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African-American Poetry |
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Young, black, growing up in Harlem and angry, Michael S.
Harper knows that experience; but he overcame his anger. In this program
Professor James Ragan shares the "stage" with this proactive educator and
Poet Laureate, who is committed through his work and his art to motivate
others, especially other African-Americans, to avoid the gangs, to reject
the violence and to find the importance of their individuality. 07DR Level 1 - JSCA 30 min. Level 2 - SCA 60 min. |
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"Highly Recommended! I discovered so much when reviewing
this program - wonderful bits of histories and incidents that made these
poets warm and living. Professor Ragan explains the intricate mechanisms of
poetry in a manner that will remain long in my memory. He is a good
teacher." -Verna Cahill, Poetry Society of NH In this program professor James Ragan looks at the contributions Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost made in the development of American poetry. Frost, with the commitment to traditional forms; Dickinson, influenced by biblical hymnology and dedicated to free verse. 07DR JSCA 60 min. |
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"Highly Recommended. This program is an invaluable guide
for students of all ages interested in American poetry and the writers who
were influential in creating the fresh and unique rhythmic style which is
distinctly American." -National Media Review Professor James Ragan focuses on the poetry of William Carlos Williams and other imagists, such as Marianne Moore, Hilda Doolittle, and Amy Lowell. Beginning with a reading of The Red Wheelbarrow, Professor Ragan then extends his lecture to include Williams’ ideas about objectivism, his concentration on living for the moment, and what the poet means by his famous statement, "no ideas but in things." Professor Ragan also explains the technique of "enjambment" - a method which extends a line’s meaning into the next, connects thoughts together, and propels the reader through a body of work. 07DR JSCA 60 min. Associated Programs: Kenneth Patchen: An Art of Engagement and On the Margins: Stettheimer and Demuth, Part 2 |
| Miroslav Holub was a poet of international fame, a writer of over 14 books of poetry, and one of the few Czech writers translated into English. A medical doctor who found his mode of expression through the written word - scientific imagery is evident in his poems. In this rare program Holub explains how the two tracks of his life merged - his degree in medicine and his urge to write, which brought together his mind and his heart. He explains his literary influences, the effect of communism, the outlawing of surrealism during Nazi occupation, and other occurances which instilled in him a desire to write. Holub’s readings of his poetry are invaluable, a lasting tribute, and provde viewers with an understanding of his personal artistic expression. 07DR/CL JSCA 60 min. |
| Professor James Ragan goes back in time, to the oral, not just the written, tradition of poetry to put the history of 20th-century poetry in its proper context. Here we discover that historicity involves looking at poetry not just as a record of a passage of time, but more a record of combining philosophical, eco-nomical, political, and social move-ments that affect the poetry. 07DR JSCA 60 min. |
| Before delving into the technical aspects of writing poetry, Professor James Ragan explains how the true artist will take risks, how he or she may make mistakes, and be able to fail, before finding success. And with this said, we learn how in American poetic literature, Walt Whitman accepted the role of outcast and opened this door to "Free Verse," where anything can be the subject of poetry, and where one can celebrate the "self." Professor Ragan continues by introducing viewers to "The Eternal Present" in poetry, where something through the process of writing poetry comes to life. And he shows how the use of a "controlling image," a metaphor or image that threads its way through a poem, helping define the meaning of a poem. Next viewers learn about the center, or "insight," of a poem which includes "universal truths" that all people can relate to and understand. Throughout the program, Professor Ragan uses selected poems to clearly define each topic he is introducing to the audience. 07DR JSCA 50 min. |
| Poetic phrases like "I feel the blues" and "that dress is cool" originated with symbolic poets in France over 100 years ago. And in this program professor James Ragan explains Synaesthesis, the term used to describe how these phrases became mainstreamed into today’s everyday language; also he explains symbolism, the use of symbols in poetry, and how symbolist poets, such as William Butler Yeats, Wallace Stevens and especially Charles Baudelaire, worked hard to establish the concern about the fleeting moment of any experience. 07DR JSCA 60 min. |