Week 2: Introducing the arts and humanities through literature

Introduction

Introduction

In the following video, Weeks 2 and 3 author, John Butcher introduces this week’s study. While watching, think about your experience of studying poetry at school, and of any preconceptions you may bring with you.

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Transcript

John Butcher – Author

Hi again, and as we embark on our studies in the arts and humanities it’s inevitable really that we might end up in an academic library. And for the study of poetry, that’s really important really, because we need to have access to some volumes, perhaps of contemporary poetry, or indeed of some older poetry. For example one of the poets we’ll be using during our course is Elizabeth Barrett Browning, who we've got there, and also we need to have access perhaps to some critical studies of poetry, looking at interpretation and some biographical studies of poets as well.

And one of the things we might do is feel slightly awestruck when we think about some of the poetry through history – just plucked here Keats’ poetical works, not a thin volume as you can see, and a set of poetry that he produced before sadly dying at the age of just 25. But we shouldn’t be in awe of this, and in many ways the important thing about this course is to recognise that there can be examples of poetry found all around us. So not just in academic libraries, but let’s try and imagine, let’s say it’s early February and we’re wandering around a greetings card shop or a supermarket, looking for that Valentine’s Day card, and perhaps we come across a Purple Ronnie, and I’d just like to give you a little bit of a poem now to illustrate the point I'm making. So, for example, Millionaire Poem:

If I had a million pounds

I know what I would do

I'd buy some extra special times

And spend them all with you.

Now I admit I'm slightly moved by that, and that kind of effect is important in literature, and we've also even there got some examples of poetic techniques. There’s a rhyme there that’s quite easy to spot. There’s something much more complex, an example of hyperbole, a very exaggerated twist in the end there. But I think the important thing is to recognise, as my daughter keeps reminding me, that poetry is all around us. She particularly favours the lyrics from popular music. One of her particular favourites a couplet from the Arctic Monkeys:

And her lips are like the galaxy’s edge

And her kiss the colour of a constellation falling into place.

So even there we've got strong imagery, we've got a simile, a metaphor, and the point really is that poetry is all around us. It’s prevalent in our lives, and I think it’s really important that we understand better how poetry affects us in the way it does.

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You will now focus on what it’s like to learn in academic subjects that might broadly fit under the description of arts and humanities. If you already think you know you might choose to study in a different area from the arts and humanities, these two weeks will provide an interesting insight into some of the key academic skills vital to success across the disciplines – and we believe, from experience, it is worth knowing what the prevailing approaches to study in the arts are: all students might learn something new.

This week you will:

• identify the higher education subjects grouped as arts/humanities
• use personal response and critical reading as learning approaches in the arts
• discover a range of poetic techniques – rhyme, repetition, surprising language (e.g. imagery using metaphors and similes)
• explore some of the elements found in the sonnet form
• apply the study diamond to analyse effects, techniques, context and meaning in in poetry
• develop your study skills.

1 What is learning in the arts and humanities like?

So, what might learning in the arts and humanities in higher education (HE) involve?

The arts and humanities have proven popular and significant academic subjects over the centuries. Most UK universities currently offer degree studies in a wide range of arts and humanities subjects – although different universities will include their own combination of subjects. Within each subject the range of topics covered will vary, reflecting the interests of teachers. These subjects are likely to include:

• English Literature and Language (sometimes with Creative Writing)
• History (perhaps including History of Science/Technology)
• Music
• Art History
• Religious Studies
• Philosophy
• Classical Studies.

Some universities will also include creative disciplines like Fine Art or Dance, while others will include Modern Foreign Languages. For reasons of space we have not introduced the quite distinctive models of learning found in those subjects.

For students new to the arts in HE, some of these subjects may be quite familiar from school, while others may never have been encountered before. Years of research at The Open University tell us that students are likely to end up being excited and challenged by the new. Engaging with new ideas is, after all one of the key purposes of HE.

In HE two specific and important approaches can be found in the arts and humanities:

1. personal response
2. critical reading.

