the id, the ego, & the single misfiring brain cell

Assignment for research paper delivered in August, the day school starts. Discussions about working thesis (and my feedback to individual students) about a month ago. This assignment included ongoing encouragement to bring revised ideas to me or email me for feedback and for help focusing the idea you wish to argue for your paper, and brainstorming (if you wish) how you might develop it. Annotated bibliography on at least six outside (scholarly) sources due and returned with feedback about three weeks ago.

Paper due Monday, 9 December. Paper length: 2500 words.

My advice? Get an early start.

Cadet X, as I shall call him, is a quiet student. His work has been in the B range, and he doesn't say much in class. I think it's his personality. When he does volunteer, he has thoughtful input, and when I call on him, he has thoughtful responses. It's bothering me that he still hasn't found a thesis on a no-kidding-hard-work research paper (30% of his final grade) today when it is due in three days. 

Cadet X, first thesis submission, 29 Oct: Robinson Jeffers’s poem, “Sign-Post”, is the instructions of how to be re-humanized through letting materials go.

My note on Cadet X's paper, handed back the next class day: Obvious. Rethink.

Second thesis submission from Cadet X yesterday: In “The Second Coming”, Yeats alludes to the Apocalypse and Christianity to illustrate the effects of the First World War.

Me, via email: It’s pretty obvious.

Him, in class same day: Can I come in for EI*?

* Extra Instruction

I schedule him and he comes in.

Him: I’m not sure I understand what you mean by "obvious."

Me, after a moment of thought: OK. “The Second Coming.” You want to argue that it’s about Christianity and the Apocalypse and WWI. How else might you interpret it?

I let the silence hang there for a full minute while he racks his brain.

Me: So?

Him: I’m sure I could think of something, given time.

Me: Or not. The thing is, that the poem is about Christianity and the Apocalypse and WWI’s aftermath is so obvious that it is taken for granted. It isn’t something you need to argue. As a matter of fact, I challenge you to find any criticism of that poem that does not take that for granted.

Him (visibly crushed): So how do I find a better thesis?

Me: You ask interesting questions of the poem. 

Him: ….

Me: Well, let’s read it together. On first scan, the first thought that springs to my mind is this: What’s this about a "rocking cradle"? This can't be about Christ. Christ was born in a manger. So what does this line reference? That's one question that may yield insight beyond the obvious. And how about this “ceremony of innocence”? What does that mean? Why ceremony? What does it mean for innocence to be “ceremonial”?

Him: Well. Ceremony is...like...a celebration. 

Me: Good! Yes. It can be. But think of religion. I don't know your religious background....

Him: I grew up Catholic. 

Me: Ceremony is form of ritual, isn't it? What does ritual do to you?

Him: After a while, you kinda check out. It becomes repetitious, hypnotic. 

Me: GOOD! (Here, I tell him about my and Kalli's discussion last week about how recent changes to the mass have thrown her off, and we discuss the good and bad aspects of changes to ritual.) That one comment--"the ceremony of innocence" I could write an entire paper on alone. Yeats seems to be implying that innocence isn't even real anymore. That people are just going through the motions. 

And there's always this: What is the “rough beast”?

Him: I've read several papers focusing on that. 

Me: And what did they say? 

Him: It was before break and I can't remember now. 

Me: OK. Back to the poem.... If “Spiritus Mundi” is the Spirit of the World, what does that reference?

Him: It’s kinda the idea that the spirits of all beings are connected through the Spiritus Mundi.

Me: Good! So that is decidedly unChristian, it’s it? It’s pantheistic.

Him: Yeah, but he mixes Christianity and pantheism like they get along.

Me: Yes! Good! But how did he do that, and why? Christianity and pantheism are at odds with one another, aren’t they? Pantheism rejects the notion of a personal or anthropomorphic god, both of which are inherent in Christian belief. 

***

We read through the poem some more, and talked about the image of the lion’s body with the head of a man.

Me: What is that?

Him: Sounds like the Sphinx.

Me: Yep. It does to me, too. It also makes me think of one of the creatures of Revelation (as does the “blood-dimmed tide”). It seems to reference both at the same time. So now we have paganism in the mix. Seriously...how did he get away with intertwining Christianity, pantheism, and paganism in the same poem without being lynched? More importantly, why did he do it? To what purpose? What does it mean that he combined them? 

By this point, Cadet X is starting to smile. He asks me what kind of research he could do that would help him with the paper. He really doesn't know. I point out that it would probably be helpful to know what Yeats's spiritual views were, for starters. He also might need to study pantheism and paganism so he could understand what they were about. Then look into other criticism discussing Yeats' reference to the "rough beast" or "ceremony of innocence." Etc. 

He was not only smiling, but clearly excited when he left my office. 

I expect at least a better than average paper from him. 

I don't require my students to give me any definitive answers. The really interesting questions about literature and life don't have those. I want them to ask the kind of questions that make them think for themselves, the kind of questions they'll carry with them through life. 

Today, I had at least six such conversations. In each case, the student left smiling and excited--to write a 2500 word paper. I'm sure the thrill will wear off at some point this weekend, but still. To see that kind of enthusiasm and interest in a student's eyes? I'd just about do this for free (if only someone else would pay my bills).

If only I could teach each student individually. 

The point of this post is not to brag or seek out kudos. It's just to share an awesome moment in my day. Well...several. :)

I hope y'all's day was as good. 

d