optional DQ 8 - Louis Zukofsky
Hi, all.
Optional DQs tonight, since the Annotated Bibliography is due. The DQs are on Louis Zukofsky's "A" in the course library, and Louis Zukofsky - Theological Poetics, a source in the Course Library as welll. In class tomorrow, we'll start by workshopping Research Questions, then we'll briefly go over Zukofsky and we'll start with our section on 1900s theater.
Optional DQs tonight, since the Annotated Bibliography is due. The DQs are on Louis Zukofsky's "A" in the course library, and Louis Zukofsky - Theological Poetics, a source in the Course Library as welll. In class tomorrow, we'll start by workshopping Research Questions, then we'll briefly go over Zukofsky and we'll start with our section on 1900s theater.
Ethan Vaughan 7/12
ReplyDeleteZukofsky says "The Passion According to Matthew, Composed seventeen twenty nine, Rendered at Carnegie Hall, Nineteen twenty-eight," He hints that he believes that these two acts are connected. Traditional thinking says that the rendering could not have occurred without the composition. Does Zukofsky disagree?
Zukofsky also says, "Wherever we put our hats is home, Our aged heads are our home," This is a very complicated statement. I believe he is trying to say that the only place we truly live as a being is inside our body. Do you agree that the only place we truly live as a conscious being is inside our bodies or do we live elsewhere?
Carmen Mills
ReplyDelete1. In the beginning of the second stanza of Zukofsky's "A" he lists numbers, I was wondering what these numbers represent and if they are significant to the poem?
2. On page 4, the third stanza states "There are different techniques, Men write to be read, or spoken, Or declaimed, or rhapsodized, And quite differently to be sung." My question works around whether or not Zukofsky was saying this to portray men as the only writers or creators and if so why does he only portray men as creators and not women. Since women create and hold babies would women also be considered creators? almost more than men?
Isaac Bendus
ReplyDelete7/12/17
After reading the first two chapters of “A” by Louis Zukofsky, I was wondering if Zukofsky had gotten his style of writing from T.S. Elliot? Or is it the other way around? Both of their styles don’t seem very cohesive in their writing and both of their styles seem very unique from the normal way of writing.
In chapter 4 of “A” by Louis Zukofsky, he states that “wherever we put our hats is our home, our aged heads are our home.”. What do you think Zukofsky meant by this? Is Zukofsky referring to a drifter’s life or all humans?
Alexandra Liggett
ReplyDelete7/12/17
Although I enjoyed reading Zukofsky's "A", I had trouble comprehending some parts of it. I noticed that he uses a lot of musical references, specifically to Bach. Why does he do this? What is the significance of this to him and his poetry?
It also seems to me that these poems were written over a long period of time. He references many world events like World War II and Vietnam, which were decades apart from each other. Did Zukofsky write some of these poems and then take a break and continue writing or did he continuously write throughout these time periods? Did he use this as a way of documenting what was going on in the world at the time?
Louis Zukofsky starts off the poem with a “round of fiddles playing Bach” and then at the end there is are two orchestras filled with “members of Bach’s”. Why does he start and end with Bach?
ReplyDeleteThe style and format of the poem is very mixed up and could be slightly confusing. I myself enjoy that he used different formatting throughout. I believe that this makes it different from other poems. I also think it draws emphasis on certain parts of the poem. Did Zukofsky intentionally do this for looks, or does this style of formatting have a literature component to it?
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ReplyDeleteTyler Crane
ReplyDeleteJuly 12, 2017
In doing these readings I realized that the authors put strong emphasis on the title "A". The quotation marks seem to have significance, as pointed out in Theological Poetics. However, I did not understand or pick up on the importance of the quotation marks. What exactly is the significance?
" Paradise is a garden, a feeling of duration experienced through aesthetic production or sexual generation, a mimetic experiencing of divine power" is a quote from Theological Poetics that i found interesting, but I wasn't completely sure of its meaning. What does this mean?
my first question after reading these poems is, in the second poem, when the narrator states, '' not calling you names, says kay, poetry is not made of such things''; what exactly does the auhtor mean by this and if poetry isn't made of names then, what is it made of?
ReplyDeletemy second question after tonights reading is this; after reading the third poem, I just would like to know what the poem represents and what it means because I have to admit, that poem made absolutely no sense to me what so ever. understandably I am not the best at interpreting poems but that one was more confusing then most....
Zukofsky makes a number of biblical references throughout the poem, some of which pertain to the setting of the story. The references include those of easter and passover, allowing one to infer that time is passing between each new verse. Why does Zukofsky use biblical holidays in order to express the passing of time? Why didn't he use any more explicit measure such as weeks or months?
ReplyDeleteOn page 12 a reference is made to the Bible "His stars of Deuteronomy are with us." Upon further investigation I found that these stars are a warning not to worship a false profit, for god created everything there is to be worshipped. With that in mind, what does the narrator mean by having said stars with him? Is he implying he has god and all that god has created with him?
Not sure if you can answer my question, but most of the poems in "A" were about nature, the last poem setting was in church if i'm not mistaken. Louis Zukofsky says "to right praise. Three hours agony in this church good Friday." why do you think he made a church the setting in his last poem? in poem three what does he mean by a dead mouth singing? Most of the poems in "A" had animals in them or references made regarding Christianity. Just wanted to know the purpose of Mr. Zukofsky writing "A"? Also in the first poem what was the significance of the dates he used if there was any?
ReplyDeleteWhy did Zukofsky give a list of numbers in the very beginning? I was confused by this but it must have some sort of meaning behind it? What does it signfy?
ReplyDeleteMy second question is why does he use Easter to represent a passage of time or why does he use biblical references at all to represent what he is trying to convey?