Detail View: Deaf Studies, Culture, and History Archives: Poetry class part one analysis of poetry

Filename: 
ds_0031_panarateaching_cap_01.mp4
Identifier: 
ds_0031_panarateaching_cap_01.mp4
Title: 
Poetry class part one analysis of poetry
Creator: 
Panara, Robert
Subject: 
English poetry 19th century Study and teaching
Subject: 
English poetry 20th century Study and teaching
Subject: 
American poetry 19th century Study and teaching
Subject: 
American poetry 20th century Study and teaching
Subject: 
American Sign Language literature
Subject: 
Deaf Poetry
Subject: 
ASL poetry
Summary: 
The video shows Dr. Panara explaining lyric poetry and plucking the strings of a lyre to demonstrate the five senses. He discusses sense imagery and asks students what they see, hear, feel, taste, and smell when they visit the seashore in preparation for the poem "Sea Fever" by John Masefield. The rhythm, alliteration, and rhyming structure of the poem are analyzed. He translates some phrases in the poem and explains why he uses particular signs and non-manual features for those signs.
Publisher: 
National Technical Institute for the Deaf
Digital Publisher: 
Rochester Institute of Technology - RIT Libraries - RIT Archive Collections
Date of Original: 
1974
Date of Digitization: 
2018
Broad Type: 
moving image
Digital File Format: 
mp4
Physical Format: 
VHS
Dimensions of Original: 
57 minutes
Language: 
American Sign Language
Language: 
English
Original Item Location: 
RITDSA.0031
Library Collection: 
Sculptures in the Air: An Accessible Online Video Repository of the American Sign Language (ASL) Poetry and Literature Collections
Library Collection: 
Robert Panara Deaf Video Collection
Digital Project: 
2018-2019 CLIR Grant-ASL Poetry and Literature
Catalog Record: 
https://albert.rit.edu/record=b3954792
Catalog Record: 
https://archivesspace.rit.edu/repositories/2/resources/820
Place: 
New York - Rochester
RIT Spaces and Places: 
Henrietta Campus
Rights: 
RIT Libraries makes materials from its collections available for educational and research purposes pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. It is your responsibility to obtain permission from the copyright holder to publish or reproduce images in print or electronic form.
Rights: 
CC BY-NC-ND: Attribution NonCommercial NoDerivatives 4.0 International
Transcript: 
MAN: FIRST, "UNDER THE GLOOMY SEA"... "ANNABEL LEE"... AND THE OTHER POEM... "SEA FEVER." "SEA FEVER." AND THE NEXT... "STOPPING BY WOODS ON A SNOWY EVENING." FINE. 4. OK? AND "WEST WIND." THERE ARE 2 POEMS WITH ALMOST THE SAME TITLE. ONE IS "THE WEST WIND," AND THAT'S THE ONE I WANTED YOU TO READ. THAT'S BY JOHN MASEFIELD. THE OTHER ONE... "ODE TO THE WEST WIND." THAT'S ANOTHER-- BY ANOTHER POET NAMED SHELLEY. WE WILL DEFINITELY READ THAT LATER WHEN WE STUDY THE