “Partition” and “Single Ladies” displays. Instead, it comes off looking like a combination of the worst of Terry Richardson’s photos mixed with the album art of Aaliyah’s third album. Terry Richardson is a famous celebrity photographer who has photographed countless women in compromising positions with blank, possibly drugged out expressions similar to the expression on the Beyoncé cover. While Beyoncé’s clothing, posing, and framing does remind me of Aaliyah’s self-titled album art and I don’t think I agree with bell hooks’ interpretation of the magazine cover infantilizing Beyoncé, the fact that one of the first images to spring to my mind was an Aaliyah album does make me question my disagreement. Aaliyah was sexualized as a child and a victim of sexual abuse early in her career until she had broken ties with R. Kelly and even this self-titled album had Aaliyah on the album art showing herself as more expressive as a person and unlike an object. Beyoncé generally frames herself as a liberated woman so a magazine cover that portrays her as an object has made me conclude that she must not be aware of how this cover could be portraying her.

    4)
    Mary Ruefle suggests poems are unfinished “interpretations” and I think that is a fair thing to call them. Poems are much more open to interpretations from readers than prose and like Ruefle suggests I agree that they are a product or as she calls it an act of the writer’s mind. A person’s mind is constantly evolving, constantly changing, and constantly thinking about things differently. Framing the thinking mind in a poem is like taking a photo of a person. In the photo, you can probably see a person clearly, maybe make a note of their expression, and maybe figure out what they were doing based on the background. However, you’re missing everything from before the picture was taken and everything after. You’re making your own interpretation of the poem just from the small slice you’re being shown. It’s just as much of an interpretation from the writer’s perspective because they must work carefully within their own head to bring those thoughts into words and I know how hard it can be to do that. Interpreting one’s own thoughts can be a challenge and presenting them can lead to countless other interpretations. This is also why a poem is considered unfinished, the mind continues to run or adjust or think about whatever may be written so it only ends when you say it does. You can spend your whole life trying to paint the whole picture, but you also need to know when to stop and move on.

    Reply

16. 1- The only questions I have are about the Blog “comments”, I’m still a little confused on that. I don’t have any questions about the Course Syllabus.

    2- The Essay Assignment was clearly explained, organized, and straight to the point. My question is for the essay is do we make our own version of of a story based on one of the text for the assignment?

    3- In the literary text”On Beginnings” by Mary Ruefle, a quote that resides and brings up questions are “In the beginning was the word. Western civilization rests upon those words. And yet there is a lively group of thinkers who believe that the beginning was the act. That nothing can precede action-no breath before act, no thought before act, no pervasive love before some kind of act”. My million dollar question about the quote is, to the people who disagree with the word, how can you act and know what to do without knowing words. Before any action you do in life there is a word first. A word that I didn’t know was pervasive, It is an adjective and it means to spread something widely throughout an area or a group of people.

    4– Poems are made and read by by people who express what they think and feel. It is easy to start but hard to finish because there is no end just as rule also states “but it is the ending of a poem without an end”. Meaning it will always be an unfinished thought. What I make of the suggestion a poem is an unfinished “interpretation” is, its an interpretation on how people feel and those feelings never have an end in a poem. Ruefle then helped me to better understand what an interpretation is by showing me there is an unlimited ways to view anything.

    5- Has been posted on 6/1/20
    Author Marcusr 19

    Reply

17. 1) 1 comment and 1 question about the Course Syllabus
    As I am reading the syllabus, this course does seem interesting to me and I hope to strengthen my interpretation skills as the course goes on. I was wondering if it is alright to text you as a form of communication for 1-on-1 meetings?
    2) 1 comment and 1 question about Essay Assignment 1
    Everything seems straightforward, no questions for essay one at the moment.
    3)In the song “Partition” by Beyonce Knowles, the quote “ i just wanna be the girl you like, the kind of girl you like” raises questions because why would you want to change yourself for someone? Why not let them appreciate you for who you are completely? Today in society every person has an ‘ideal’ person that they want as a partner, and that person can sometimes feel oppressed to showing an image that they are not. I have realized that people always struggle and try to be someone they are not mainly to impress others or fitting in, finding themselves unhappy at the end.
    4)

    Reply

18. 1) 1 comment and 1 question about the Course Syllabus

    The Course Syllabus is clear and well written to make it easy for students to understand.
    I never got my CityTech ID, is mandatory for the class?
    2) 1 comment and 1 question about Essay Assignment 1

    The Essay Assignment is clear and I am able to understand exactly what to do.
    I have no question as of right now for Essay 1.
    3) Reading Response and Analyzation

