I was listening to Solange when I remembered that her album title is “A Seat at the Table,” and it all seemed to come together, with the poem on the gazebo. I don’t usually express my political views, and especially not on such a public platform, but the texts and conversations discussed in class are relevant to the recent events of this semester, and I wanted to try after a conversation with a friend.
Going to school here during the election has definitely been a new experience for me—and this is excluding the fact that I am Asian—as I think it has been for many people. It’s not that nothing has happened around where I’m from. When I told my friend about the KKK graffiti, she told me similar things happened in Brooklyn and at her school. But hearing about and seeing threats on campus this past semester has made one thing only clearer: that Trump’s election has empowered bigots, and that they still attack from their safe hiding spots while threatening places that are supposed to feel “safe.”
When I read some of the comments on the “Overheard at Geneseo” post about the poem on the gazebo, I was surprised. Someone asked for an interpretation, and someone else wished they were an English major to understand. I was surprised, but I was not.
My being an English major does not necessitate an understanding of poems, and even though I am an English major, I personally find poems, and books, mystifying. And I know that many people I’ve talked to find poetry especially mystifying. But my friend asked me “Your not understanding, though, is in an attempt to eventually achieve erudition, no?” And it’s true. Part of my challenge in the major is understanding texts, but ultimately I am majoring in English to better understand texts, to understand human experiences, to articulate ideas—and this is a privilege, and I think it is important to be aware of that.
And I could see how the poem might come across as elitism, and maybe part of the confusion was that it was presented without context. It is important to hear “the other side”—as shown in this election—and consider the implication of posting a poem or piece of literature without context. This could encourage a New Critical reading. And sometimes positive intentions are met with criticism, whether or not it is constructive.
But I was sad to read “tl;dr: your degree is meaningless and you’ll never find a job.” It is something I’ve heard often, although less so from my people my age. I don’t mean to discount concerns or questions about the poem, especially when people want to understand. But the fact that someone taped a poem where there was KKK graffiti? It is beautiful and powerful and something to be celebrated. It shows we will not stand for such racism, bigotry, and negativity. There is a universal struggle to understand in the prose of “My chair was missing from the table.”
My friend mentioned that one of the deciding factors in her choosing English over political science was the recent election. I don’t think she’s discouraged, but art speaks to people in a different way, and there’s something to be said. Policy keeps changing year after year, but something that maintains is art itself, and there’s a value in its timelessness. I’m not saying that one is better than the other, and of course, there are people going into political science hopeful for change and to effect change—and we need them.
But art is also important. We have come to such a polarized state where there is a lack of empathy on both sides, and this understanding is something that goes with education—it is an understanding of the human condition that can be found within art.
This is so beautiful, so well written and so timely.
I loved the way this blog post flowed; each paragraph tied the previous paragraph into the story in a very professional and articulate way.
I absolutely loved your diction. Each of your sentences was emotional (and not dramatic, which is good – I often feel like I’m being too dramatic), which made it a very effective (and almost persuasive) post. I. Loved. It.
I’ve been feeling distraught over the election, and I’ve wondered if it would help if I changed disciplines and became a political science major or went to law school or did something that would make everyone’s parents would say, “that’s a real career”. This blog post provided me with a perfect reminder – my English major and my love of literature and art and culture is not going to waste because I’m not pursuing something like political science. (Not to mention that if I had pursued political science, I would have been miserable and lost and sad.)
This was my favorite sentence: “Policy keeps changing year after year, but something that maintains is art itself, and there’s a value in its timelessness.” I might hang that on my wall somewhere to remind myself that my pursuits are just as valid and effective as a lawyers.
I also really liked the way you tied this post into interdisciplinarity. I, too, think art about social/political change is crucial, and having conversations about such art allows for everyone to understand each other better. Also, pieces of art (whether it be visual art or music or literature) is sometimes easier to understand than policy, which can make challenging conversations a little bit easier to handle.
Interdisciplinarity really is everywhere, isn’t it? Thank you for sharing your thoughts!