BOOK... "JONATHAN LIVINGSTON SEAGULL." BECAUSE THAT POEM, "ODE TO THE WEST WIND," BLENDS NICELY WITH THAT STORY ABOUT SEAGULLS. NOW, WE'RE GONNA ADD SOME MORE POEMS FOR YOU TO READ FOR THIS WEDNESDAY. THAT ADDS UP TO 10 LYRIC POEMS THAT WE WILL START WITH, START OUR POETRY ASSIGNMENT, BY STUDYING THOSE 10 LYRIC POEMS. NOW, WHEN IT COMES TO THE STUDY OF POETRY, THIS IS A VERY INTERESTING SIGN--"POETRY." HE SAID HE THINKS IT HAS TO DO WITH SONG, THE SIGN FOR "SONGS." POETRY. NOW, WHY SONGS? WHAT, THE VIOLIN? YOU'RE PROBABLY THINKING OF-- WHO WAS NERO? A ROMAN WHAT? ROMAN KING? NERO THE VIOLINIST, WHILE ROME BURNED. OH, "WHAT AN ARTIST DIES... IN ME." HE THOUGHT HIMSELF AS THE WORLD'S BEST ARTIST. PAID MORE ATTENTION TO WRITING SHORT POETRY THAN ATTENDING TO THE GOVERNANCE OF THE CITY OF ROME. BUT THAT'S ANOTHER STORY. BUT THE SIGN COMES FROM THE WORD "LYRE." YOU KNOW, BACK THEN, BACK IN ROMAN TIMES, EVEN BEFORE ROMAN TIMES, THERE WAS EVEN A GREATER CIVILIZATION... CULTURALLY SPEAKING. I'M TALKING ABOUT THE ARTS-- POETRY, DRAMA, SCULPTURE. AND WHAT WAS THAT CIVILIZATION BEFORE ROME? GREECE. THAT'S RIGHT, GREECE. G-R-E-E-C-E. GREECE. COMPARE ROME TO GREEK. MANY OF YOU SIGN "GREEK" LIKE THIS WITH THE "G" BY THE NOSE. IF YOU LOOK AT THEIR SCULPTURING, YOU'LL SEE THE PROFILE SHAPED LIKE THIS, HENCE THE SIGN "GREEK." HOWEVER, IF YOU LOOK AT ROMAN SCULPTURE, THEIR PROFILE WAS SHAPED LIKE THIS. AND THAT WAS CALLED AN "AQUILINE NOSE." BUT WHAT? LIKE AN EAGLE. SO, THE SIGN IS "ROMAN." ROMAN. THE STUDY OF LATIN LANGUAGE. SO, DON'T CONFUSE THOSE TWO-- GREEK AND ROMAN. OK? NOW, WHEN IT COMES TO THE GREEK CIVILIZATION, THE WORD "LYRE"... WHAT IS MEANT BY L-Y-R-E? A LYRE WAS A--DOES ANYBODY HAVE AN IDEA? WHAT WAS A LYRE? YES. IT WAS A HARP, A VERY SMALL ONE. THEY HAD LARGER HARPS BACK IN THE DAY, WHICH YOU PLUCKED, OR YOU HAD THE SMALLER ONE THAT YOU COULD CARRY AROUND. IT WAS PORTABLE. SO THAT WAS THE SIGN. DURING GREEK TIMES, THEY BELIEVED THAT... POETRY AS WRITTEN OR SPOKEN WAS MOST PLEASING IF IT WAS ACCOMPANIED WITH A LYRE... AND THEY COULD FOLLOW THE BOOM--THE METER. SO, YOU GET THE IDEA-- BOOM, BOOM--MUSIC, POETRY. MUSIC. POETRY. SO, THE IDEA WAS ABOUT LYRIC POETRY. LYRIC WAS A POEM THAT WAS MEANT TO BE SUNG... WHERE YOU HAVE TO THINK AS POETRY AS SOMETHING ELSE THAT IS SPOKEN THAN SUNG. SINGING IS SUPPOSED TO GIVE PLEASURE TO THE LISTENER. WE WHO ARE DEAF SEEM THAT WE MAY BE SHUT OUT FROM THAT PLEASURE, BUT DO YOU THINK THAT'S SO? YOU CAN READ. YOU CAN FEEL. WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY "FEEL"? NO. I'M TALKING ABOUT POETRY. DO YOU HEAR THE VIBRATIONS? NO. YOU CAN'T HEAR. YOU FEEL WHAT? FEEL THE VIBRATIONS OF WHAT? OF MUSIC? BUT IF YOU HAD A LYRE, YOU'RE PROBABLY RIGHT, BUT PUSHING THAT ASIDE, IF YOU JUST READ, IT'S SILENTLY. MAKES YOU FEEL INSPIRED? BASED