Today, please respond to Spoon River by posting a comment below. Identify the poem or character that you enjoyed reading the most. What did you think of the collection? What did you learn about poetry, character, or internal monologues from reading the collection?
Afterward, please get into groups of 2-3 and read the following plays from the handout packet. Read each play. Each member of the group should take on a specific role for each play.
During period 4 we will be moving to room A240 to read the play "Monster". Please complete "Monster" for homework.
HOMEWORK: Complete the play MONSTER by Dael Orlandermith.
27 comments:
My's Spoon River response:
One of my favorites was the one we read together: Robert Fulton Tanner. I particularly liked that one because it was one of the simplest to read. I don't particularly like this book, mostly because I don't really get the deep things that Masters writes about. Plus, some of them get a little boring after a while and I find myself being distracted or just reading the same line over again. Well, about the internal monologues, are they really supposed to be so poetic like Masters puts it? When I wrote mine, I was inspired by his form of writing and decided to follow after his format. Overall, this book just really confused me.
Ashley Lawson
The poems/characters that I enjoyed the most, were "Tom Merritt" (Page 90), "Mrs. Merritt" (Page 91), and "Elmer Karr" (Page 91). These interlinking poems described how Mrs. Merritt was falsely accused of murdering her husband, Tom Merritt. However, her lover, Elmer Karr, was chased by Tom the day he was discovered sneaking out the back door of Tom's house. When the chase ended, Elmer shot Tom.
I thought that the collection was a unique and creative way of writing many monologues. I also liked how Edger Lee Masters interlinked poems, which told one story through different perspectives.
I learned that internal monologues can be short, simple, yet very complex. Also I learned that you can create a character, without giving every single detail about them, in a way where the reader will understand them as well as the creator.
The concept behind the book is more of the reason that I like it. It facinates me that Masters went through a graveyard and created a character for every name that jumped out to him. It almost seems as though the only way to create a believable character is to see life through their eyes. Masters linked people who may not have known each other, and given them a history. Overall, Spoon River was a very interesting read, and I enjoyed the concept of the dead reminiscing about living and saying the things they could never say.
Personally, my favorite poem in the series was Dr. Meyers. I liked his because Masters described a quick summary of his life, as well as proving the guilt he felt when his wife died of a "broken heart." It made me happy that after the people basically banished him from the town, he didn't die of something figurative, like a "broken heart", but something as realistic as pneumonia.
The poem or character I enjoyed reading the most was…. “Trainor, the Druggist.” That was kind of witty and weird to read. I got it, you know. I thought the collection was cute, abstract, something that I would not have picked out to read for myself if there was a choice. If I was at Barnes and Nobles and the book was on sale for 5.99 I probably wouldn’t have purchased it. I learned that poetry could be very weird, but have some kind of message as well. It’s a concept that I thought was impossible because I write a lot of weird poetry and I can’t seem to put a message anywhere. I learned that characters could be very unique and still somehow connect together, like all the people did. Connect together in a graveyard. I leaned that internal monologues can be very short, cute and quick to the point. Which I didn’t figure out before since Ms. Gamzon’s class, the monologues we write are nearly a page and very meaty. I don’t like that kind of work.
Spoon River, by Edgar Lee Masters, is quite different than anything I've ever read before. The characters were all very different and realistic at the same time.
I particularly liked Tom Merritt, Mrs. Merritt and Elmer Karr. These three pieces were woven together to tell three points of view of one story. I felt like this was a situation that could be related to the current news stories that are shown on the media. I empathized with the husband who didn't go after Elmer and hated Elmer for killing Tom, even though it was he [Elmer] who was doing wrong. I empathized with Mrs. Merritt, for her naivete and innocence is weaved into her piece, and the reader believes that she tried to send Elmer away once she realized what would happen. The three create a neat story with a beginning, middle and end.
Spoon River Anthology is an example of poems that tells a complete story without being long and wordy. It also demonstrates how to successfully set up a character quickly and efficiently. A group of poems can be used to tell one story with many points of view or many stories focused around a similar event, person, etc.
