I require my AP Lit and Comp students to read and regularly reference Laurence Perrine’s essay “The Nature of Proof in the Interpretation of Poetry.” In it, Perrine posits the theory that “a poem – in fact, any pattern of words – defines an area of meaning, no more.” The area of meaning defined by a particular pattern is therefore expanded or contracted based on the number and nature of the words in it. Perrine uses the example of a…
This past week was one of those weeks that shouldn’t have been difficult but was. I woke up on Monday morning with a sharp pain in my left eye which I first feared was an internal stye (to which I am, unfortunately, prone), but realized by the time I got to school that it was, in fact, a rapidly developing migraine. Those of you who suffer from migraines will know that it is not just a headache, but an entire…
I spent the greater part of yesterday with two of my good friends eating, drinking, browsing, and buying artisan crafts at the Renegade craft fair in Wicker Park. The fair is massive – stretching down Division Street from Damen nearly all the way to Ashland. The day was full of brief conversations with interesting people, as one might imagine you would engage in at a craft fair filled with talented artists from all over the U.S. selling products they believe…
This past Thursday I had a very long day. I taught two extra dance classes than I normally do, so that meant my day began at 5:30am and I didn’t finish up at the dance studio until 9:15. The long day, coupled with the long week and my failure to fully acclimate to my full time job left me feeling punch drunk by the time I locked up the dance studio and shuffled to my car. Despite my fatigue, I…