ON YOUR EMOTION. IT'S SOMETHING INSIDE OF YOU. YOU READ AND THINK AND IMAGINE. YOU THINK AND READ... PART OF MUSIC? YOU FEEL? YOU USE YOUR IMAGINATION? AND YOU IMAGINE THAT? READ. WELL, IF YOU READ THE PROSE, NOT POETRY BUT EVERYDAY PROSE, AND STILL SEE THE PICTURE, STILL YOU SEEM TO TOUCH SOMETHING, TOUCH A ROUGH SIDEWALK, FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN YOU'RE WALKING IN BARE FEET AND YOU READ. JUST IMAGINE THAT, CAN YOU? THAT'S THE SAME WITH POETRY. I ONCE WROTE A POEM. AND IN THAT POEM, I TRIED TO PICTURE THAT EVEN THOUGH I CAN'T HEAR, STILL, THROUGH MY IMAGINATION, I COULD IMAGINE WHAT THE WORDS SOUNDED LIKE. SO I ONCE WROTE A POEM LIKE THAT. LET ME START OFF BY SIGNING THAT POEM TO GIVE YOU SOME IDEA OF WHAT THE PRINTED WORD CAN... MAKE US IMAGINE. THIS IS "ON HIS DEAFNESS." MY EARS ARE DEAF, BUT STILL I SEEM TO HEAR SWEET NATURE'S MUSIC AND THE SOUND OF MAN. FOR I HAVE LEARNED FROM FANCY ARTISANS HOW WRITTEN WORDS CAN THRILL THE INNER EAR JUST AS THEY MOVE THE HEART. AND SO, FOR ME, THEY ALSO SEEM TO RING OUT LOUD AND FREE. IN SILENT STUDY, I'VE LEARNED TO TELL EACH SECRET SHADE OF MEANING AND TO HEAR A MAGIC HARMONY AT ONCE SINCERE THAT SOMEHOW NOTES A TINKLE OF A BELL, A COOING OF A DOVE... THE SWISH OF LEAVES... THE RAINDROPS PITTER-PATTER ON THE EAVES... THE LOVERS' SIGH, AND THE STRUMMING OF A GUITAR... AND IF I CHOOSE, THE RUSTLE OF A STAR. YOU GET THE IDEA? READING AND IMAGINATION CAN MAKE US "HEAR." NOW, DEALING WITH ONE OF OUR SENSE EXPERIENCES, ONE--DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER SENSES? A SIXTH? THAT'S TRUE, BUT WHAT IS THE SIXTH? TACT? SOMETHING TACTFUL? A SIXTH? WHAT IS THE SIXTH SENSE? WHAT? ESP? ESP? THAT'S AN IDEA. HARD TO EXPLAIN, RIGHT? WHAT IS IT? WHEN YOU SLEEP AND SOMEONE WALKS INTO YOUR ROOM, YOU CAN'T HEAR IT. YOU FEEL...YOU FEEL A PRESENCE. YEAH. WE USE THE WORD-- SIGN "FEEL," BUT IT'S NOT EXACTLY THAT BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT REALLY TOUCHING... TOUCHING ANYTHING. IT'S SOMETHING INSIDE. SOME PEOPLE...YEAH. IT'S REALLY HARD TO EXPLAIN. IT'S SOMETHING THAT... IS INTUITIVE, BUT WE SIGN THIS. THAT'S TRUE. IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN HAVE A LOT OF ARGUMENT ABOUT, BUT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE 5 SENSES. ONE IS HEARING. WHAT'S THE OTHER? SMELL. HEARING, SMELL. TASTE... SIGHT... FEELING REALLY MEANS WHAT? TOUCH. THAT'S CORRECT. REMEMBER, IT'S MORE TOUCH. TOUCH. YOU TOUCH THIS, YOU TOUCH THAT. THAT'S PRETTY ROUGH THERE, HUH? HA HA! OK. NOW, YOU GET THE IDEA THAT ALL OF US HAVE-- ALL OF US HAVE EXPERIENCED THE WORLD THROUGH THE SENSES-- SIGHT, HEARING, TASTE, TOUCH. FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN YOU GO TO... THE SEASHORE, YOU CAN SEE WHAT? YOU SEE THE WATER. WHAT? YOU SEE THE