I do think that the book continued on longer than it should have. Reading it in sections proved to be easier for me. If the book had been divided into sections and each of the characters shared an opinion on a certain character or event in each section, I think the book would've been easier and more enjoyable to read.
I enjoyed this collection of poems very much. Of all the poetry books that we have read this year, this collection has been my favorite. It was because the subjects of the poems were all interwoven with each other. You would read a poem and see or hear the name of a character that you had already learned about. We saw the same events told from different points of view and that way were able to experience a more personal side of the stories. It was a type of poetry that kept your attention. If a poem mentioned another person you wanted to wait and see if you ever met that person before, and what their story was. All the stories of the individual poems folded into one.
The characters that I enjoyed reading about the most were Ruben Pantier and Emily Sparks. They weren’t able to be together because of their age difference, and each left and went on to live their lives. Neither of the two forgot about each other. When they died they were buried in the same cemetery, near each other. That story just appealed to me. Forbidden love has always been a topic of interest to me, especially when that love endures to the end, as Ruben Pantier and Emily Sparks’ did.
After reading this collection I realized that for me, ironic poetry is more enjoyable to read and to write. I also learned that monologue poems are more difficult to write than I thought.
Hannah Klaver
Spoon River was a very interesting book. I usually don't like required reads but I enjoyed this. I think it was some-what amusing that in the husband and wife poems, each were blaming the other for their death. I loved the irony in Judge Somers(pg. 6). I thought that Cassius Hueffer(pg. 4) was humorous and I enjoyed that one. Can you tell I like funny stuff yet? Don't worry, I learned something.
Internal monologues don't need to be these long, drawn-out, complex things people dread reading. Sure, they can be as described above but they don't need to be that and only that. Internal monologues can be short and right to the point like these poems in Spoon River. Some were as short as 7 lines or shorter and others were as long as 29 lines or more.
Spoon River, by Edgar Lee Masters, had a very nice concept. I enjoyed the idea that these people had a voice, even from their graves. I really liked how some stories shaped others, but after I got through the first thirty pages, I grew tired of the constant flow of stories. In general, I don't like to read short stories, especially short stories that are put into one book. I also don't like reading a poetry book consecutively. I feel like reading poem after poem destroys the impact of the work. Spoon River was both short stories and poems, so I was left very annoyed by the novel.
Spoon River taught me that characters are the most important thing in a story. It doesn't really matter where you put them, because all it takes to make a meaningful piece is to develop your character.
As for characters, my favorite was probably Doctor Meyers(Pg 13). His story was complex, intertwining with a couple of others. I really liked the different perspectives. The way Minerva saw him as a bad guy, and he saw himself as an honest man who gave his full effort to save her... It was very interesting, and I wish I could read a more in depth story of their situation.
I personally enjoyed reading the collection of internal monologue poems by Edgar Lee Masters entitled Spoon River Anthology. My favorite poem in the book was Theodore the poet. I liked how Masters compared Theodore as a boy watching the crawfish come out from their burrows, to him as an adult trying to have humans come out of their hiding place and show themselves to the world. I also liked the poems that were connected in some way, either a husband and wife, or a family. I thought Masters idea of going to a graveyard and making a story for the person who had died is brilliant. I am looking forward to trying this activity myself in the future. From the collection of poems, I learned how to write an internal monologue poem. I also saw that poetry does not have to be descriptive and detailed to be good. Overall I liked reading Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters. - Mariah Gonzalez
Gabriela Julia
Spoon Rover Anthology, by Edgar Lee Masters, was an enjoyable read because it was something I have not yet encountered. I have read many books of poetry, but never a book of poems that relate to each other, and were also internal monologues. One poem that stood out to me was “Russian Sonia.” (page 39) For an internal monologue, it was interesting to see someone tell their entire life story in just a few short lines. It is also interesting because while you are reading, you have to remember that these people are dead. Although the book had a great concept, the idea began to bore me and it carried on a little too long. Reading Spoon River will help me with writing future monologues, because I will know what is expected.
