Socratic Circle Reflection

Today, we discussed about literary criticism as we are starting on the Literature part of our IB English course.

At first glance, these term vaguely make sense to me but when some classmates raise their hands in confusion of the term, I realise that I myself don't really know the term well enough besides the rough idea of some sort of critical evaluation of literature (initially thought as anything that can simply be read).

So, as my circle went first, I suggested that we break down the term into their individual words: literary and criticism. We first discussed the definition of literary as literature, relating it to words such as text, art and written. Upon a quick clear up by Ms. Abena on the distinct difference between literature (work of written nature), text (any work for the means of communication) and art (an expression of creativity), we understood what sets "literature" apart. From there, we further discussed what qualifies as literature.

Before starting on what ideas we came up with, I would like to reiterate a few valuable points from the text to keep in mind:

In literary criticism, the three main points that catalyses the evaluation are:

interpretation: what was the message that the text was trying to convey to the reader?
analysis: how does the author create the effect present in the text?
evaluation: what makes this piece of literature good or bad?

I came up with ideas such as literature needing to contain a sense of extraordinary artistic value that is timeless however another circle member then argued that any text can be a form of literature as long as we have evidence to support the three main points of evaluation as artistic value varies in eyes of the beholder.

In terms of our strategy and techniques for the socratic circle today, it seems that some classmates did not speak up. It dawned to me that sometimes we could be overbearing and this may turn off other circle members from talking due to intimidation and it makes me realise the importance of the circle being a support group instead a fight for power. I realise on my part I had not taken the initiative to be more caring towards others in making them feel more comfortable about sharing their opinions as I was too busy voicing out my ideas.

However, I also recognise myself as being the 'shy' one in certain discussions and it simply shows me how I view the discussion as a competition hence the relenting effort of letting go and showing any signs of being 'lesser' in terms of knowledge. It makes me understand that I should view the circle as a safe zone of breaking down those walls of ego and to feed on the ideas of others as well hence the ability to question with confidence is something all of us should learn.

Socratic circle reflection (30/9/13)

In today's Socratic Circle, we explored the Jogger's Song by Roger McGough and as I was one of the members of the first circle, we talked about the Jogger's point of view. I found that all my circle members had something to contribute and were very eager to do so too which shows that everyone had prepared well before coming to the circle. 

However, most of us were hesitant to start off the conversation and I personally kept in mind not to be overbearing as highlighted by other members of the floor previously. I assume that the others also felt that way as being a dominating speaker  often makes other uncomfortable to voice their opinions in fear of being 'lashed' back.

We also started off clumsily and hopped off from point to point, until Ms. Abena told us to follow a stanza arrangement and that greatly gave structure to our discussions. It was interesting as a female to hear the counterpart's view on sexual harassment as this poem was almost disturbing for me. The lack of remorse from the "Jogger" was inhumane in my perspective but as we discussed, we further develop ideas of the "Jogger"'s twisted personality that might be stemmed from being a psychopath.

The second circle was equally impressive in terms of the change of vocal speakers this time, were I noticed Jit really speaking out and making better efforts in engaging with others. I felt as though the ice in our classroom chemistry is slowly melting and everyone is beginning to get familiar with each other which is a good progress.

Overall, today had not been our best socratic circle performance but we could definitely see the impact of preparation before a discussion and others also realize the benefit it puts us at. I hope that everyone would do their part and be better prepared as well to be more confident and proactive when discussing the next time.

The Jogger's Song

How are the character and attitudes of the jogger revealed in the language the poet uses?

In  "The Jogger's Song", the egocentric jogger display immense vanity when as he exclaims that he "look after [himself]" and "keep [himself] fit" with terms such as "fit" and "good body" being repetitive as it shows that he strongly reaffirms himself of his own physical assets. 

The jogger also crosses between a self-righteous individual and a psychopath as he acts hypocritically towards the woman's behavior while showing no capacity or remorse for her in her intoxicated situation. The jogger behaves as a hypocrite as he condemns the act of the woman for being"pissed", a derogative term for being intoxicated, and claims to know what a "nice girl" would be where the woman display acts that astray herself from that "nice girl" image in the jogger's perspective.

 However, as the jogger appear to have expectations towards the moral standards of the woman, the jogger himself breaches ethical values when he rapes the woman and cements his own belief that consent was given as shown by her unconscious body language when intoxicated. The absence of sympathy and complete misinterpretation of the woman's plead ( "Cryin. Cryin.") as a sexual invitation clearly shows the lack of rationale in the jogger's character.

Moreover, the jogger alludes misogyny in the form of sexual discrimination and objectification towards to women by using gender-specific semantic field of slurs such as "slut"and "tart" (both carrying the meaning of being a promiscuous woman) on his victim. These terms degrade the women as lowly and seemingly having less morals than the jogger in his eyes.

Lastly, the most compelling phrase that display the depth of brutality of the jogger's character was when he questions "Why didn't she scream?" if the victim had not enjoyed the assault as it simply highlights the grotesque indignity the jogger is placing upon his victim as he claims that the woman had not stood up for herself hence rhetorically, the assault would then be her fault, and not his. 