FISH? WELL, IF YOU LOOK DOWN DEEP, YEAH. MAYBE THEY'RE JUMPING. OK. YOU SEE BIRDS. WHAT ELSE? HUH? COLORS? WHAT COLORS? BLUE...THE BLUE SKY. AND YOU SEE GREEN, THE GREEN WATER. SO YOU SEE THESE THINGS. ALL RIGHT... WHAT DO YOU HEAR? THE SOUND OF THE OCEAN, THE SOUND OF THE WAVES CRASHING. YOU HEAR RAIN? NO. I'M TALKING ABOUT GOING TO THE BEACH. WELL, IF IT'S RAINING, YEAH. IF IT'S RAINING. WHAT ELSE? THE SURF AND THE SOUNDS. WHAT ELSE? THERE. VERY INTERESTING. YOU FEEL IT? HE SAYS, WITHOUT SHOES-- YOU TAKE YOUR SANDALS OFF; THAT'S A GOOD ONE-- AND YOU WALK ON THE SAND, THE WHITE SAND. YOU WALK IT, AND YOU CAN HEAR... STEPS, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, YOU FEEL-- WHAT DO YOU FEEL? YOU FEEL THE TEXTURE OF THE SAND. AND IF IT'S HOT AND IF YOU'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SUN, YOU FEEL THE SUN ON YOUR BACK AND THE SUN AT THE SOLES OF YOUR FEET. WHAT ELSE? WHAT ABOUT--YOU FEEL THE HOT TEMPERATURES UNDER YOUR FEET AND THE SUN BEATING IN YOUR FACE. WHAT DO YOU HEAR? YOU HEAR THE WAVES. YOU HEAR YOURSELF WALKING ON THE SAND. WHAT ELSE DO YOU HEAR? I'M TALKING ABOUT HEARING. IMAGINE WHAT? SHELLS? AH! YOU PICK UP A SHELL AND PUT IT UP TO YOUR EARS AND YOU LISTEN TO IT. YES. WHAT ELSE? SEAGULLS. YEAH. YOU HEAR THEM CAWING. THEY'RE FIGHTING EACH OTHER FOR FISH. YOU HEAR A GULL'S CRYING. CRYING. GOOD. WHAT ABOUT OTHER SENSES? ANY OTHER SENSES? HOW ABOUT AN AIRPLANE? BUT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE SEASHORE. LIMIT IT TO THE SEA. I HAVE A SPECIAL REASON FOR THAT EXPERIENCE... THAT YOU GET FROM VISITING THE SEASHORE. COLORFUL, AS THE SUN GOES DOWN? COLOR... AS IT GOES UNDER THE WATER? OK, YEAH. WIND. WIND. ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE ON A BOAT WITH A SAIL. THE SAIL--IS IT QUIET? OR DOES IT FLAP A LOT? YOU MENTIONED THAT? OHH! YEAH, WHAT AN EXPERIENCE. THE HEARING OF THE FLAPPING OF THE SAIL. THAT'S A DIFFERENT SOUND. WHAT ABOUT SMELL? WE HAVEN'T COME TO THAT. OH, A FISHY SMELL, RIGHT. YOU SMELL SALT WATER. FISHY AND SALT. COOL. TASTE--LAST. TASTE. WHAT DO YOU TASTE? SALT? SALT WATER? OK. FINE. YOU SEE, POETRY DEALS WITH ALL OF THAT, YES. POETRY IS SHORT COMPARED WITH PROSE, EVERYDAY LANGUAGE. IT USES A LOT OF WORDS, OFTEN USES TOO MANY WORDS. POETS CAREFULLY CHOOSE WORDS... VERY ECONOMICAL, BY CAREFULLY CHOOSING. AND EACH WORD SHOULD HAVE A SPECIAL IMPRESSION ON ONE OF YOUR SENSES. NOW, SO, THAT'S THE IDEA. NOW WE ARE GOING TO GO INTO THE LANGUAGE OF POETRY. IMAGE, IMAGE, IMAGE. MOST OF THE TIME, YOU THINK OF A PICTURE. WE TALK ABOUT A "PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGE." YOU'VE SEEN THAT EXPRESSION, RIGHT? "PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGE." LIKENESS, A PHOTO, THAT LOOKS THE SAME AS, COPIED FROM THERE, REPRODUCED, BUT IMAGES REALLY RELATE TO