I found that the common themes in this small town, as they are in any other, I'm sure, were love gained, love unrequited and love lost, regrets, crime and guilt. However, the inhabitants of this town also have the added distractions of the Prohibition, with many, despite the ban, drinking illegally. The poet often gave the members of this town ironical deaths, such as Robert Fulton Tanner, who was bitten by a rat while showing off his invention of a rat trap.
My favorite poems, personally, were those of Nellie Clark, Trainor, the druggist and The Village Atheist. I thought Nellie's was poignant and blunt, a sad, lonely death, Trainor's was wise and observant, and The Village Atheist's was a change next to all the Reverends that spotted the book.
Spoon River put an emphasis on characters and their development. However,though many of the characters became developed through their short stanzas, multiple others just focused on a single event in time or a certain moment or observation only observed after their death. This taught me that my internal monologue poems did not have to drag on, to address every defining moment in the character's life. They just have to relay one single feeling or moment.
Spoon River, by Edgar Lee Masters, writes the epigraphs of the townspeople of Spoon River, speaking from their graves. The collection consists completely of internal monologues, giving it a unique form. I enjoyed the collection, not only in the fact that death is a fascinating thing, but the characters’ choice of words in how they sum up their lives. Many mention feuds between friends or family, husbands and wives. Interestingly, the arguments are often told from both sides. For these reasons, I thoroughly enjoyed Spoon River. It is engaging and profound, as well as a challenge to analyze. Through reading the collection, I have once again learned how to effectively use irony in writing as well intertwining characters’ lives. The book was also helpful in the fact that in introduced me to the internal monologue poem. Finally, one of the most useful techniques or exercises I discovered was that of taking names from cemetery graves. The names already have a certain magic to them, and of course, it is crucial to give your characters appropriate names. One of my favorite poems from the anthology was Robert Davidson, page 50. He tells of how he has stripped people of their pride throughout his life to grow strong. However, instead of living forever, his kidney becomes enflamed by the “soul’s undigested remains” and ultimately kills him. I enjoyed this poem because of the irony, as well as it’s interesting ending:
Remember the acorn;
It does not devour other acorns.
I really liked Mabel Osbourne and Jefferson Howard, along with Doctor Mayers and Trainor, the Druggist. They all stood out to me and were very unique, and brilliantly written.
This book actually was a lot more interesting to read than it seemed at first. It inspires me to try something like this, and just the idea of bringing the characters back to life in this way is just amazing in its own.
Reading this book will probably help me to learn to develop a character better, and write in an older fashion. This book also revolves around the relationships everyone had in Spoon River, interlocked, which could prove to be a useful idea when writing my own work. Also, it helps bring the details of the internal monologue up and illustrates their properties, so you can try to write your own. I think it will definitely be a resource for me to use when writing my own monologues, etc. Like I said before, the whole concept of the interlocking characters within a small village and the real aspect of writing poems to a person's ingraved name are both just fantastic ideas and I hope I can use them in future works and come up with my own works that have their own unique background stories like these.
I find the book “Spoon River” by Edgar Lee Masters, as an interesting book. Most of the poems were interesting and mad sense. Some of the poems I find funny. One of the poems/monologues I liked was Searcy Foote. His actions he did were a little bit harsh but it somewhat fit the name of the character. The authors poetry perspective was something different than any story, monologue made for a fictional character. To give a life to a deceased person is very diverse if you think about it.
One of my favorites in this book would be Doctor Meyers. I liked this the most because it showed that at least one person did some good. He lived his life helping people with their problems. It was kind of sad that he couldn't live longer because he was probably one of the only doctors who understood his patients and was willing to help even if they didn't have the money to pay for his services. I really didn't like this book but it helped me get a grip on my internal monologue. Hope you liked it!
Erin Cotton
I liked the fact that certain poems were connected. I liked that there were certain people who seemed to have relations while they were living. I also liked that some of the people finally got the chance to express themselves in ways that they were not able to do while they were alive. I enjoyed reading Doctor Meyers poems the most. From the way that he told it, he was trying to help the woman that the town thought he killed. He finally got the chance to explain himself without the judgment factor in play.