    Beyonce , “Partition”
    “He Monica Lewinksi’d all on my gown”
    Upon reading the lyrics to Partition by Beyonce Knowles the quote “He Monica Lewinski’d all on my gown” raised questions for me. This was my first time reading the lyrics to this song and when I read that I immediately wanted to know what it meant. Who is Monica Lewinski? What is her reference to this promiscuous song? I found out that Monica Lewinski was a White House intern who admitted to having an affair with Bill Clinton. Now, in order to understand why this was relevant to the song, you’d have to have heard of the Bill Clinton affair scandal when he was president and how big the scandal was at the time. The song and its lyrics are promiscuous so it doesn’t take much to understand the “on my gown” reference once you learn who Monica Lewinksy is. It’s one of those “ohhh” moments you have upon hearing a reference in a song and connecting it. Beyonce coined the word or Monica’s name and connected it to Monica’s past scandal. Which although I’m sure Monica was upset about it, I think it was cool of her to do as it fits into her lyrics perfectly.

    4) A creative response of some kind to the prompt

    Mary Ruefle “On Beginnings” allows the reader to see poems in different ways. Many poems can have different meanings, purpose and backgrounds but how we interpret it is how we will understand it. Ruefle says “I have never, in my life, read a poem that ended with the words The End. Why is that, I wonder” I interpret that as poems being what you make it rather than what it is saying. Ruefle goes on to say how movies have “The End” at the end and I think that’s because it’s a movie. It is what it is. Books too, the ending of a movie or book is the end. Sure, viewers and readers can fantasize about how they wanted it to end or what happens next but the script will stay the same. Poems not having “the end” at the end show that it is based on your interpretation, not the authors. Like Ruele said it’s unfinished, it’s what you make it.

    Reply

19. 1) A comment I have about the course syllabus is that it is written very detailed. And written in a way in which we can follow, and create an outline for work due.

    A question I have about the course syllabus is how do we do “ Blog comments” as constructively as possible? The syllabus states that 4 are due each week but the first essay is due Monday. And 4 comments for 4 weeks equals 16 instead of the 27 required for students. It also depends who actually submits the assignment which we should not be penalized for.

    2) A comment I have about Essay assignment 1 is that I thoroughly enjoy the broadness and subject of the assignment.

    A question I have about Essay assignment 1 is in terms of academia which style choices are considered most academic “meaning without racist connotations”, if there are any? If none, how does one create their own style but is still more so accepted as a form of writing/prose?

    A) During this week’s reading assignment, I decided to do a reading response to“Partition” sung by Beyonce Knowles (2013). The lyrics I picked are ,
    “’Cause when you he want to smash I’ll just write another one

    I sneezed on the beat and the beat got sicker

    Yoncé all on his mouth like liquor”.

    These lyrics do not raise any questions, but it is an essential self love/ode to the queen herself. She boosts about writing nothing but hits but at the same time acknowledging the sexiness that she oozes. All of this while creating imagery with catchy lyrics. It represents black femme sexuality at the forefront. Pro sexuality and female empowerment and it is unapologetic.I remember when this album was first released practically overnight and the instant success it became. “Yonce all on his mouth like liquor”, Beyonce’s name was on anyone and everyone’s playlist and radar for the weeks to come. We the listeners/ audience were able to see a more gritty side from Beyonce, instead of the polished pristine R&B image. We were able to see Beyonce in a more multifaceted way as an artist.

    B) While reflecting on this week’s reading, Mary Ruefle “Beginnings” a specific quote stood out to me, “I think it’s easier to talk about the end of a poem than its is to talk about the beginning of a poem. Because the poem ends on the page, but it begins off the page, it begins on the mind”. Every media, not just poems, has information that is encoded and decoded. The author/creator makes a message to be encoded whether it is overt or covert. And we, the audience of said media, have a choice to decode and accept narratives or create ones with our own interpretations .Since we do not live in a vacuum we are all exposed to different cultures and concepts which have context. Without content there is no narrative. And the narrative is the driving force behind any text/media. Interpretation is what you understand and create from what has been presented before you.

    Reply

20. Homework 06/04

    1. The course syllabus was well explained and detailed. I understood all of it completely and have no questions as of right now.
    2. I understand the essay topic and have no questions concerning the topic.
    3. A quote I chose to talk about from the reading “ On beginning “ by Mary Rueful “ is when she says “ In life, the number of beginnings is exactly equal to the number of endings: no one has yet to begin in a life who will not end it “. This quote made think of the question “ Is there are always endings to new beginnings “. And the answer to my question is no matter what you start, whether it’s friendships, life in general, it’ll come to an end eventually. Not everything is meant to keep going. And everything is always temporary but you can’t escape something that’s bound to end eventually.
    4.So when reading this Mary Rueful is pretty much trying to explain that not every poem is going to end, it may have an ending but it can always have a new beginning. And poems always have it’s way of making endings confuse the reader. Everyone has their way interpreting a poem and their views of the poem. 
    5.I already completed my listening log yesterday and is posted under listening logs.

