Literary Response to "On this bus"

wow

it is strange to think

a poem

so short

is praised by all

a pleasant surprise

--Christian Capraro

Aesthetic Analysis and Literary Response

At the beginning of class on Thursday, August 29th, students who did the homework assignment (read the Aesthetic Analysis) took 5 minutes to summarize it and comment on its characteristics.  Students who did not do the homework assignment were asked to explain why and then to begin reading it.

After these responses were collected, the class was separated into five groups.  Dr. Benton reminded us not to check our cellphones in class because it is distracting to him and demoralizing to other students.  Each group then discussed the characteristics of the aesthetic analysis.  After about five minutes, each group sent an ambassador to the board to write down some of their group's ideas.

Traditional Poetry?
"A Reading from Homer" (1885) by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema

Some students pointed out how the analysis noted the stylistic differences between this poem and poetry of earlier generations, which often features ornate vocabulary and observes strict formal requirements (such as the sonnet with its line count, rhyme scheme, and meter).  Other students commented on the analysis's blow-by-blow description of the reader's experience of reading it.  Other students comments on the the aesthetic analysis's reference to the poem's technical aspects, including its word choices, its genre, its tone, the arrangement of the words on the page, its punctuation, and its grammar.  Other students pointed out that the aesthetic analysis went beyond the literal meaning of the poem in order to consider its figurative meaning, noting, for instance, that the poem illustrates the phenomenon of the epiphany.  Students also noted that the analysis as a whole was structured in a way that gave it coherence by likening the experience of reading the poem to the experience of riding an actual bus.

Dr. Benton asked students in the class to discuss valuable comments that were not submitted by their own groups.  As we discussed the qualities of the poem that make it unique, Dr. Benton told us he believed the most important thing you can learn in college is to get in the habit of asking the question, "As opposed to what?"  He pointed out that whether you are deciding to vote for a political candidate or deciding to buy a steak from a door-to-door salesperson, it will be difficult for you to make a wise choice unless you know what the alternatives are.

What are the Alternatives?
'The Judgement of Paris" (1986) by  Charles Bell

When it comes to the aesthetic analysis of a poem, it is also important to ask how it is different and similar in to other poems. With respect to its style, for example, "On this Bus," might be compared to Imagist poetry of the early 20th century which employed a "less is more" philosophy, in contrast to wordier, often moralizing poems of an earlier generation.

As an illustration, Dr. Benton showed us the 1913 poem "In a Station of the Metro" by Ezra Pound and a "literary response" to it in the form of a short video. Dr. Benton pointed out that the power of the poem depends on readers who "finish the work" of responding to it, by reflecting on its meaning, its significance, and its art. He likened it to a Lego set waiting for readers to "build meaning" out of it (not the new Lego sets that give specific step-by-step instructions, but those that required builders to be more imaginative).

With respect to its theme, "On this Bus" might be profitably compared to the passage in Genesis which comments on a similar theme.  In book three, verse seven,  Adam and Eve--like the speaker in Masten's poem--become aware of their nakedness. In our discussion of two different translations of the verses in Genesis (click here to read them), we talked about how little decisions by the translators can make significant differences in meaning (did Adam and Eve feel "shame" about their nakedness?).

To illustrate how an aesthetic analysis can show how dissimilar texts may have similar technical qualities, Dr. Benton showed us a clip from the end Star Wars (1977), which he juxtaposed with a clip from the 1933 Nazi documentary Triumph of the Will.  The scenes from both films employed similar camera angles and editing techniques. Star Wars can be analyzed as a response (a tribute?) to Triumph of the Will.  "In a Station of the Metro" also compares unlike things:  cherry blossoms and the faces of people on the subway.

Finally, we talked about how literary responses can offer variations on the theme, the characters, the techniques, or the scenarios employed in other texts.  To illustrate the point, we looked at several literary responses to Masten’s poem, including “First Day Poet,” by Jim Benton, and several untitled poems written by Dr. Benton.

Homework assignment:  

Read the ideological analysis of "On this bus" titled "Riding Naked on Ric Masten’s Bus" by Jim Benton, before class on Tuesday, September 3rd.

Erin Dorsett and Taylor Johnston contributed to this report.

"On This Bus": A literary response to other literary texts

Masaccio, Brancacci Chapel, 1426

Genesis 3:7

New Living Translation (2007)
At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.

GOD’S WORD Translation (1995)

Then their eyes were opened, and they both realized that they were naked. They sewed fig leaves together and made clothes for themselves.

"In a Station of the Metro"--A slide show adaptation

"In a Station of the Metro" by Ezra Pound The apparition of these faces in the crowd; Petals on a wet, black bough.

Stars Wars Responds to Triumph of the Will

Behold: the closing scene to Star Wars (1977) directed by George Lucas .
 And then watch this clip from Triumph of the Will (1935), a Nazi propaganda film directed by Leni Riefenstahl.
 
 Anything look familiar? Just to reinforce the point, check out this mash-up of the two clips. Why film the triumph of Luke Skywalker in a way that calls to mind the triumph of that other gruesome chap?

