The mask permits the poet to say things that for various reasons she could not say in her own person or could say only with a loss of artistic detachment; it permits the poet to explore various perspectives without making an ultimate commitment; it is a means for creating, discovering, or defining the self; it prevents the poet from being hurt by self-exposure or being led astray by the limitations of her own vision; it is a means for expressing anxieties and frustrations, or ideals that the poet may not be able to realize in her own life but to which she is committed (class notes).
What happens if we substitute "teacher" in this passage for "poet?"
Except, perhaps, for that first claim regarding "things that for various reasons she could not say in her own person," this seems like a possibly valid definition of the teaching persona. The adoption of a persona is not necessarily an attempt to escape from the self, but can actually be a means of amplifying the self (as the voice of the Greek actor is amplified by the mask). Perhaps we can see the role of teacher (it is a role, after all) as an opportunity "for creating, discovering, or defining the self," rather than an obstacle or an obligation. Ultimately, it seems to me, we are always playing various parts: "All the world's a stage," after all. Given the artificiality of the teaching situation, we may as well play the part to the best of our ability.
7 comments:
Way to blow my post out of the water, Tim.
Actually when reading C&D I was thinking about our poetry class too.
Yes, persona is a mask. But actually we ever play roles according to psychology. Is "Student" a kind of a role as much as a "teacher"?
Even though I'm not in the Materer class, I was in Frances Dickey's seminar which might be called "same subject, different authors," or even "different approach" (since we talked about literary and visual portraits as personae)... I think I know what you mean.
I agree that the best persona is what Leta described as "being yourself as you would act in the given situation," but also addressing Andrew's concern (and mine, and probably at least a few others among us) that we're not qualified/prepared enough to teach.
I'm pretty sure my teaching persona will be "Yes, I'm me. I've been in school longer than you folks have been alive, and I've been studying what I'm teaching you for a good part of that time. Of course I'm qualified to teach you, and moreover, I'm confident about that."
Yappy sappy, yes, but if my teaching persona were the fragment of me that runs tripping and screaming from being the center of attention, I'm pretty sure the students would notice that. And they would probably shut down.
That's exactly what I had in mind, Katie. Since we're all composed of what you call "fragments," fragmentary selves that are often at odds with one another, it seems like a pragmatic decision in the classroom to emphasize certain aspects of the personality more than others. That's not to say one has to entirely repress "the fragment . . . that runs tripping and screaming from being the center of attention." There's always room for self-awareness and self-deprecating humor. In fact, my favorite teacher as an undergraduate presented himself with a kind of tongue-in-cheek self-deprecation that was really endearing. He was actually a brilliant Joyce and Conrad scholar, but he never acted pompous or arrogant. He made fun of himself much more effectively than any of his students could have. And it worked. It made him more interesting as a teacher. So I don't think we necessarily have to hold down certain aspects of our "selves" so much as we need to find creative and appropriate ways to integrate them.
Even though the instructor role is a persona that one can take off and put on, I guess some students are still surprised to see their instructors at the grocery. Going to the grocery doesn't fit into the instructor persona. It seems that I should expect some of my students to think that I am an old man that lives at the school (which is not too far from the truth at times). This seems to underscore the importance of playing the role of teacher up to students' expectations, so that they are comfortable interacting through the student persona. I’ve had teachers that didn’t have good teacher personas; their teacher personas were too much like the student persona, and I had trouble relating to those teachers.
I think Irina brings up a good point here too. We need to remember that students may have personas as well in order to make it through the day or through class. Knowing this, they may be more sympathetic to our own need for a persona, even if only a fragmented one. And, it is hard to be a teacher and a "real" person. I still run into students from years ago who can't believe I'm now a student or that I was in Panera Bread having coffee. It never gets any easier on that account, but you can't let it keep you from living a "normal" life as long as you are also making somewhat reasonable and responsible decisions (i.e. not posting drunk pictures of the last kegger at your house on an unrestricted facebook page).
I am linking this to a blog that I'm writing at a poetry site. The blog is regarding mask. Hope you are ok with this! Its a cool blog!!
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