Elbow's Article

On pages 647 and 648, Elbow writes, “even though we apply spatial criteria most naturally to spatial entities like pictures, and dynamic criteria most naturally to temporal entities such as music and speeches, the two styles of organization apply to both space and time. Thus, we always have a choice of lenses for any entity. Each lens brings out organizational dimensions that the other lens tends to neglect or hide.” I thought this was really interesting, and I’d like to incorporate these ideas into my teaching. Specifically, I’d like to use it in teaching the last formal assignment, the one in which students present their argument papers in a different medium, but I’m not sure exactly how I’ll do it. Maybe I should have students read the article…? Probably not. I’d love to hear your suggestions.

I especially loved this quote: “Still, I’ve always been interested in the uses of the ‘wrong’ lens. It usually takes a wrong lens to find trace elements that most readers or viewers don’t notice—and yet those elements may play an important role in how the audience reacts.” Taken out of context and tweaked a bit, it could be read as profound words to live by. Or maybe I’m just reading it with the wrong lens.