Five Responses and Three Pigs

"Reading the Newspaper" (1980) by Fyodor Bronnikov

Tuesday's class started off with an opportunity for students to earn up to five points on their final grade by writing press releases for class over the course of the semester. Dr. Benton handed out an example of a press release and explained that these press releases will be posted on the course website (where you're reading this!). These factual, neutral summaries of class discussion should serve as a useful reminder of what material was covered in class for those who attended and an informative outline for students who were absent. It will also help the release writers because it will encourage them to pay especially close attention to material covered in class on days they are assigned to write about. Two volunteers will be assigned to cover each class day since one writer might catch something the other forgot or missed.

As a class, we discussed the characteristics of the sample press release.  It was noted that the press release should provide a reliable, objective account of the conduct of the class.  Dr. Benton advised students who previously indicated that they would be "disappointed" if they didn't get an "A" in the course to sign up for this opportunity.  Dillon and Ashley Armentrout volunteered to go first.  Other students who signed up at the end of class included:  Erin, Taylor, Crystal, Leah, Mary, Melissa, and Curtis.

The remainder of the class was dedicated to discussion of five different ways to respond to literature that will be given special attention in this class. Dr. Benton pointed out that how you respond to literature depends on how you look at the text.  We then discussed how any text can be responded to in each of the five different ways.  When Christian sneezed, for example, Dr. Benton pointed out that even a sneeze can be responded to as a "source of information" (Christian's nose suggested that he is having an allergic reaction of some kind ) or a "work of art" (noting its rhythm and dynamics, for example).  We did not explore the difficult question of how Christian's sneeze might be read ideologically . . .

Scene from To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

We also talked about how a classic novel like To Kill a Mockingbird can be read aesthetically when, for example, we note the way it is constructed in order to produce an emotional response of some kind in its readers (fear, admiration, suspense, amusement, anger, etc.).  It can be read ideologically when we note how these emotions are invoked in order to challenge or affirm conventional beliefs or stereotypes. It could be said of To Kill a Mockingbird, for example,as Chelsee pointed out, that it challenges stereotypes of little girls as delicate and sentimental (Scout is a tomboy) and of African-American men as sexual predators (Tom is wrongly accused of a crime).  On the other hand, it could be argued that To Kill a Mockingbird affirms the stereotype of white men (like Atticus) as heroes and African-Americans as victims in need of rescue.

We then talked about how all literary works are themselves responses to previous literary works.  The same may be said of musicians, and we talked about how pop-rock singers like Stevie Nicks and punk-rock bands like The Ramones could be analyzed both in terms of the influences that shaped them and the types of music that they rejected.  Literary works can explore themes, character-types, genres, narrative structures, settings or perspectives observed in other works and satirize, re-contextualize, expand, or commemorate them.

Dr. Benton pointed out that writers can engage in aesthetic and ideological analysis without commenting on whether or not he or she agrees with the text's ideology or was moved by its aesthetics.

At the end of the class, we watched a clip from the 1933 Disney short The Three Little Pigs and talked about how an apparently neutral summary of the film might shape reader responses to it.  For example, should the pigs who built their houses of sticks and straw be considered lazy?  Or should the pig who built his house of bricks be considered a puritanical scold?  Considering the aesthetics of the film, we observed elements that made it humorous (the framed picture of sausages on the wall labeled "Father"), artful (the bowing ladder), and suspenseful (the mention of the Wolf).  Considering the ideology of the film, Christian mentioned that the film could be seen as confirming a stereotype of artists as lazy and useless (when the first two pigs

Image from The Three Little Pigs (1933)

finish building their homes, they play musical instruments, sing, and dance). Taking into consideration the fact that the film was made during the Great Depression, we noted how the film might be seen either as blaming poor people for not planning more carefully for the future or it might be seen as encouraging them to do just that in order to avoid future catastrophe. In this reading, the wolf might be seen as "hunger" knocking on the door of those whose resources have been exhausted.  Noting the depiction of the disguised wolf as a stereotypical Jewish peddler, we also recalled Nazi propaganda of the period that trafficked in dehumanizing characterizations of Jews and characterized them as financial parasites.  Seen in this light, the Wolf might be read as Jewish bankers coming to foreclose on people's farms.

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT: Read the Aesthetic analysis of “On This Bus."  It will be discussed at the beginning of class Thursday.

Dillon Darnell and Ashley Armentrout contributed to this report.

What are we in a "Responding to Literature" class?

At the beginning of Thursday's class, Dr. Benton distributed copies of the responses that students had written to the poem "On This Bus" by Ric Masten, which they had been given on the first day of class. After marking their favorite responses, students commented on the qualities embodied in those responses.  Some of the answers included:  "short and sweet," "unique," "honest," "took it farther," "clear," "appreciated the poem," and "amusing."  We then discussed how different audiences value different qualities.  Thus, in some contexts "short and sweet" is appropriate (as when you're passing somebody in the hallway and you ask, "How are you doing?"), but in others, "short and sweet" may not always be best (as, perhaps, when you are interviewing for a job and you are asked to comment on any relevant experience you've had, or when a lawyer is asked to offer reasons to support the claim that her client is innocent").