The following sections and activities will introduce the importance of reading critically, and of articulating a personal response to what you read. Because the course lasts only a few hours, I will focus on one subject this week – literature – and because I want to prompt you to think about learning in an area less familiar to most new students, you are going to look at poetry to see if you can get a feel of what it will be like to be a student in the arts.

2 What is poetry?

Are you one of the people who remembers enjoyment from learning a poem at primary school or perhaps the group reading of a nonsense poem? Or did you engage with a poem which really struck a chord emotionally during your teenage years?

Unfortunately, for too many, studying poetry for the purpose of passing exams puts people off for life. If this is you, it is worth remembering that the pleasure of poetic repetition in a Dr Seuss book for young children, or the evocative line about love or loss carried from a pop song heard in the teenage years, can provide insights into how poetry works. To take a first step into learning about poetry, let’s start by bringing in some of your current thoughts and preconceptions.

You may feel differently to other learners about this reflective activity. Your response might have included words like ‘excited’. Or perhaps you used words like ‘worried’; many students feel that poetry is the most difficult type of creative writing to understand, so do not be concerned if this is your initial response. It is good to make a record of your feelings at this stage as this will give you something to refer back to once you have begun to engage with the material that follows.

2.1 Feelings about poetry

Figure 1 The connection between love and poetry

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A dark grey slate tile with the following words written as if by hand in white chalk:

At the touch of love everyone becomes a poet. Plato.

The letter ‘o’ on the word ‘love’ is replaced with a red heart.

Figure 1 The connection between love and poetry

Many adults claim to not be readers of poetry, but it is interesting that the web is awash with thriving poetry sites, and that at family or public moments of celebration (perhaps the father of the bride’s speech at a wedding) or condolence (a funeral oration) a poem is often quoted.

It is certainly true that some poetry can appear difficult, but also true that learners can acquire the skills to unlock the most challenging text – and it is undoubtedly true that much poetry is accessible. The fact that some poetry is centuries old, and written in what can appear archaic language, need not be a barrier. Just as many great paintings are centuries old – we just, as learners, have to work a little harder to understand the context in which they were produced.

2.2 Poetry is powerful

The purpose of Activity 1 was to get you to start thinking about why you react to a specific text in a particular way. In doing so, you are considering the effects the text has on you and trying to think about why the text affects you in that way. Any text you have chosen here is memorable to you for some reason and has created a response in you. That response, be it positive or negative, is produced by the effects of techniques used in the text.

Of course, different people will like different texts; we will not all respond in the same way to the same poem, song or advertising jingle. The techniques used will affect us all in different ways, otherwise we would all have the same opinions. What you are encouraged to think about when studying poetry is why you like or dislike a text. With practice, you will be able to give answers to this question in relation to any poem you study. You will be able to spot a particular poetic technique or a poetic use of language, whether or not you like the result it achieves. You will be analysing poetry.

Whatever your thoughts about poetry, there is no shortage of poetic writing around in everyday life. A glance inside many greetings cards will reveal a rhyming verse intended to capture feelings in a compressed way.

Often these can be funny or sentimental, but they are seeking to do what poetry aspires to – evoking an emotion through words organised into some kind of coherent structure. Take a look for yourself at some of the lyrics found in popular music.

Often simple images are being evoked, but the most memorable can capture a feeling which can stay with a listener for a lifetime. Poetry is powerful, often because it is concise, it can make us feel differently about something in a way in which a government report or even a piece of journalism cannot – which makes it an important topic of study in literature.

Already, I hope you are starting to find it exciting, forming your own personal response to literature, in this case a poem. This is a key aspect of learning across the arts. You will now be able to understand the challenge of engaging in critical reading when studying poetry – providing detailed analysis to justify your response.

2.3 The effects of poetry

Poetry can appear deceptive to many learners. It is often quite brief (certainly compared to, say, a novel), and it uses everyday language, but in a way that is somehow different, and the effect on a reader is also different. Sometimes, the poem’s brevity is the basis on which a poem’s message is conveyed particularly powerfully. At times, the words become more memorable because of the ‘shape’ of the poem. And often, the words in a poem can provoke a reaction, in a way in which the ‘everyday’ language of prose would not.

