University:
Boston University
Course:
CAS WR 120 | First-Year Writing Seminar
Academic year:

2024
Views:

160

Pages:

1
Author:

Gornitzbf9z

Using Multiple Kinds of Sources to Analyze an Exhibit Source: Analysis of “The Last Quatrain of the Ballad of Emmett Till” by Gwendolyn Brooks PURPOSE: This in-class exercise guides students in the use of background and theory sources to strengthen their close reading skills of an exhibit source and deepen and complicate their analysis. NOTE TO INSTRUCTORS:  Begin by asking students how many have heard of Emmett Till. Usually more than half have not. Read the poem with students and analyze it together (fullclass or small groups) without any contextual information. The conversation may cover imagery, diction, and tone, etc. (5-10 minutes).  Introduce the following source material (students should use laptops/devices for this class) and allow students to peruse this material while simultaneously rereading the exhibit (15 minutes).  After reviewing this material, conclude by re-interpreting this poem (and students’ initial observations) in light of this new information (10 minutes).  Possible questions for discussion: o Does Brooks adhere to and/or subvert the traditional ballad form? To what effect(s)? o What light do the background sources (contemporary newspaper accounts) shed on the poem, and why? o How might the poem and the photo (if students choose to view it) inform each other? MATERIALS: • • • Exhibit source: Poem by Brooks Theory source: Definition of a ballad (The New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics) Background sources (historical accounts): o “Emmett Till Funeral Saddens City, Nation,” The Chicago Defender, September 15, 1955 o “Mississippi Jury Acquits 2 Accused in Youth's Killing,” The New York Times, September 24, 1955 o “Continuing Bonds and Emmett Till's Mother,” Southern Quarterly, Spring 2013 o Background/Exhibit Source: casket photo of Emmett Till (Warning: Photo is graphic. Warn students ahead of time and allow them to opt out of looking at it.)