ANY OF THE SENSES. YOU CAN HAVE AN IMAGE THAT APPEALS TO YOUR SENSE OF TOUCH. YOU FEEL SOMETHING ROUGH, DOESN'T FEEL GOOD-- SOMETHING SHARP. OR IMAGE CAN APPEAL TO YOUR SENSE OF SOUND, AS WE SAID BEFORE-- A SEAGULL'S CRYING. SO, THAT'S THE IDEA. THE IDEA, THE CONCEPT THAT DEALS WITH ALL OF THE DIFFERENT SENSE EXPERIENCES. WE CALL THAT IMAGERY. HOW DO YOU PRONOUNCE THAT? IMAGERY. IM'IDGE REE. IM'IDGE REE. IMAGERY. IMAGERY, IMAGERY. OFTEN, I LIKE TO MAKE A COMPARISON... THAT SUPPOSE YOU HAVE A SMALL LYRE... A SMALL ONE. SUPPOSE THAT LYRE HAS 5 STRINGS. CHORDS. WE CALL THEM STRINGS. 5. AND I STRUM THE STRINGS. OR SUPPOSE ONE OF THOSE STRINGS THAT YOU PLUCK DEALS WITH THE SENSE OF TASTE. YOU PLUCK THE STRING. WHEN I READ A POEM, IF IT CONTAINS ONE WORD THAT DEALS WITH TASTE... AND SAY IT WAS SALT OR THE SEA, SEA SPRAY-- SALT SEA SPRAY. CAN--AT THE SAME TIME, YOU CAN TASTE IT AND FEEL IT. SEE THE BEACH AND THE SURF AND THE SPRAY HITTING YOU IN THE FACE. IT'S PART OF FEELING IT, TASTING IT--BOTH. SO YOU PLUCK THE STRING, AND YOU GET 2 OF MY SENSES, THAT EXPERIENCE, A SENSE-- SENSE OF TOUCH AND THE SENSE OF TASTE. SO, WHEN YOU PLUCK THE DIFFERENT STRINGS, YOU GET DIFFERENT SENSES ACTIVATED. YOU GET THE IDEA? YOU PUT THEM ALL TOGETHER, WE CALL THAT "SENSE EXPERIENCES." THEY TRAVEL TO THE MIND UP THE DIFFERENT STRINGS. OR MAYBE THEY GO TO YOUR HEART. DEPENDS WHICH ONE. BOTH, YOU'RE SAYING. RIGHT. BOTH. SOMETIMES, RIGHT, IT GOES TO YOUR STOMACH AND DOESN'T FEEL SO GOOD. WHEN SOMEBODY SCRATCHES A CHALKBOARD, THAT DOESN'T FEEL SO GOOD. THAT GOES TO THE GUT. NOT SUCH A GOOD SENSATION, RIGHT? ANYWAY, NOW, THERE ARE CERTAIN POEMS THAT I'VE ASKED YOU TO STUDY. WHAT POEM COMES TO MIND BASED ON THIS DISCUSSION? YOU KNOW, WHAT POEM COMES TO MIND FROM YOUR OUTSIDE READING THAT DEALS WITH-- YES. "SEA FEVER." "SEA FEVER." OK. LET'S TURN TO THAT PAGE NOW. "SEA FEVER." PAGE 343. 343. WHY DON'T YOU READ THE FIRST VERSE AGAIN? JUST THE FIRST VERSE, THE FIRST STANZA, THE FIRST 4 LINES. PAGE 343. 343. READ THE FIRST 4 LINES. WE'RE GETTIN' CLOSE. YOU READ THE FIRST 4 LINES, AND YOU FEEL THE RHYTHM. SAY THE WORDS: "I MUST GO DOWN TO THE SEASHORE AGAIN "TO THE LONELY SEA AND SKY. AND ALL I ASK IS FOR A TALL SHIP..." MAST. RIGHT. "A TALL SHIP. "AND THE SAIL AND THE STARS AND THE WHEELS--" WHAT ARE THE WHEELS? WHERE "THE WHEELS KICK?" AND ARE THERE ACTUAL WHEELS? NO. THE CONTROLS? THE RUDDER, THAT YOU WOULD HAVE HERE? OR IT WOULD BE CONNECTED TO THE WHEEL. A CONSOLE. THAT'S THE RIGHT WORD. BUT WHAT DOES "KICK" MEAN? KICK. KICK. WHEN IT SAYS "WHEELS KICK." WHAT KICKS? YOUR... YOU KICK THE WHEEL? IF YOU CAN DRIVE ON A ROUGH ROAD, SOMETIMES HOLDING THE STEERING WHEEL WILL MAKE IT A LITTLE JERKY--IT KICKS, LIKE A DEER KICK, GETTING KICKED BY AN ANIMAL. THAT'S THE SAME WITH A BOAT. AS YOU TRAVERSE THE