Before discussing the kinds of response that might be valued in university-level literature course like this one, we talked about how we might define "literature."  Some of the answers included "making art out of words," "whatever someone appreciates," "whatever moves someone," "whatever is meaningful to someone--not necessarily the reader."  Other qualities mentioned included "superior or lasting," "creative," "teaches," "sends a message," "informs, "thought-provoking."

Dr. Benton then wrote the word "letter" on the whiteboard and asked everyone to represent it visually on a sheet of paper.  Some drew symbols from the alphabet; others drew an envelope or something that might slide into it. Both the image of the alphabetic symbols and the mail document correctly refer to a different meaning of the word “letter,” but this does not mean that “letter” always means both things.  In the same sense, the word “literature” may refer either to everything that has been published (on a certain topic, say) or it may refer to the kind of thing that tends to get studied in “Literature” classes like this one.  It is this second definition of “literature” that we will be discussing in this class.

Dr. Benton went on to point out that some words have multiple meanings, but for a word to have a meaning it must signify something both for the speaker or writer and the listener or reader.  In other words, it is not enough to simply say from this point on when I saw the word "pig" the rest of you will understand that I mean "pencil."  There must be a community agreement of some kind that certain words mean certain things.

We then examined an answer to the question “what is literature?” provided by English scholar, Terry Eagleton. 

Benton explained that, according to Eagleton, no one person has the authority to determine whether or not an individual text is or is not a work of literature.  Determining what is and is not literature is a collective enterprise, and different groups may take different values into consideration when they decide what is and is not literature.  It is not just a question of which texts qualify as literature that is at stake.  A community’s definition of what “literature” means may also change over time.  This is not to say that everyone the same community always agrees about that definition.

A community is always in conversation with itself about what does and does not count as literature.  This is one reason why our responses to literature (remember the title of this course?) are so important.  And it is not just the question of whether or not an individual text rises to the literary standards of a given community that is at stake; the very question of what those literary standards should be is also a matter of debate.

Finally, we discussed the question, "Why does the state board of regents want college students to take courses like this one?"  Some of the answers offered by students in included, "to engage thought," "to encounter different perspectives," "to make arguments," "to think for yourself," "to develop interpretive and communicative skills," "to better understand the world we live in," and "to better understand the past."

As a part of this discussion, we talked about how many of these skills may be useful in the job market, but there are other reasons that these skills may be valuable. For one thing, they may help us become better citizens--which is important in a democratic society.  They also might enhance the quality of our lives and shape our values.

The conversation then turned to the observation that appreciation of literature may be considered an "acquired taste."  While students may struggle at first to find value in literature in general, or in a particular genre of literature in particular, with time and experience, as the readers learns more about the way literary texts operate, greater appreciation and enjoyment may follow.   

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT:

Go to www.bentonseculit.blogspot.com and post a comment on the post titled “Does literature make readers more compassionate?”  Due date:  before class on Tuesday, August 27th.

Does literature make readers more compassionate?

Here’s one answer, taken from Terry Eagleton's How to Read a Poem. (Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub, 2007). 

"... critics tend to assume, like almost everyone else on the planet, that the imagination is an unequivocally positive faculty, which is far from the case." (23)

"If only I could know what it was like to be you, I would cease to be so brutal to you, or come to your aid when others were treating you badly. . . . brutality, on this view, is just a breakdown of imagination. The only drawback with this doctrine is that it is obviously false. Sadists know exactly how their victims are feeling, which is what spurs them on to more richly imaginative bouts of torture. Even if I am not a sadist, knowing how wretched you feel does not necessarily mean that I will feel moved to do something about it [the image at right is a still from the 1971 film A Clockwork Orange, directed by Stanley Kubrick, which was based on Anthony Burgess's 1962 novel of the same title; to see a clip from the movie, click here. WARNING:  it's brutal). Conversely, people who come to the aid of others may be, so to speak, imaginatively tone-deaf, unable to re-create in themselves in any very vivid way the feelings of those they help you. The fact that they are unable to do so is morally speaking neither here nor there." (24)

"Acts of imagination are by no means always benign. Organising genocide takes a fair bit of imagination. . . . If William Blake (see image at left) [1] ranks among the visionaries, so does Pol Pot[2]." (24)

---

[1] William Blake (1857-1927) was an English poet.  One of his best known poems, “The Tyger,” was published in 1794.  It begins: 

TIGER, tiger, burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

To hear the entire poem, see below (or click here).

[2] Pol Pot (1928-1998) became leader of the Asian country Cambodia in 1975.  He is said to be responsible for the deaths of more than 2 million of his fellow Cambodians.


IMAGE SOURCE:
http://media.photobucket.com/image/clockwork%20orange/Katsura-Kotonoha/wall2.jpg