Music to my Ears

I'll start with Anderson...
I like the way Anderson explains grammatical concepts..I do. BUT, in this particular reading it dawned on me that maybe Anderson is a bit too complex. I mean, all four of his concepts (Subject-verb, Inflectional endings, Do and Have, and Tense Shifts) relate in some way...so why not just teach them altogether? Now, maybe there is a method to the madness...maybe he thinks it would be too confusing to teach 4 concepts in one lesson, but I think it might be confusing to the students to have to learn 4 different concepts separately. First of all, they have to learn about one concept then move onto another 3. That's a lot of learning. Then, on top of that, they have to remember each one...I think that's difficult for students. Once they move on, the move on. Maybe it would make more sense to teach the concepts according to one another. You could still teach them separately, but instead of moving on at the end of the lesson...tie it in with the next concept, and in each lesson make sure you are incorporating the prior lesson(s).

Now Noden..
I have a thing for good writing. By good writing, I mean words that flow, words thaat allow the reader to have a detialed and clear image in their minds, words that sound like music. I had always assumed that you just had to have raw talent to write like that..you just wrote and SHABAM, there it was. I am pleasantly surprised to now know that there are ways to teach that kind of beautiful writing. Noden explains literal repetition and uses as an example a letter from a lover to a soldier. When I finished reading the letter, I realized that I had goosebumps all over my arms. Not only because of the emotionally captivating topic, but because of the way the lover wrot her heartfelt words. The death of her soldier was not just a death. It was poetic, it made me feel like i was losing him too. I literally felt her pain. Now that is good writing!

Noden discusses how, just like adding some literal repetiton can make words translike and captivating, a sentence without that repetition can be dull and lifeless. So I considered how I would have reacted to the lover's letter had it been written differently. I imagined the letter as a simple narrative. I did this, this happened. Boring. Of course, the story is still sad...a soldier dies and his lover regrets not being able to repay him for his kindness and patience. But my reaction as a reader is infinitely different. I am not moved, I don't have goosebumps, and I will probably forget about the letter in a few minutes. That's a pretty huge difference! This made me think about how our society reacts to and uses quotes. I thought about some of my favorite quotes and why I liked them and remembered them. They're musical! They read poetically, and they are memorable. For example, "those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." This is an obvious use of literal repetition...and this quote also just happens to be one of the most popular quotes around. I don't think this is a coincidence..most of the quotes we value and are inspired by incorporate some aspect of either literal or grammatical repetition; they are catchy and memorable. Nobody remembers a simple, uninteresting sentence like, "If people mind what you're doing then they shouldn't matter to you, but if a person matters to you then they probably wn't mind what you do." It's wordy and boring.

I also enjoyed reading about periodic sentences and the emphasis Noden places on strong ending sentences. I totally agree...I think it's very easy to forget something you've read, but when the author ends on a strong note, you remember it..it sticks! Noden also discusses how quick cadence or slow cadence in sentences can contribute to its meaning. I had never considered this, but it is so true! If a sentence has a fast pace, and the sentence is about a murderer chasing his vicitm, I am more likely to appropriately imagine that scene in my head.