John Wayne

The reading assignments I’ve devised focus first paper, which will require a close reading of a poem. Using Salvatori’s article for inspiration, I’d like one of the assignments to demonstrate how different readings of a poem alter the reader’s perception of the poem’s themes, and consequently, the reader’s argument about that poem. I’m going to ask for 3-5 volunteers to read the same poem aloud to class, giving them a week to prepare. I’ll assign each student a different persona—for example, one student will read the poem in a sad voice, or elated tone, or perhaps something sillier, like reading the poem as John Wayne. I’d probably pick a poem open to various interpretations/readings. The following week, all the students will listen to each reading in succession, followed by a discussion of how the poem’s themes and meaning changed with each reading. We’ll talk about how the various details (i.e. tone, attention to line breaks, etc) emphasized or overlooked by different readers changes the poem’s significance. I’m hoping that this discussion will elucidate how the act of reading and speaking can transform the reader’s understanding of the poem, since the close reading assignment calls for an argument that interprets the poem.

I’d also like to incorporate an activity like the one Donna used a couple weeks ago, where we evaluated an essay for a grade. I’d like to have students read several papers outside class and make a list of the good and bad points of each paper. They’ll bring these notes to class for a discussion of what constitutes a strong paper. This will most likely be one of the first homework assignments, one that I hope will encourage them to critically examine their own papers.