Erin Cotton
I liked the fact that certain poems were connected. I liked that there were certain people who seemed to have relations while they were living. I also liked that some of the people finally got the chance to express themselves in ways that they were not able to do while they were alive. I enjoyed reading Doctor Meyers poems the most. From the way that he told it, he was trying to help the woman that the town thought he killed. He finally got the chance to explain himself without the judgment factor in play.
The novel Spoon River by Edgar Lee Masters is a great book. I liked how the author made up a town called Spoon River that was small and had a lot of different people, and how everyone knew everyone. I think how he created the book into short poems and monologues from the perspective of someone who's already dead made it very interesting because they reflected on what happened in their life and about people freely, since there were no consequences to whatever they said because they were deceased. I additionally thought the story was interesting because often, he would put two characters that knew each other (eg. husband and wife) next to each other, so you could hear what they both thought of each other and their deaths. One of my favorite characters was Doctor Meyers. He was the town doctor who helped many people and was very respected. He had a wife and his kids were well raised and married, doing good in the world. However, when a girl named Minerva came crying and in trouble to him and he tried to help her, she died. The newspaper made him seem like a bad man and he was disgraced. In the monologue, he said his wife "perished of a broken heart" and that he finally died of pneumonia. His wife's short monologue was next to his, and she talked about how the newspapers "lied about him villianously". Doctor Meyers was my favorite character because his life was so good and he spent it helping people, but when he couldn't help one person his reputation was ruined and the newspapers completely lied and disrespected him. Conclusively, Spoon River by Edgar Lee Masters helped me with my writing because when I wrote monologues and poems like he did, from the perspective of a dead person, it gave me a new idea of how to write, and I was kind of good at it. Spoon River was a good book, and I enjoyed it's unique style of writing and how the author made his characters.
Despite the depressing and melancholy tone of the Spoon River,by Edgar Lee Masters, the overall development of characters drew me in. I found it especially interesting that each character at some time made reference to another character. That put emphasis on the fact that each character may have influenced the death of another. Also it helped me conclude that Spoon River was obviously a small town.
My ideal character was Mickey M' Grew because her internal feelings are displayed the most. For example she says,"My own strength never failed me." Personally I didn't like the book because of the slow pace and the tone. However, I did know learn that sentence structure and thorough character development can draw the reader in a little bit further than a character that doesn't really express internal thoughts.
Spoon River Anthology, by Edgar Lee Masters, is an interesting, evocative collection of poems. The idea of writing a collection of poems about names of people Masters saw on gravestones at first seemed gimmicky and contrived, but as the book progressed I enjoyed the poems more. However, by the end I found myself growing bored of the concept, no matter how good the writing was.
Every single poem is extremely descriptive and conjures up images of these people's lives. Masters' use of figurative language is excellent and helps us create a narrative for all these characters, even when their poems last no more than a page. His poems are minimal in their presentation, and Masters lets us fill in the gaps of the characters' lives making a much more immersive experience involved in reading this book. I especially enjoyed "Editor Whedon" on page 59, as it details the fascinating, insightful life of a former newspaper editor. He talks about the choices he made as an editor, how he could pervert truth, and his abilty, as an editor, to see "every side of every question."
I really liked the Spoon River novel and I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the concept of how all the people in the book were talking from their own perspective and talked about different people. I even liked the way the people in the book were talking from their own grave and even in Spoon River. I liked all of the characters in the book and they were all good to read about their lives and such. The characters in this poetry book were important because it doesn't matter where the character is but it matters how the character is developed into the story in order for a certain character.
Out of about 20 of the poems that i read i can honestly say that i liked them all but my favorite one has to be "The Village Atheist". The reason that i like this poem the most is because of the way it is formed and the message that it is trying to explain, it is kind of like a story to me. Spoon River really contains a variety of interesting poems and i don't even like most of the poetry stuff that we do. i really like these ones though
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