WATER, IT KICKS BACK AND FORTH. AND THE WIND... AND THE WHITE SAIL'S, SHAKING, FLAPPING IN THE WIND, SHAKING. AND THE GREY MIST--AGAIN, GREY MIST ON THE SEA FACE, MISTING AHEAD OF YOU ON THE WATER AND THE FOG, ALL COMING TOGETHER. AND THE WHITE DAWN BREAKING. WHAT TIME IS THAT REFERRED TO? YES. EARLY IN THE MORNING AS THE SUN STARTS RISING... AND THE MIST STARTS EVAPORATING. OK, NOW, YOU SAY, "I MUST GO DOWN TO THE SEA." AGAIN, "THE LONELY SEA AND SKY. AND ALL I ASK IS FOR A TALL SHIP TO LEAD." YOU SEE? THE WHEELS KICK... AND THE WIND KICKS. AND THE SONG "THE WHITE SAIL'S SHAKING." DO YOU FEEL A RHYTHM BACK AND FORTH, BACK AND FORTH, BACK? SO, POETRY TRIES TO MAKE THAT RHYTHM... SOUND ALMOST AS IF THE WATER AND THE WAVES ARE PASSING ALONG. SO, YOU HAVE THE MEASURED BEAT. DO YOU KNOW WHAT A BEAT IS? WHAT IS A BEAT? A HEARTBEAT. CAN YOU FEEL YOUR HEART BEATING? HOW FAST IS IT NOW? HOW FAST? YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE SLEEPING RIGHT AFTER LUNCH... NOT? OK. HA HA! SO, YOUR HEART BEATS-- BOOM BOOM. WHEN YOU RUN, RIGHT, IT BEATS FASTER. OK. SO, THERE'S BEATS IN MANY, MANY THINGS. WHAT OTHER THINGS HAVE BEATS? DRUMS. DANCE HAS A BEAT, TOO. YEAH? RIGHT? THAT'LL PUT YOU TO SLEEP OR... IT'LL FEEL LIKE A DOPE-LIKE TRANCE. EVERYTHING--MANY THINGS HAVE A BEAT. THAT'S THE STUFF OF LIFE. AND POETRY DEPENDS HEAVILY ON THAT, REALLY. NOT ALL POEMS HAVE THAT. SOMETIMES THEY'RE WRITTEN WITHOUT A BEAT, WITHOUT A METER. THAT MEANS THE SAME THING. SAME IDEA. IN POETRY, POETS TRY SOMETIMES TO CREATE THAT BEAT, THAT SOUND, ALMOST LIKE THE MOVEMENT OF WHAT IS HAPPENING. SOMETIMES, A POEM CAN BE ABOUT RIDING A HORSE, AND THE BEAT WOULD BE MUCH FASTER. "RIDING, RIDING, RIDING. THE MAN CAME RIDING..." "UP TO THE INN DOOR." WE'LL READ THAT ONE LATER-- "THE HIGHWAYMAN." BUT FOR NOW, WE'RE LOOKING AT WAVES AND THE KICK OF THE SEA AND THE WIND AND THE WHITE SAIL ON THE MAST. AND WHEN YOU READ A POEM, IT TRIES TO-- SPEAK THE WORDS TO YOURSELF. TRY TO SAY IT OUT LOUD. YOU WILL APPRECIATE WHAT FEEDBACK YOU GET OR THE FEELING. SO YOU GET FEEDBACK THROUGH FEELING. WHETHER IT'S THROUGH YOUR THROAT, YOUR CHEST, YOU FEEL REALLY GOOD. IT'S A BEAUTIFUL FEELING. WE ALSO BEGIN TO SEE THAT POETRY CAN APPEAL TO US IN OTHER WAYS. IN OTHER WORDS, WHEN IT COMES TO THE SEA AND THE SKY, WHAT DOES THAT TELL YOU? SEA, SKY. INTERESTING. IT'S LONG VOWELS. THAT POEM HAS MANY SIMPLE VOWELS THAT STRESS LONG VOWELS. LONG "A"s, LONG "E"s, LONG "I"s, LONG "O"s, LONG "U"s. POETRY IS LIKE THAT. THAT'S WHY YOU HAVE RHYME. RHYME'S THE LAST WORD. THEY MUST, YOU KNOW, SOUND LIKE... SEA..."OF THE LONELIEST OR LONELY SEA "AND THE SKY. "AND ALL I ASK IS FOR A TALL SHIP AND A STAR TO DRIVE BY." THAT'S WHAT'S INTERESTING ABOUT THAT. OK, THERE'S, AGAIN, THE SENSE OF SOUND. WHAT ELSE? WHAT ELSE ABOUT THE VISUAL IMAGES? WHAT