I thought about my past experience with reading books written by people of color. I wish when I were younger and struggling with certain issues prevalent in Korean culture, or more broadly I guess even Asian culture, I could read about people of my ethnicity. Perhaps this was a matter of my resourcefulness, but there is a serious dearth of material as compared to that of white writers. As an English major, or even just as a student in middle school, high school, it is not unsurprising to read works written only by white men.
Repetition as a Remedy
In my creative writing class, during our first unit, poetry, I learned that meaning is not perhaps the most important part of reading a poem. We were instructed to read each poem at least twice, once for ‘pleasure,’ and again for the mechanics, the effect, and craft elements. I liked our professor’s approach because although he did not have anything against authorial intent, he was often more interested in the effect of the poem or piece. This reminded me of a New Critical Reading, to take the poem in itself, separate of its writer and historical context. That’s not to say that I prefer this type of reading. I think there are serious drawbacks to not considering the context of a piece. I’ve done research on my own of the pieces we’ve read, as have other students, and we discussed the context of the writing as well. Perhaps it sometimes worked because it was a class on gaining a better understanding of the choices writers make, why, and applying that knowledge to our own work.
“In Search of Zora Neale Hurston”
Born in Notasulga, Alabama, on January 7, 1891, Zora Neale Hurston was an African American anthropologist, folklorist, civil activist, writer, and daughter of two former slaves, Lucy Ann Potts and John Hurston. Hurston considered Eatonville, Florida her home, having moved there as a toddler.
Just a thought
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. Continue reading “Just a thought”
Interdisciplinary English
I found it interesting that the creation of academic disciplines has long been critiqued as “limited and confining” (Moran, Introduction to Interdisciplinarity). From a young age, I was drilled on the importance, and necessity, of specialization—a specialized job. Perhaps anxieties about the specialization of knowledge do not extend to the specialization of jobs, as they are seen as necessary for our culture and capitalist society to function to its maximum potential. Everyone has a niche. Continue reading “Interdisciplinary English”