    Reply

21. 1. The syllabus was explained clearly. I have no questions so far.
    2. The Essay Assignment was also explained clearly. I have no questions.
    3. Mary Ruefle “On Beginning”
    “In life, the number of beginnings is exactly the equal to the number of endings: no one has yet to begin a life who will not end it.”
    After reading the poem, it made me think of a question which is how long can you live?
    The answer is no one knows how long you can live because everyone life is different. Everyone came from different backgrounds. When someone is born, a new beginning begins. When someone pass away, it means their life has been completed. Death is inevitable.
    4. My creative response to the story “On Beginnings” is that viewers can view a poem in many different ways. It depends on how you describe it and word it. Mary Ruefle stated that every poem has a never-ending story. There is no real ending to a poem. This leads to many viewers wondering what will happen in the poem next.
    5. I posted my listening log already.

    Reply

22. 1) 1 comment and 1 question about the Course Syllabus

    The Course Syllabus is clear and well written to make it easy for students to understand.
    I never got my CityTech ID, is mandatory for the class?
    2) 1 comment and 1 question about Essay Assignment 1

    The Essay Assignment is clear and I am able to understand exactly what to do.
    I have no question as of right now for Essay 1.
    3) Reading Response and Analyzation

    Beyonce , “Partition”
    “He Monica Lewinksi’d all on my gown”
    Upon reading the lyrics to Partition by Beyonce Knowles the quote “He Monica Lewinski’d all on my gown” raised questions for me. This was my first time reading the lyrics to this song and when I read that I immediately wanted to know what it meant. Who is Monica Lewinski? What is her reference to this promiscuous song? I found out that Monica Lewinski was a White House intern who admitted to having an affair with Bill Clinton. Now, in order to understand why this was relevant to the song, you’d have to have heard of the Bill Clinton affair scandal when he was president and how big the scandal was at the time. The song and its lyrics are promiscuous so it doesn’t take much to understand the “on my gown” reference once you learn who Monica Lewinksy is. It’s one of those “ohhh” moments you have upon hearing a reference in a song and connecting it. Beyonce coined the word or Monica’s name and connected it to Monica’s past scandal. Which although I’m sure Monica was upset about it, I think it was cool of her to do as it fits into her lyrics perfectly.

    4) A creative response of some kind to the prompt

    Mary Ruefle “On Beginnings” allows the reader to see poems in different ways. Many poems can have different meanings, purpose and backgrounds but how we interpret it is how we will understand it. Ruefle says “I have never, in my life, read a poem that ended with the words The End. Why is that, I wonder” I interpret that as poems being what you make it rather than what it is saying. Ruefle goes on to say how movies have “The End” at the end and I think that’s because it’s a movie. It is what it is. Books too, the ending of a movie or book is the end. Sure, viewers and readers can fantasize about how they wanted it to end or what happens next but the script will stay the same. Poems not having “the end” at the end show that it is based on your interpretation, not the authors. Like Ruele said it’s unfinished, it’s what you make it.

    Reply

23. Kwame manuh

    6/1 due 6/4

    1. I understand the syllabus. It is clear to me. I also think it is very well structured in the sense that we build on what we learned from the previous lessons. B My question is that will we receive a weekly instruction from you on what we have to do

    2.I’m a little woozy on the essay assignment other than that I think I am good to go.

    3.Literary text

    By Mary Ruefle “On Beginnings”

    “Everyone knows that if you query poets about how their poems begin , the answer is the same: a phrase, a line, etc. If you have any idea for a poem, an exact grid of intent, you are on the wrong path, a dead-end alley, at the top of a cliff you haven’t climbed . This is a lesson that can only be learned by trial and error.”

    The question I have for this quote is that if an experienced poet who has published countless

    poems want to write a similar poem, does the poet have to use the trial and error method?

    I don’t think so. As a beginner the best thing to do is to use the trial and error method but experienced writers mostly I feel know what they are doing. You have to have an idea on what you the poem you are about to write but the quote states otherwise. With no idea there is no action going to take place. There are things that happen on the fly but writing a poem isn’t one of them You have to really sit and have an idea or train of thought in the construction of words that rhyme with each other. And after that there also has to be correction and improving the words used. Overall I disagree with the quote.