I think there are three specific uses of language which a learner in HE might want to look for when reading a poem for the first time.

• rhyme – by which the final sounds on lines are alike, maybe in a consistent pattern
• repetition – of words or sounds

• playful or surprising language – puns, imagery as expressed through similes and metaphors.

It is important not to assume poetic language can be taken for granted. When studying literature, especially poetry, the use of puns, or of imagery expressed through similes and metaphors, is a bit like the ‘elephant in the room’, and it is important that you comment on such language, and not ignore any examples.

Figure 2 Sometimes studying poetry needs you to say ‘there is an elephant in the room’ and not take the poetic language for granted

3 Learning to engage with a poem

Here is a poem to illustrate how it is possible to engage with the poetic techniques of rhyme, repetition and imagery. Many of you may already know it. Read it through two or three times, with a degree of concentration and remember, in HE, sometimes you just have to jump and challenge yourself!

Shortly, I will introduce a powerful tool through which to approach a poem (and indeed other works of art) – but first, a challenge.

As you embark on your studies in HE, you will be challenged by many new words and technical terms (in the comment box above, I have already mentioned quatrains, couplets, lyric, iambic pentameter). Even if unfamiliar to you, these words can extend understanding and aid communication with others. You can utilise a good dictionary, some are available online(press ctrl and click on link to open in a new window), to build up a glossary of key terms in your journal.

Next I introduce an analytical framework which can be used across the arts. It enables learners to move from a position of personal response (I really like/don’t like that … ) to a more structured critical engagement with the text. In so doing it allows well-argued conclusions to be reached when interpreting particular works of art. It is called the study diamond.

4 The study diamond

I now introduce an approach that is useful for analysing and interpreting written texts (like poems) as well as the visual images we move on to next week. This is the study diamond (see Figure 2). Using the study diamond will help you strike a good balance between, on the one hand dismissing your own views too readily as ‘unworthy’, and, on the other hand, concentrating on them too much as the ‘only’ reading.

When used methodically, it provides a reliable and reusable formula for arriving at well-argued conclusions when interpreting a particular work.

There are four points to the study diamond:

Figure 3 The study diamond

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This is a line drawing of a diamond on its side with a word written at each point. Starting from the top and moving clock-wise these are ‘effects’, ‘techniques’, ‘context’ and ‘meaning’.

Figure 3 The study diamond

An excellent way of learning how to apply the study diamond is to first simply try it out.

There will be some further explanation of what is meant by ‘effect’, ‘techniques’, ‘context’ or ‘meaning’ in the next section.

The analysis also does not stop here. Once you have thought about these four aspects of the poem and made some notes, think about each aspect again. By repeating these stages, your analysis of the poem can continue to build, until you think you have enough information about all four points of the study diamond.

Note that you might not always want to start with the ‘effects’ point. Sometimes, for example, a potential meaning might be more obvious. In such cases, make a note of this, and then go on to consider the other three points of the diamond. Also, having applied the study diamond once to a text, you may then want to look at the points again in a different order. However, as a general rule, start by noting the effects of a text, and see where this leads you.

The four points of the study diamond each represent specific tasks, which together form a useful approach when interpreting a work of literature or art. Next you’ll look at each of these in turn.

4.1 Effects

Most texts are intended to have some sort of effect on the reader, and the Barrett-Browning sonnet was intended to have a particular effect on you. Do not be tempted to concentrate only on what techniques are used in a text, or on what you think it might mean. Note, as accurately as you can, what your responses are. So, by looking carefully at how a text strikes you, you are trying to engage very directly with the author.

Here are three steps to help you to note as fully as possible the effects that a text has on you.

1. Your initial response

   Note the points that strike you after your first reading. For example, you might simply say things like:

   • a. ‘I like some of it.’
   • b.‘The language is old and so I find it difficult to understand.’
   • c.‘The opening grabbed me.’
2. Your second response

   Use this list of six questions to try to probe your responses a little more. Try to apply each of these questions to the texts you study.