I found this satirical video relevant to my paragraph:

English reflection: (9-15/9/13)

Monday: 

Reflection on Socratic Circles:-

Vocabulary

half-a-crown (line 161, pg.13): (noun) A coin formerly used in Great Britain, worth two shillings and sixpence.

I've always heard this term when I watch British movies and always wondered if it meant the Queen's royal crown (really expensive). In the context of Pygmalion in the time of the Victorian Era (1837-1901) this would have worth a lot hence used as exaggeration when mentioned by the The Flower Girl as she was filthy poor.

liberties (line 282, pg.16): (noun) the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views.

Even after knowing what liberties meant, I'm still unsure as to what it means in the context of "You take us for dirt under your feet, don't you? Catch you taking liberties with a gentleman!" (line 281-282, pg.16) :(

kerbstone (line 406, pg.20): [as adj. ] informal unqualified; amateur : curbstone commentators.

After knowing what kerbstone meant, it was easy to understand its usage in the context of the phrase "kerbstone english", portraying really basic English or unsophisticated English.

Strategies/Techniques for Comprehension and Analysis

Clarifying before changing topics- Gives other participants in the discussion a heads-up and to avoid confusion

Analyzing a topic completely before moving on- This is important to allow all participants in the discussion to thoroughly understand the context of the question and to make sure everybody is on the same level of understanding before leaping into another topic.

Being a proactive questioner- Being a proactive questioner helps to push dreary discussions forward and to constantly engage with members of the circle to produce fruitful discussions.

Reflection on Performance

Today, I really saw most of my classmates putting in effort to improve the socratic circle than before.

Personally, I believe I was not prepare enough for today's Socratic Circle meet as I did not study the specific excerpt that was assigned to us. I have only read Act 1 hence I knew the gist of the story but I had not studied specific selection of texts to be brought forward in discussions. I unfortunately had not had the chance to speak in the circle today but I believe my commentary on the quality of the circle discussions would be helpful as I complimented my fellow classmates who made significant improvement and stated their strategies such as clarifying before changing topics, staying on topic and being a proactive questioner.

As we discussed about an example of a socratic circle conversation before starting our circle on Pygmalion Act 1, Ashraf noticed the importance of the "questioner" or simply, the initiative to ask questions when the discussion gets dull in efforts of sparking energy back into discussion. Not only did he observe but he impressively applied that method in his turn within the socratic circle and helped his circle to analyze finer details. Danial and Jit also steered discussions back into topic when discussions were going off which is commendable. Moreover, Shahirah also clarified before she moved into a new topic while discussing which I thought would be a great method to practice as this will prevent us from getting confused and engulfed in different topics.

Reflection on Content

Thesis: "Symbolism of gender hierarchy in Act 1."

First paragraph: In Act 1 of Pygmalion, I found it particularly interesting when I saw the contrast in hierarchy between the conversations of The Daughter and Freddy, and The Flower Girl and The Note Taker. In my imaginary essay, I would highlight the grammar of all 4 speakers, and identify which has the highest quality of sophistication as after today's analysis, the quality of their discourse reflects upon their status.  Moreover, I would also investigate the weak points of each of their speech and determine what creates the aura of submissiveness as displayed by Freddy and The Flower Girl, who are the subservient characters when conversing with The Daughter and The Flower Girl respectively.

Second paragraph: The study of the symbolism of gender hierarchy in Act 1 could be relevant to the hierarchy of gender today as many assume that Men are usually the dominating figures but in retrospect, there also have been cases where women were also leading figures such as Cleopatra, who was the last pharaoh of Egypt for example. However in symbolism, the modern day has an array of them in the sense of household tasks and the task of "bringing back the bacon" usually associated with a specific gender.

'Ghetto' English

This video entitled "Priorities" is a parodical comparison of the Malaysian English accent with a British accent, demonstrated by Dennis (the specky Asian guy) and Joe (Joe Brooks, Caucasian).

The context of the conversation is preparing for an English exam hence the need to revise for it was belittled by Joe who sarcastically huffs and muttered, "Dude it's an English exam.... English, in "English" as a response to Dennis's grammatically poor probe, "Eh cue me, don't you have English exam tomorrow morning? Video game? Real-ly?"

Dennis' way of speaking also displayed very basic sentences and often lacking in vocabulary hence sounding unfinished or partial as shown when he said, "Don't you have English exam tomorrow morning?" where the usage of 'an' before "English" was absent. Hence the syntax of the typical Malaysian English accent is usually 'broken' as sentences are often incomplete with appropriate grammar.

As the discourse between Dennis as Joe is often initiated by Dennis and is short as well, merely exchanges of 1-2 sentences every time, this also displays the lexis of a Malaysian English accent whereby it's often informal, short and straight to the point.

However, pragmatics is also used often as implied when Dennis asks "Eh cue me, don't you have English exam tomorrow morning?" but is not too complicated to be perceived.

Even as Dennis tries harder than Joe and revises more, we could still see that Joe has a better lexis and syntax as his sentences are not grammatically incorrect while Dennis struggles with "was" and "were". This then places Dennis, who spoke with such 'broken' syntax, at a weaker spot as his speeches isn't as sophisticated as Joe's in terms of grammar, lexis and syntax.