The Professor and the Madman

James Murray ("The Professor") and William Chester Minor ("The Madman")

The Oxford English Dictionary is just one of those things, like The Bible, that has always been around. No one stops to think about where it acme from, who the person who wrote it actually was, etc. I don't know if it is just me, but I never realized that it was created with the help of contributors. I guess now that I look back, I realize that thinking one man literally came up with every single definition all by himself is a bit crazy.

However, who would have thought that the title of this book was actually true!? It gives me a whole new appreciation for the dictionary, realizing that a lot of the dictionary that everyone so often takes from granted, was originally created with the help of a crazy murderer. It really makes me stop and think how odd it is that some of the worst people are geniuses when it comes to other things. He was insane, murdered people, yet was unbelievably gifted when it comes to the written language.

Image Grammar

My favorite part of Harry Noden's Image Grammar is the section on parallel structure. Noden titles this chapter, 3, "The Artist's Rhythms." He talks about how you must "listen for the beat" (50). He writes that the "structures give prose a musical quality that adds emphasis and sound to central images" (50). I'm really interested in ways to incorporate music into the Language Arts classroom. During my 10-day unit, I used music to teach rhyme scheme, similarities between poetry back in the day and current music, the difference between tone and mood, and so on. I was actually a bit disappointed in myself for failing to see how grammar could be mixed with music in the classroom. This is one of the very first times I have heard of a non-lame way to teach parallel structure. Haha

On the next page, he talks about the rhythm of repetition. He shows an example from a letter that repeats the same phrase over and over, creating "an echo, a trancelike refrain" (51) This letter was most likely unintentionally using literal repetition. However, then he goes on to refer to Edgar Allen Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart" and how he repeatedly wrote "but the noise steadily increased" (51).

Noden continues on a few pages later to talk about the music and rhythms in political rhetoric. I took a rhetoric class last year and so I recognized the examples he cited, such as J.F.K.'s Inaugural Address. He writes that these speeches can serve as the best examples of parallel structure in the classroom, and that their rhythms "create the illusion of profundity" (59). I'm not into politics at all, but this actually made me look forward to the possibility of teaching a speech class!

Modern Library Writer's Workshop: Chapter 7

I really liked chapter 7 in Modern Library Writer's Workshop on "Working and Reworking." First, I like that he mentions that there should be as many drafts as are needed when writing. It's something that should be emphasized to students. Many students are taught that one first draft is necessary, peer-editing or editing of some sort should take place, and then they should create a final draft and hand it in for a grade. In this case, students who may not get a good grade after that one first draft and revision are going to begin to think they are poor writers. If we as teachers emphasize that there should be multiple drafts that just keep happening until the piece of writing is what they want it to be, students may realize that there are not just innately "good" writers, and that it takes everyone practice and perseverance. If it's not great the first time, or the second, or the third, just keep writing until it is!

I also loved his "10-percent solution." Koch recalls that Fred Astaire told a young film-maker, "Make it as good as you can. Then cut ten minutes." (174) That really is such great advice that would not occur to me as a perfect way to teach students to cut "wordiness" and redundant points, etc. This ensures that everything is concise and that everything that is in the paper, story, whatever it may be, really is necessary and adds to the piece -- not just makes it the required length assigned.

"Hungry Minds"

The really, really enjoyed the article "Hungry Minds." You always read about all of the different programs done to help out the homeless, but none really seem worth any while to me except the physical fitness ones, where men or women have started running clubs for the homeless. And now, this one, as well. There are so many options for those who are seeking an education. They could go to the library, where all the knowledge they could ever desire is at their hands for free, to educate themselves. Learning to write well, and having an avenue to share that writing and gain insight and praise for it, cannot be found from books. A writing workshop seems like such a fantastic way to help these people out by improving their writing skills, improving their moods, and creating a network of support.

My absolute favorite quote from this article was on the final page:
"The alchemy of writing gives everybody who’s been in the workshop an extra dimension: along with possessing a name and a face, each is also the particular person who wrote whatever. Somehow, writing even a few lines makes the person who does it more substantial and real. In geometric terms, it’s like the difference between being a point and being a plane."
They share this writing at the end with all the parishioners or people from other writing group, and hearing these homeless men and women must have such a profound effect on them. It turns a person who we usually see as a statistic or a stereotype into a real person with stories and hopes and grief and loss.



I'm going to hold onto this article. It seems like it could even possibly be a good way to inspire future students to write by making them see what a great way it is to share your story.