Instruction
Reflect on what you've read of Juliana Spahr's This Connection of Everyone with Lungs thus far (by Wednesday you should have read through page 74 - and you should be finished by Thursday). Then imagine that you're describing the whole book to a friend. Using specifics from the book, describe it in relation to one or two other poems we've read thus far this semester. How does it differ structurally (and be specific) from other, shorter poems we've read (and, please, try to go beyond "it's a lot longer"). Juliana is considered an "experimental" or "innovative" writer. She is not known for writing what we might call "conventional" poems. So you might want to choose a poem with which to compare her book that is more conventional, that more closely resembles what you expect poetry to be. Ask yourself: what is "experimental" about Juliana Spahr's book? What is "innovative"? That is, what's unusual about it? What elements are more conventional? (Hint: there seems to be a clear "speaker" in her book.) Again, be specific, quoting lines from both the poems to which you compare it and Juliana's book itself, and be sure to use the terms and concepts we've learned about poetry in your reflections and responses.
Another hint: you might take a look at this wiki page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumulative_song) and think about it when you write. Although the section of This Connection that begins "There is space between the hands" might seem unusual to you, it actually uses a fairly ancient structural device. In a way, then, you could argue that there are conventional and unconventional aspects to using this ancient form (as it's traditional, but uses a tradition that is relatively uncommon these days). Say more on this subject? Relate it to other aspects of the book?