   • a.Do you like the text?
   • b.Describe your reaction to the text as fully as possible. Are there any parts that strike you more than others?
   • c.Is there anything in the text that you feel is too obvious to mention?
   • d.Do you have any feelings about the text which you are not clear about – for example, mixed feelings about whether you like it or not?
   • e.Did your responses change as you analysed this text?
   • f.Have you had similar responses to other poems (for example, the Shakespeare or the Frost)? If you have, looking at these other texts again might help you.
3. Other responses

   At this point, you might want to leave the poem for a little while, and then come back to it. Read it again, and consider for a moment, have any of your responses changed? Are there questions you find yourself asking without quite having a clear answer yet? Does the poem evoke a similar response to a lyric you know, or a film you have seen, or a scene in a novel you know?

In trying to consider as many aspects of the effects of a text as possible, one invaluable approach is to think how it might have different effects on other people. Think of three or four people whose feelings you could guess at, or who are likely to see things differently from you, in at least some ways. You could also ask people outright how they would respond to the text.

4.2 Techniques

You are encountering some of the specific techniques used in texts from poetry and the visual arts as you study this course. But the following general points should be considered:

It is important, as far as possible, to try to describe the effects that these techniques achieve as you identify them. For example, one technique commonly used in poetry is rhyme. In the sonnet, the rhyming of ‘height’ and ‘sight’ (line ends 2 and 3), seems significant – but why? In your study of poetry, other techniques will quickly become apparent to you. If you identify a technique such as rhyme, it may not be immediately clear what effects this technique can create. You can always come back to this point, so simply note the technique used and where in the text it is found, and move on. Can you see that one effect of the rhyming words is to draw attention to these words and thus emphasise them? One might argue that this use of rhyme makes the poem as a whole more striking, and perhaps more memorable.

As you read and reread a text, stay on the lookout for the techniques used in it. It will probably take several readings of a longer text for all the techniques to become apparent.

4.3 Context

While it is possible to reach some initial conclusions about what a text means without considering the context in which it was produced, and to which it might refer, this can result in a limited interpretation. Poems, songs, historical accounts and artworks are not produced in a vacuum; they are influenced by the circumstances in which they are created. For example, the sequence of sonnets from which this one came were written in the period leading up to the poet’s marriage to Robert Browning – a marriage which led to her disinheritance from her family’s vast riches (derived from West Indian slave plantations, although she herself was a very public abolitionist). She also suffered from a debilitating spinal disease, and died aged 55 in 1861.

To examine the context of a text, you need to ask the following questions; while not all of these may be relevant, it is worth asking them just to be sure.

• Who produced the text and what do you know about this person?
• Where and when was this text produced and what was happening in the wider world at that time?
• Do you know anything about why the text was produced?

Take care to ensure that any contextual information is relevant to your interpretation.

In brief, consider all available contextual information and stay alert for additional information. Think about how the contextual information can be used in conjunction with your consideration of effects and techniques in your analysis of the text.

4.4 Meaning

You now turn to the question of what messages might be in the text – what it might mean. In doing this you are, in effect, forming an interpretation of the text.

It is important to try to distinguish between what a text is about, and any messages it carries, as often these will be different. For example, this poem is about the poet’s reflection on the depth of her love. But the message of the poem could be said to lie in its comparison to aspects of a religious experience – the depth of expression that true love overcomes all, and is eternal. The word ‘could’ is used in both these instances, as commenting on the meaning of a text is a matter of interpretation. There can be many possible interpretations of a text, but do note that all your interpretations should always be supported using evidence from the text.

However much analysis you have done on a text, your first conclusions about its possible meaning are important. Nevertheless, you should also regard them as provisional. This is because it is possible that you will revise your interpretation in whole or in part a number of times. Be prepared, therefore, to change your mind regarding the meaning of a text. A good time to review the possible meaning of a text is after you have looked at some contextual information relating to it, for example the circumstances in which it was produced.