THINGS... TOUCH OR...WHAT THINGS INFLUENCE YOUR SENSE OF SIGHT? YOU VISUALIZE A PICTURE. WHAT ELSE IS THERE? ANYONE? SAID "THE STAR." WHAT ELSE? "THE GREY DAWN WITH THE SUN COMING UP AND THE BRIGHTENING OF THE SKY." BEAUTIFUL. SIGN LANGUAGE. WOW. "SEE THE SUN COMING UP ON THE HORIZON. MAKES ITS WAY UP INTO THE SKY AND BRIGHTENS THE DAY." MARVELOUS! IF WE ONLY HAD COLOR, IT'D BE A PERFECT PICTURE, A PERFECT IMAGE OF WHAT YOU SEE, RIGHT? WHAT ELSE? WHAT ELSE? YOU SEE... DAWN BREAKING, THE GREY DAWN BREAKING; THE TALL MAST; THE SAIL; BUT WHAT ELSE IS CONTAINED WITH THIS IN THE POEM? WHAT EXACT WORDS DO YOU SEE? WE TALKED ABOUT THE GREY DAWN BREAKING... I WANT THE EXACT WORDS. WHEN YOU READ POETRY, YOU WANT TO BE CAREFUL THAT YOU SEE THE POEM UNDER A MICROSCOPE... WHEN YOU READ... AS IF YOU'RE READING IT UNDER A MICROSCOPE, SEEKING CLARIFICATION. SO, WE ALSO TALK ABOUT "I SEE AIR. I SEE A CLOUD." WELL, WAIT A MINUTE. A TALL SHIP, A STAR. YOU GET THE EXACT IMAGE, THE EXACT IDEA. WHAT ELSE? A WHITE SAIL, YES. WHAT ELSE? LET'S READ THE SECOND STANZA, SECOND 4 LINES NOW, THE SECOND 4 LINES. IT SENDS CHILLS UP MY SIDE, AND IT GIVES ME GOOSEBUMPS WHEN I READ THIS POEM. REALLY! WHAT OTHER IMAGES DO YOU SEE? LET'S IDENTIFY SOME MORE BASED ON THE WORDS. TIDE? "THE RUNNING TIDE." YES. RIGHT. WHAT ELSE? SEAGULLS. GREAT. SEE THE IMAGES? THE WHITE CLOUDS. OK. NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT... IMAGES THAT INFLUENCE YOUR SENSE OF TASTE. WHAT'S LISTED HERE? "FLUNG SPRAY"? "THE BLOWN SPRAY"? WHAT IS "FLUNG SPRAY"? SPRAY OF THE WATER IS JUST LITTLE DROPLETS FLOATING ABOVE THE WATER AND HITTING YOU IN THE FACE AND ON YOUR BODY AND ON YOUR ARMS, AND IT FEELS SO COOL. "AND THE BLOWN SPUME." WHAT IS SPUME? WINDY? WINDY WHAT? BLOWN SPUME. INTERESTING. WHY DID THE POET DECIDE TO USE THE WORD "BLOWN" WITH THE WORD "SPUME"? WHAT DO YOU THINK SPUME-- SALT? WELL... EXACTLY WHAT IS IT? A SPLASH? IT DEALS WITH THAT, BUT OF WHAT? SPRAY? AND ALSO... AND THE WATER--YOU HAD THE WATER CRASHING UP AGAINST THE BOAT, THE BOAT GOING THROUGH THE WATER, WITH THE RUDDER DRIFTING THE BOAT ALONG. WHAT HAPPENS WITH-- AS THE WATER MAKES ITS-- OR THE BOAT MAKES ITS WAY THROUGH THE WATER? YOU SEE THIS WHITE FOAM IN YOUR TRAIL, IN YOUR WAKE. WHY DO I GO LIKE THIS WITH PUFFED CHEEKS? WHY? RIGHT. FOR--INDICATE SPUME, THE FOAM. RIGHT? SORT OF LIKE FOAMY. VERY INTERESTING ABOUT THE POET CHOSE THAT WORD--"BLOWN." HE COULD HAVE SAID "FLOATING," BUT NO. WHEN IT COMES TO FOAM, HE CHOSE THE WORD "BLOWN SPUME." BLOWN SPUME. THAT'S THE BLOWN SPUME. AWESOME. YOU CAN ALMOST TASTE IT, THE FOAM. AND THAT'S THE IDEA. I CAN DO IT IN SIGN LANGUAGE, JUST AS YOU CAN, BUT WHEN IT'S WRITTEN THROUGH WORDS, THAT WILL LIVE FOREVER. IT'S FANTASTIC WHAT POEMS ATTEMPT TO DO. LET'S READ THE THIRD VERSE NOW. NOW, LISTEN, YOU