March Violets Interpretation Part 1

Part One: Reflection after reading song lyrics
I think that "March Violets" is about men in a violet colored uniform that come marching into a town. The song states that "They're coming in twos, and they come on fast, paying their dues, first things last" which can be interpreted as that he men are in a war, and the "first thing" they have to do is pay their "dues" which is to fight for something, however if they die fighting for something, then their dues, the first thing they have to do, is the last thing they do. A reference to a gun being fired also seems to tie the poem to a war. The word "March" may be ambiguous because it can be a group marching, or the month March. The words, "Can you tell them apart?" are repeated four times in the written lyrics, which suggests that if the mean are in uniform, they look like the other men they are marching with, or even like the "enemy" if they are wearing tattered, bloody clothing. On one occasion, the line, "Can you tell them apart?" slightly changes and states, "Can you tear them apart?" which may refer to killing people during a war.

Definitions of 5 Poetic Terms

1)Connotation: Any meaning suggested by the sound or the look of a word or associated, however remotely, with its usual specific meaning. Connotations of language thicken its ambiguities and also give it greater emotional weight, so that they may enrich its value for the poet.

2)Ambiguities: Occur when double or multiple meanings attach to words or to situations. By competing, several meanings can illuminate more fully the complexities of the experience that the poem offers.

3)Irony: A statement that contradicts the actual attitude of the speaker or a situation that contrasts what is expected with what occurs and always having overtones of mockery.

Romantic Irony:A quality that belongs to poems which mingle self-pity with self-mockery
Tragic Irony:Acknowledges the contradictions of experience

4)Occasional Poetry:That which is composed to commemorate a particular evnt, casual or significant, sad or festive.

5)Rhythmical Pause:One that separates phrases when the speaker draws breath. Not counted as part of the metrical pattern. In the reading of the verse with a strongly marked rhythm it tends to create a singsong effect.

The Use of Media Technology in the Classroom

The role of media-technology in teaching today has become an important part of education. As technology expands, individuals are more accustomed to using various technological devices throughout their daily lives, such as the television, video, radio, cellular phones and the internet, and it is not surprising that he use of these devices carries over into the classroom. With the use of television, professors can show clips from television shows and the news. With the newest video recording devices, students can incorporate their own video clips into presentations. My opinions on the use of media technology are focused on college students. I have had a variety of experiences with the use of media technology in my college education—some are better than others. I have taken online courses where the entire course is taught online and there is no face to face interaction. Instead you use a discussion board to post all of your assignments and comment on other people’s work as well. In this experience, I found that people expressed their opinions and thoughts more openly when they were able to type it up rather than being put on the spot in a classroom or raise their hand and wait to comment. I’ve also had very effective learning experiences through the use of you-tube clips paired with lesson plans in my psychology classes. My professor brought in clips from youtube that pertained to the lesson and it kept me intrigued when I had an audio and visual example to go along with the lecture. Some uses of media technology in the classroom have also been more of a distraction that effective. For example, a seminar class that I was going to take used video-conferencing where our classroom was being team taught and it had a microphone, a camera, and a screen where our class could see the other class from the different school and vise versa. The technical difficulties took away from the learning experience and additionally, the professor’s attention was drawn away from the students in the class and was directed to the technology. I feel that technology can improve learning if it is incorporated appropriately.

An Introduction About Me

Hello! My name is Nadia Kilgore and I'm a Graduating Senior at California State University, Northridge. I am graduating in the Spring of 2010 with a major in Psychology and a minor in English Literature. Like so many others, this is the last English course that I need to take to complete the requirements.