Finally, try to think of as many possible interpretations of a text as you can. Again, one useful method here is to consider what others might make of it. You could even ask other people for their opinions.

4.5 Studying works of literature and art

As previously said, the points of the study diamond need not be considered in any particular order. However, it is recommended that you start with ‘effects’, and move round the diamond in a clockwise direction, considering each point as you go.

The meaning of some texts and the messages they contain will be immediately apparent. If this is obvious to you at the outset, it would be artificial to begin with the ‘effects’ point of the study diamond and then move round in a clockwise direction considering ‘meaning’ last, when it was the first thing that struck you. The sensible approach would be to make notes about the meaning first, and then look at the other points of the study diamond. The same would apply if the rhyme in the poem stood out to begin with. You would start by noting your observations about techniques and then move on.

The most important thing about this approach is to consider all four points of the study diamond. This should help you to reach a balanced and well-argued interpretation.

In working through the four points of the study diamond, there is plenty of opportunity to think about the text in a number of different ways. You will have also made notes, which are valuable when explaining your interpretations. It is imperative that you give reasons for what you say, both for your interpretations of texts, and for the viewpoints and opinions which you express. Using the study diamond helps to ensure that you are clear about what your views on a text are, and how your examination of a text has informed your interpretation of it.

Another virtue of the study diamond is that it is recyclable. Once you have worked round each point, write up your notes and then start again.

5 This week's quiz

Well done, you’ve just completed the last of the activities in this week’s study before the weekly quiz.

6 Summary

Congratulations for reaching the end of the second week of the course. This week has focused on how the study diamond can provide a way into reading a wide range of poetry. The week also has outlined how a focused and organised approach makes it possible to go beyond personal responses to poetry in humorous verses or in greetings cards.

In Week 2, you have learned about:

• identifying the HE subjects grouped as arts and humanities
• the use of personal response and critical reading as learning approaches in the arts
• a range of poetic techniques: rhyme, repetition, surprising language (e.g. imagery using metaphors and similes)
• some of the elements found in the sonnet form
• applying the study diamond to analyse effects, techniques, context and meaning in in poetry
• developing your study skills.

For Week 3, you will further develop your understanding of learning in the arts and humanities by exploring some challenging contemporary art history, through the lens of the study diamond.

You can now go to Week 3.

References

Browning, E. B. (1806-1861) The Complete Works of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Porter, C. E. & Clarke, H. A. (eds), (6 volumes), New York, Thomas Y. Cromwell & Co. (this edition 1900).

Coleridge, S. T. (1772-1834) Poetical Works, Mays, J.C.C. (ed.), Princeton, NJ, Princeton University Press (this editon 2001). Also available as an e-book for OU MA Literature through OU library: The rime of the ancient mariner in seven parts [Online] via LION.

Shakespeare, W. (1564-1616) The Complete Sonnets and Poems, Burrow, C. (ed.), Oxford, Oxford University Press (this edition 2002).

'Fire and Ice' Recited by the Poet himself! Robert Frost Poem Taught in SFHS's Literature Classes (2013) YouTube video, added by Tim Gracyk [Online]. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCbNOUeDQJM (Accessed 8 August 2014).

Robert Frost's 'Fire and Ice' read by Richard Burton (2011) YouTube video, added by Cakes in the Rain [Online]. Available at www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pjp1zdOaNCo (Accessed 8 August 2014).

Week 3

Acknowledgements

This week was written by John Butcher.

Except for third party materials and otherwise stated in the acknowledgements section (see FAQs), this content is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Licence.

The material acknowledged below is Proprietary and used under licence (not subject to Creative Commons Licence). Grateful acknowledgement is made to the following sources for permission to reproduce material in this unit:

Images

Figure 1: © Yuriz/iStockphoto.com and Figure 2: © John Lund/ Getty Images.

Every effort has been made to contact copyright owners. If any have been inadvertently overlooked, the publishers will be pleased to make the necessary arrangements at the first opportunity.

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Week 3