In poetry, science is usually used as a way to compare someone's beauty or something that is beyond "normal" explanation. Rarely, if ever, however, have I seen them compared to each other. In the essay "Farder to Reache" by Albert Goldbarth, this is done. My first pull to this essay was because I saw the name "Kepler." Having taken Astronomy classes last year, I was familiar with the name, and was, of course, like any other nerd, excited to see what the author had to say. It could go without saying that the essay was not exactly what I expected.
The essay began with an interesting way to think of Kepler's mind. It said, "We might say his skull contained the sky of the 16th and early 17th centuries, held it in place like a planetarium dome." To me, that was an awesome way to say just how much Kepler knew about the night sky of his time and how much he observed it. After this, I expected the author to talk about the stars and planets and how things have changed. Instead, he switched to talking about the poetry of Whitman. First, this was a weird connection, but it still made sense. The reason Glodbarth made this connection was because Kepler would talk about how he didn't like thinking about the universe being endless, making it possible to float forever, much like the poetry of Whitman, who uses free verse. The connection between Astronomy and Poetry like this was, well, quite exciting for me. Before, there had always seemed to be a rather distinct difference between the two, with the exception of poetry using Astronomy to compare someone, of course. But this essay connected the two in a way that showed how the two subjects are similar, how famous people from each area are similar. It was almost impossible for my inner-nerd to control herself with such excitement.
This essay gave me a new way to look at two very different subjects and see how they are not really all that different. It even ended with the author saying that he could be hanging out with Kepler and Whitman on a dark night, just chilling and drinking some beers, looking at the sky. The connection between the ideas of the two men and bringing them together in a "real life" sense made it a good vision. And, because of all of this and my inner-nerd, this Goldbarth essay was definitely my favorite.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
A Different Kind of Essay
To many students, essays are known as very structured. There's the introduction, which has a hook, a little background, and then a thesis statement of some sort. Then there are the body paragraphs, which support the thesis statement and explain it more. Finally, there is the conclusion, which wraps it all together and says why everything that was just said was important. These are the types of essays we have been taught to write since elementary school, when we had to write about why we should be able to buy pizza over salad in the school cafeteria or what happened in the Revolutionary War. As I was reading through the essays in Essay Packet 1, though, I realized that these essays are different. They're more personal and some are even just stories, but told in a less narrative-like way.
An example of one of the essay not being what I expected was "Sunday" by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. The essay starts off with a hook and little background information, but that is about as far as it got with what I expected out of an essay. The rest of it seemed more like a story, because there were characters, a lot of detail, and some quotes of what someone would say in certain situations. For example, he says, "The happiest I ever saw my aunts and uncles in the Coleman family was when they'd slowly eat their savory meals, washing everything down with several glasses of iced tea." From this little bit, I can picture people sitting around a table, taking in their food slowly and happily, making sure every last bit was enjoyed. The characters in the essay include his family, such as Mama and Aunt Marguerite. These characters have quotes and are explained well just in their quotes.
From reading these essays, I think I am going to enjoy this section of the class. It will definitely be something different that I am not quite used to, but it seems like the essays can be fun to read and possibly even write. They seem more personal than stories, so they help with understanding people, and they are more direct than poems, so they make it even easier to understand what the people want to say and who they are.
An example of one of the essay not being what I expected was "Sunday" by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. The essay starts off with a hook and little background information, but that is about as far as it got with what I expected out of an essay. The rest of it seemed more like a story, because there were characters, a lot of detail, and some quotes of what someone would say in certain situations. For example, he says, "The happiest I ever saw my aunts and uncles in the Coleman family was when they'd slowly eat their savory meals, washing everything down with several glasses of iced tea." From this little bit, I can picture people sitting around a table, taking in their food slowly and happily, making sure every last bit was enjoyed. The characters in the essay include his family, such as Mama and Aunt Marguerite. These characters have quotes and are explained well just in their quotes.
From reading these essays, I think I am going to enjoy this section of the class. It will definitely be something different that I am not quite used to, but it seems like the essays can be fun to read and possibly even write. They seem more personal than stories, so they help with understanding people, and they are more direct than poems, so they make it even easier to understand what the people want to say and who they are.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
The Right Detail
Our switch to reading short stories instead of poetry has been a very welcomed switch. Especially with this week's short stories. For me, they were the right length, filled with the right amount of description, and entertaining. Although I started to enjoy poetry more near the end of that section of the class, the short stories are easier for me to understand and figure out, because the information feels more concrete, while still having actual meaning behind them. Being someone with a short attention span that only gets shorter when I'm frustrated, poetry was difficult to get through. The short stories provide the entertainment and tell me a story and give me a better chance to get into what the character is saying.
One of my favorite short stories from this week was "The Falling Girl" by Dino Buzzati. At first reading, I read it as a girl from the city during the 1930s who was committing suicide and taking in the sites around her as she fell slowly. This changed during class discussion, however, and the story only became more iteresting after the fact. My favorite part of the story was the description, because it was really detailed and depicted the different levels of economy each section of the building she was falling past well, while not being overly-descriptive. For example, while falling past the higher level of the building, she says, "The beautiful people, then were interested in and that filled her with satisfaction. She felt fascinating, stylish. On the flower-filled terraces, amid the bustle of waiters in white and the bursts of exotic songs..." From this description alone, one can imagine that the people were well-dressed and in a nice place, due to the many flowers and waiters. The music can also be heard in the background, simply by calling it "exotic." Her facial expression at this point can also be imagined as proud, because she felt so fascinating and stylish, despite the fact that she wore what was considered "modest" clothing.
From this story, I learned that putting in the right descriptions is key for making the reader understand what you want them to know about the story and surroundings. Like I said in my previous post, I am usually afraid to put in details, but this story proved to me that, in the right contexts and amounts, it can help make the story just right.
One of my favorite short stories from this week was "The Falling Girl" by Dino Buzzati. At first reading, I read it as a girl from the city during the 1930s who was committing suicide and taking in the sites around her as she fell slowly. This changed during class discussion, however, and the story only became more iteresting after the fact. My favorite part of the story was the description, because it was really detailed and depicted the different levels of economy each section of the building she was falling past well, while not being overly-descriptive. For example, while falling past the higher level of the building, she says, "The beautiful people, then were interested in and that filled her with satisfaction. She felt fascinating, stylish. On the flower-filled terraces, amid the bustle of waiters in white and the bursts of exotic songs..." From this description alone, one can imagine that the people were well-dressed and in a nice place, due to the many flowers and waiters. The music can also be heard in the background, simply by calling it "exotic." Her facial expression at this point can also be imagined as proud, because she felt so fascinating and stylish, despite the fact that she wore what was considered "modest" clothing.
From this story, I learned that putting in the right descriptions is key for making the reader understand what you want them to know about the story and surroundings. Like I said in my previous post, I am usually afraid to put in details, but this story proved to me that, in the right contexts and amounts, it can help make the story just right.
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