Re: teachers in trouble in VA

[gerald bracey <gbracey@EROLS.COM>]

Beware of half baked, poets, though, Victor.


----- Original Message -----
From: "Victor Steinbok" <Victor.Steinbok@VERIZON.NET>
To: <ARN-L@LISTS.CUA.EDU>
Sent: Saturday, September 01, 2001 10:55 AM
Subject: Re: teachers in trouble in VA


> At 7:29 AM -0500 9/1/01, kber wrote:
> >Mickey
> >
> >first, I am not an English teacher, although I did teach 8th grade
> >English and reading for one year in the past.  I do loave poetry,
> >and in the past hae been very fond of Herbert.  Yet I do have to
> >question the sanity of the state dept if they are going to use
> >Herbert as an example of a metaphysical poet.  Not that he isn't,
> >no, that's not my point.  Given the scope of English and American
> >literature, it would seem to me that to include even one poem by
> >Herbert, much less the several necessary to justify his having been
> >a question on the SOLs seems to me a striking imbalance.  Frogive my
> >sarcasm, but is it possible the E.D. Hirsch has a fixation on
> >Herbert?  The gentel Englishmen wrote some wonderful poems, but is
> >not normally considered as having had major influence on other
> >poets, is he?
>
> If it's European, Hirsch is fascinated with it. His goal is to
> resuscitate Western Civ from the "dead white men" grave.
>
> >Besides, and this is far more basic question, how do you properly
> >assess understand about and knowledge of poetry by multiple choice
> >questions?
>
> A couple of friends did a survey of test questions on poetry (one was
> getting ready to do a dissertation on the subject) and found that
> poetry questions ask two things--first, identify references to
> content, quotes and historical "facts"; second, regurgitate what
> you've been told is "the" interpretation of anything that may be in
> doubt. No analysis, no understanding. (An typical example is a pair
> of questions, "An example of allegory is ABCD" and "The word X in
> '...' is an example of A simile B metaphor ...")
>
> >Is there as wise English teacher out there who can illuminate my por
> >beclouded mind on these two issues?
>
> I am no English teacher (not even native speaker, at that), but
> poetry is not restricted to the English language. Every country
> teaches poetry, some with a nationalist twist (as poetry is the
> easiest genre to subject it to). It is also often used to
> discriminate by social class, since not everyone has the same access
> to it.
>
>         VS-)
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
> To unsubscribe from the ARN-L list, send command SIGNOFF ARN-L
> to LISTSERV@LISTS.CUA.EDU.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe from the ARN-L list, send command SIGNOFF ARN-L
to LISTSERV@LISTS.CUA.EDU.