    4. A poem is an interpretation of an idea conceived by an individual who then puts it in words. Ruefle then goes a step further to indicate that it is an unfinished interpretation. This unfinished story takes a turn and contradicts her words. This is because the rhyming of the words can continue to infinity but the meaning of the interpretation can actually end. This suggestion makes me think about unfinished interpretation in a different way. I now understand that most interpretations are unfinished and it doesn’t only apply to poems it applies to everything.

    Reply

24. HW #1
    1) 1 comment and 1 question about the Course Syllabus

    The syllabus was explained clearly. I have no questions so far.

    2) 1 comment and 1 question about Essay Assignment 1

    The Essay Assignment was also explained clearly. I have no questions.

    3) A reading response to 1 of the literary/critical texts we’re reading this week by Ruefle, Beyonce, Hooks, or O’Reilly. For each reading response you do for this course, you will pick a quote from the assigned reading and introduce this quote with the proper context (author name and title). You will then go on to discuss one question the quote raises for you about the reading and then try to answer that question; in your response, analyze the meaning of at least one specific word or phrase in the quotation.

    “On Beginning” by Mary Ruefle
    When I was reading the story, this quote had gotten me fascinated “In life, the number of beginnings is exactly the equal to the number of endings: no one has yet to begin a life who will not end it.”
    After reading the poem, it made me think of a question which is how long can you live?
    The answer is no one knows how long you can live because everyone life is different. Everyone came from different backgrounds. When someone is born, a new life begins. When someone pass away, it means their life has been completed. Death is inevitable for everyone.

    4) A creative response of some kind to the following prompt: Among many other things, part of what Mary Ruefle is doing in “On Beginnings” is to play with our notion of what a poem is—where it begins, whether and how it ends, etc. One thing she suggests about a poem is that it is an unfinished “interpretation.” What do you make of this suggestion? What—for Ruefle and for yourself—is a poem an interpretation of? Conversely, how does Ruefle’s suggestion that a poem is an “interpretation” change our understanding of what an “interpretation” is? What, for you, in an interpretation? Please write a response that touches on some of these questions without necessarily answering them in order or as a list.

    My creative response to the story “On Beginnings” is that viewers can view a poem in many different ways. It depends on how you describe it and word it. Mary Ruefle stated that every poem has a never-ending story. There is no real ending to a poem. This leads to many viewers wondering what will happen in the poem next.

    5) Post your first “Listening Log” by making a post in that section of the blog (see “Student Work” above) be sure to check the category on your post that says “Listening Log”).

    I posted my listening log already.

    Reply

25. HW #1- Revised
    1) 1 comment and 1 question about the Course Syllabus

    The syllabus was explained clearly. I have no questions so far.

    2) 1 comment and 1 question about Essay Assignment 1

    The Essay Assignment was also explained clearly. I have no questions.

    3) A reading response to 1 of the literary/critical texts we’re reading this week by Ruefle, Beyonce, Hooks, or O’Reilly. For each reading response you do for this course, you will pick a quote from the assigned reading and introduce this quote with the proper context (author name and title). You will then go on to discuss one question the quote raises for you about the reading and then try to answer that question; in your response, analyze the meaning of at least one specific word or phrase in the quotation.

    “On Beginning” by Mary Ruefle
    When I was reading the story, this quote had gotten me fascinated “In life, the number of beginnings is exactly the equal to the number of endings: no one has yet to begin a life who will not end it.”
    After reading the poem, it made me think of a question which is how long can you live?
    The answer is no one knows how long you can live because everyone life is different. Everyone came from different backgrounds. When someone is born, a new life begins. When someone pass away, it means their life has been completed. Death is inevitable for everyone.

    4) A creative response of some kind to the following prompt: Among many other things, part of what Mary Ruefle is doing in “On Beginnings” is to play with our notion of what a poem is—where it begins, whether and how it ends, etc. One thing she suggests about a poem is that it is an unfinished “interpretation.” What do you make of this suggestion? What—for Ruefle and for yourself—is a poem an interpretation of? Conversely, how does Ruefle’s suggestion that a poem is an “interpretation” change our understanding of what an “interpretation” is? What, for you, in an interpretation? Please write a response that touches on some of these questions without necessarily answering them in order or as a list.

    My creative response to the story “On Beginnings” is that viewers can view a poem in many different ways. It depends on how you describe it and word it. Mary Ruefle stated that every poem has a never-ending story. There is no real ending to a poem. This leads to many viewers wondering what will happen in the poem next.

    5) Post your first “Listening Log” by making a post in that section of the blog (see “Student Work” above) be sure to check the category on your post that says “Listening Log”).

    I posted my listening log already.

    Reply

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