Wisdom: The More You Know, The Less You Don't Know

Analyzing and exploring literature can appear daunting. In the past, I would sometimes feel inadequate making contradictory assertions about literature. What could I contribute I wondered,  as a rosy cheeked 18 year old, by asserting bold new claims in the world? The Introduction to English Class, taught by Gideon Burton is a wonderful example of how small and deliberate steps-- like writing annotating poems on paper, and condensing a thesis into picture form-- can provide evidence for any analysis. In my analysis of "Love Poem" by Linda Pastan, I was able to convince myself of a thesis I originally didn't believe in. I'll never forget Dr. Burton mockingly dismissing the idea of an Oedipus complex in Hamlet, only to think of several literary devices that supported the previously laughable idea. It just goes to show that there is no harm in finding wacky analyses of literature, and discovering a truth that hasn't been solidified before. There is always something new to find, even in Shakespeare plays that have been ground to pulp by Literary Critics. Part of that is being willing to share work in process, which is another pro tip Dr. Burton shared with us. I'm so self conscious about my work, but it's good to have a constant reminder that there are implementations that would improve an analysis that wreak havoc on a nearly done draft, but are amazing mid-thesis.

Don't Follow The Yellow Brick Road

Analyzing and writing about literature is a journey with no end. There will always be more to learn and new ways to think. Over the past few months I have learned a lot about my own process for analyzing literature, including my initial hesitancy to think outside of the box. I learned very quickly, however, that in order to write about literature in a new and interesting way, you cannot follow your own yellow brick road. My introduction to new forms of criticism such as historical, feminist, and post structuralist have made the way I see literature much more interesting and unique.

Learning to Love the Journey

My process of analyzing literature has been an interesting one. I think the most important change happened while reading plays. Before, I could not claim to be a fan of reading plays--I thought that it was incomplete since there was nothing but the dialogue to read. It was hard for me to pay attention to and hard for me to want to sit and read. I was a strong believer that a play was to be watched, books were to be read, and poetry bridged that gap and could be watched or read silently. However, many of my preconceived notions were changed.

Love Poemed Out

This is a concoction of generally cohesive thoughts on which I plan to base my literature analytical essay on. There are countless ways on which it needs improvement, but hopefully it makes enough sense to be a solid base.

Don't Trust the Narrator

Introduction

 For my introduction and thesis, I plan to focus on perspective in A Rose for Emily. My tentative thesis is: "Although some might claim that Faulker's confusing use of the third person to describe Emily's life, it lends itself to the overall tone and pace of the story".

Show and Tell Outlining

Intro/Thesis:

In this section I will introduce the poem I am writing about "Ars Poetica" as well as its author Archibald Macleish. I will also state my claim. My working claim right now is this: "Although many people view poetry as frivolous, in his poem Ars Poetica Archibald Macleish draws upon his rich literary history to both make use of, as well as diverge from, many conventional poetry techniques and substantiate his claim that poetry fulfills an essential purpose for mankind." I know that to be interesting this claim needs to be able to divide an educated audience. I think it does because an educated audience may disagree that poetry truly fulfills an essential purpose for mankind. However, I worry that the claim is too complicated to follow, there may be too many facets.

Excavating Poetry and Staking Claims

Constructing an arguable thesis in a poem that isn't as cliche as singing in the rain or as boring as cardboard can be a real chore. Fortunately, I am not left to my own devices as I dig further into "Introduction to Poetry" by Billy Collins. Gideon Burton has stocked 9 helpful tips on his blog, Coming to Terms With Literature on how to really juice the nutrients of a poem, shake those insights into claims, and cocktail those claims into a thesis.