Education Archives - US Represented

Scanning Poetry

Malcolm McCollum — Sun, 20 Nov 2022 08:00:54 +0000

People probably invented poetry to help them remember things they wanted to remember – what their gods and ancestors did, how to get from one place to another, what plants were good to eat and what plants were poisonous – all sorts of things that rhythmic patterns and regular rhyme schemes made easier to remember. So, for a long time, much poetry was written in regular rhythmic patterns called stanzas,

The post Scanning Poetry appeared first on US Represented.

First Aid: The Bones of Freshman Composition

Malcolm McCollum — Thu, 20 Oct 2022 06:02:12 +0000

To Be or Not to Be? If someone asked me to tell the story of my life, I might begin like this: I was born in Evanston, Illinois, in 1942. I have been told that my father came home from the hospital saying over and over, “It’s a boy! It’s a boy!” There is no record of how my mother felt about this fact. I was soon to be made

The post First Aid: The Bones of Freshman Composition appeared first on US Represented.

How Math Teachers Can Save the Internet from the PEMDAS Debate

Jerome Parent — Wed, 28 Sep 2022 07:18:18 +0000

Okay, maybe saving the internet is a bit hyperbolic, but better math instruction could reduce some of the arguing that occurs. Internet trolls and pranksters are an internet hazard that most of us would like to see less of. Trolls are a separate issue. but there are certain pranksters that like to take advantage of the poor math instruction that plagues our country. Exhibit A is the math problem 8

The post How Math Teachers Can Save the Internet from the PEMDAS Debate appeared first on US Represented.

Ten Reasons to Enjoy Shakespeare’s Works

Eric Stephenson — Sun, 25 Sep 2022 11:37:40 +0000

In Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human, Harold Bloom argues that Shakespeare did more than just shape the structure and content of the English language—he created human nature as we understand it today. As James Shapiro explains, “Shakespeare remains so popular and his most memorable characters feel so real because through them Shakespeare invented something that hadn’t existed before. Bloom defines this as ‘personality,’ inwardness, what it means to be human.

The post Ten Reasons to Enjoy Shakespeare’s Works appeared first on US Represented.

Ten Reasons to Write a Poem

Eric Stephenson — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 13:16:21 +0000

Poetry is far from becoming a cultural artifact regardless of the Information Age’s dry mechanical demands. The discipline serves too many vital functions to be avoided or overlooked for any extended period of time. In fact, everyone should write a poem, and soon. Following are ten reasons why. When you write a poem, you participate in the oldest literary tradition. True, writing sprang for commercial needs over 5,000 years ago

The post Ten Reasons to Write a Poem appeared first on US Represented.

Making It New (Again)

Gary Walker — Sun, 18 Sep 2022 12:00:07 +0000

When the poet and critic Ezra Pound issued his famous literary proclamation to “make it new,” he uttered a phrase that became so identified with modernist literature that it’s difficult to imagine modernism happening without it. Of course, like many fitting pronouncements, over the years this one’s become a cliché, having been extensively quoted and requoted, purposed and repurposed. In fact, it wasn’t even new to Pound when he said

The post Making It New (Again) appeared first on US Represented.