STRIKE THE LEAR-- THE LYRE WITH THE 5 STRINGS. EACH ONE IS LINKED WITH A SENSE OF THE MAN-- NOT THE 5 SENSES, BUT THE 5 SENSES HERE ON YOUR HAND, PLUCKING THE STRINGS AND HEARING IT AND TASTING IT AND SEEING IT, SOMETHING LIKE THAT. NOW, WHICH DOES THIS APPEAL AS FAR AS THE SENSE OF SOUND WHEN YOU READ? READ THE THIRD VERSE AND TELL ME. HOW DOES IT APPEAL TO THE SENSE OF SOUND? WELL, READ THE WHOLE LINE. WHAT IS LIKE "A WHETTED KNIFE"? WHAT? WHAT IS LIKE "A WHETTED KNIFE"? WHAT? THE WIND. THE WIND, CORRECT. EQUALS. A SHARP KNIFE. THE WIND FLAPPING THE SAILS AND THE SHARP KNIFE. SOMETIMES, THEY'RE BOTH VERY COLD. WHEN YOU'RE SAILING AND THE SAIL'S UP, YOU'RE BLOCKED FROM THE SUN. AND THERE'S...NO SUN BECAUSE YOU'RE UNDER THE SAIL. THE SUN'S ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SAIL, SO YOU'RE BLOCKED FROM THE SUN. DO YOU STAY WARM? NO, YOU'RE RATHER COLD. HAVE YOU HAD THAT EXPERIENCE? AND YOU START FEELING THE WIND. IT STRIKES YOU. NOW, INTERESTING TO HEAR THE WIND. WHAT LETTERS OF THE A-B-C-D TRY TO--ALLOW YOU TO HEAR THE SOUND OF THE WIND? CORRECT. THE "W." COUNT HOW MANY "W"s ARE IN THAT ONE LINE, WHERE THE... 6. 6 "W" SOUNDS. "TO THE WHALE'S WAYS AND THE GULL'S WAY WHERE THE WIND AS A WHETTED KNIFE." "THE WHALE'S WAY, GULL'S WAY... LIKE A WHETTED KNIFE." THE "W" SOUND. AGAIN, YOU GET A SENSE OF THE WIND. THE POET CHOOSES THOSE WORDS VERY CAREFULLY TO INFLUENCE YOUR SENSE OF SOUND-- STRUMMING THE LYRE, HEARING THE "W" AGAIN AND AGAIN. YOU GET THE IDEA? ALLITERATION. IT'S AN IMPORTANT WORD THAT WE LEARN. IN MATHEMATICS, YOU HAVE TO LEARN CERTAIN WORDS-- WHAT IS MEANT BY, FOR EXAMPLE, PARALLEL LINES? YOU HAVE TO LEARN WHAT WE MEAN BY CONCENTRIC CIRCLES. YOU HAVE TO LEARN THOSE SPECIAL TERMS IN MATH, RIGHT? IN ENGINEERING, AND MEDICINE, RIGHT? AND THE SAME THING WITH THE STUDY OF LIT, THE STUDY OF POETRY. THERE ARE CERTAIN WORDS THAT ARE USED OFTEN. "ALLITERATION" IS ONE OF THOSE. SOMETIMES, I USE THE "G" SOUND, THE "GGG" SOUND. SOUNDS ROUGH. OTHER TIMES, YOU USE THE "L" SOUND, THE "LA LA LA LA." IT'S A BEAUTIFUL SOUND. WHY, THE MOTHER CARRIES THE CHILD AND SINGS ��LA LA LA LA � IT'S A LULLABY. LULLABY, WITH THE "L" SOUND. AND IT HAS A SPECIAL SOUND, AND IF YOU REPEAT THAT SOUND OVER AND OVER AGAIN... IT HAS A STRONG EFFECT ON THE HEARING, ON THE SOUND. SO, WATCH FOR EXAMPLES OF THAT, OF WHEN POETRY TRIES TO USE ALLITERATION... TO SEE WHY THEY CHOSE THAT SPECIAL SOUND. WHY? TIME IS UP. SO, ON WEDNESDAY, WE WILL CONTINUE THE STUDY OF LYRIC, AND I'LL ASK YOU MANY MORE QUESTIONS... WHEN IT COMES TO THE DISCUSSION OF IMAGERY.
Notes: 
"This project is supported by a Digitizing Hidden Collections grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR). The grant program is made possible by funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation."