Poetry is important, although it is not a favorite of mine. But there are simply concepts that can be well expressed in a poem form than in prose. I don't really know if I would start off the year with teaching poetry, but I can see how it would be helpful, rather than tackling a novel right away. I liked the example of Poe's The Raven because it really highlighted the struggle writers go through. It also highlights the importance of editing and revising, which is helpful for students. I just can't really see teaching a classic poem called The Parrot or, at least not a poem dealing with the same themes as The Raven. And of course modeling our thinking as we go through a poem is always useful and is a great strategy to get students thinking about a text.
I liked the suggestion of using song lyrics as an introduction to poetry or as a means to get students interested in poetry. This has been used many times to get students thinking about poetry. My question is why can't Jago see or write about young adult lit the same way? I feel like I am really beating this to death, but this really bugs me. If songs could be used as a springboard for learning poetry, couldn't Y.A. books be used as a springboard for canonical texts? If we are willing to spend a class period on songs as poetry, why not a week or so on "Romiette and Julio" to introduce students to "Romeo and Juliet"? Maybe I'm thinking about this too much, but I just don't get why Jago is so against using Y.A. lit in the classroom so long as it is relevant and meaningful.
Terri,
ReplyDeleteI also thought about Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven" when I read this chapter. There are classic pieces of poetry that can be used while teaching poetry in schools. I can also understand your frustration with Jago. I do believe she presents us with some interesting facts, but she does completely disregard a whold genre of literature that I find to important. I find it really hard to follow sometimes because I have mixed emotions concerning the topic. It is important to explore classic literature and poetry, but I do not believe it takes precedence over young adult literature.
It bothered me at first that Jago seemed to have a problem with YA lit too. However, I'm still not sure shes totally against it. In Ch 1 she mentions that she thinks of classics as windows and YA lit as mirrors. Maybe a good compromise would be to use YA lit that could also serve as window lit in the classroom. For example, using a text in which the protagonist is a young adult but the setting or issues are unfamilliar to students therefore providing a window into something different. Some of the choices of text we had for Dr.Pytash's class last year come to mind, such as the one I chose, Keeping Corner.
ReplyDelete"My question is why can't Jago see or write about young adult lit the same way?"
ReplyDeleteThat was my question, too! It seemed odd to me that she saw the worthwhileness of song ("modern") but not YA lit in teaching. While I understand you can find fault in some modern things and not others, they're so closely related, I find it a bit off and bordering on hypocrisy. No matter, she has solid points on both. Just seems a bit odd.
-Mat Colwell