Bad Assignments File

A post for the “Ridiculous Assignments” file.

In the creative writing class I’m currently taking, our final project is to take a piece we’ve written during the semester, and translate it into a different medium.

In other words, for a creative writing class, the most important assignment of the year is to create something, anything, except what this course is supposed to be about. That’s great.

Theoretically, the purpose of this assignment is to… I suppose help me better understand my original piece by translating it to something else. However, I’m in this class to learn to write, and this assignment is, at best, only tangentially related.

‘Tis Better to be Brief

One thing that I’ve learned in the last year is the power of brevity.

Now, I’ve known this, to some extent, ever since I read The Elements of Style back when I first got interested in writing in middle school, but it wasn’t until relatively recently that I realized just how condensed a written work can be. I refer you to Ezra Pound’s famous “In a Station of the Metro.”

Here’s a poem that consists only of two lines and a title. Not only that, but the two lines aren’t even a proper sentence – there’s no predicate. One can say, literally, that nothing happens in this poem. Personally, I was somewhat puzzled by this poem when I first encountered it, and remained so until last year when I had to write an essay on a work of my choice, and chose this poem.

That nothing happens is almost certainly intentional. This is an example of imagist poetry, which, as one might guess, emphasizes the importance of imagery in a poem over high-sounding, elaborate language and flowery description. “Metro” is an extreme example, but that Pound is able to convey any idea at all in a single image is remarkable.

So, what is that idea? My guess is that the poem is an ironic statement on the hectic environment of a metro station. Go to a big-city subway, and see how many people come and go. Quite frenetic, right? Yet, not only does this poem not really describe the action, but as stated above literally nothing happens. There is also a contrast between the people in the crowd and the man-made setting against the natural images used to describe them. The irony is great, and the poem ends up much more powerful and memorable than if Pound had taken the more traditional route and described the metro in longer, more elaborate verse.

Into the Unlearned, Uncharted

As I’ve said elsewhere, lots of people have blogs. Most of them are inactive, doing little more than taking up space on the internet. Honestly, mine has been one of those for the last nine months or so.

Up until now, this has been a blog in search of a topic. The main problem for me has been that there is little that I have to share that would be worth sharing. After all, I don’t care for personal blogs, so that idea is out. As for politics or literature or some other such topic, there are several people who know more than I, so there’s no reason for me to add what would mostly be noise to the noise/signal ratio. I am still learning about all these things.

That, then, is where I have my idea for what this blog will henceforth be about – intellectual growth. Rather than telling the world what I think, I will merely share what I’ve been learning. Hopefully others find it interesting. If not, this will at least be something for me to look back on. I’ve learned a lot in the last year about history, literature, religion… surely others can relate, and perhaps share their experiences.

I will find out.

The Art of the Obvious

Today, here’s a little original poem inspired by a real classmate of mine. You’ve probably met someone similar in any discussion-heavy classes you’ve taken.

The Art of the Obvious

There’s an art to stating the obvious.
You’ve got to make it long;
You’ve got to make the point.
You’ve got to do it often;
You’ve got to time it right.
You’ve got to give proper credit;
You’ve got to take what’s yours.
You’ve got to know the fact;
You’ve got to know it don’t matter.
You’ve got to keep it relevant;
You’ve got to roam around.
You’ve got to sit up front;
You’ve got to know your place.
You’ve got to make sure the world notices.

Posting on a Blog

Not a whole lot to add today – just a couple brief items of interest.

First, for those who applaud Senator Obama’s recent speech on race that’s gotten so much attention and praise, you may be interested in this alternate take, courtesy of “Men Like Trees, Walking.”

Second, on a lighter note and for the writers out there, the Gender Guesser. Give it a piece of prose writing, and it will estimate whether you’re a man or woman based on the words you use. I fed it my “Somewhat True Story,” as well as a few other pieces, and I was consistently guessed as a man. No surprise, but it denies me the “you write like a girl” jokes.  Do read the explanation of the Gender Guesser, though, since it’s both interesting on its own but also explains how they came up with their algorithm.

That’s all for now, folks.