Creativity in Writing: A Poet's Imagination

The Sick Rose

By William Blake

O Rose, thou art sick!

The invisible worm

That flies in the night,

In the howling storm,

Has found out thy bed

Of crimson joy,

And his dark secret love

Does thy life destroy.

What Blake writes about can be a simple illustration of a rose being attacked by a worm and in the process, eating away into the life of the rose. On the other hand, the poem can be a subtle enactment of a rape that occurs in the stealth of the night. The offender is unknown, preying on the victim that he chances upon. The consequences are dire for the act deals a fatal blow to the life of the victim, either in killing the victim literally or ruining the victim's life forever.

A simple illustration that can have several underlying meanings - yes, there is much we can learn from the poets' economic use of words which are at the same time graphic and layered with multiple interpretations.

Read the following poem and consider the multiple interpretations found therein.

My Heart Leaps Up When I Behold

By William Wordsworth

My heart leaps up when I behold

A rainbow in the sky:

So was it when my life began;

So is it now I am a man;

So be it when I shall grow old,

Or let me die!

The Child is father of the Man;

And I could wish my days to be

Round each to each by natural piety.

The Child is father of the Man. That verse sums up what Wordsworth is trying to get across his feelings at sighting the rainbow. What do you think the poem means? Are there multiple meanings? Our sample interpretations of the above poem will be offered at the end of this week. Do keep a look-out for the suggestions.

Literature: Broadening Our Outlooks

Etched by the past, the present

Yet an individual in its deep musings

My thoughts are little whispers of my soul.

I was deliberating on what to write when I chanced upon the poem, reproduced above, that I had penned as a preface to a collection of poems I had created decades ago.  It set me thinking on how little we appreciate the individual in each of us, or the debt we owe to the countless influences that have crossed our paths through people, books, social and historical events, and traditions and/or religious beliefs that were passed down from generation to generation.

In a world that celebrates inward-looking and self-centred perspectives, another's differing point of view is seldom appreciated.  Even freedom of expression is advocated from the perspective of "I have the right to say what I want even if it hurts you."  There is a lack of an understanding of the true meaning of what it means to be `liberal'.  Being liberal is not the antithesis of being a conservative.  A conservative can be a liberal, one who as I wrote in a paper some years ago, `see(s) no reason to take the Christ out of (his/her) Christianity to see the Buddha in the Buddhist or the Mohammad in the Muslim'.  A liberal is one who can put himself or herself in the shoes of another and can empathise with the person.  So, while he or she doesn't give up his or her beliefs, neither does he or she insult another's differing points of view.  The liberal understands that the conclusion one draws derives its rational from the premises that one works from, and as individuals we could work from varied premises which originates from opposing logical arguments.

Whenever I teach literature, I tell my students that one of the best lessons that they can gain is when they learn to `put themselves in another's shoes'.  When that happens:

• v  minorities won't be persecuted because of their ethnicity or religion;
• v  females can feel safe when they are away from home, at whatever time of the day;
• v  economically disadvantaged peoples won't be exploited; and
• v  cultural and/or religious sensibilities won't be slighted.

Indeed, plunge into the world of essays and fiction to learn to appreciate the human condition and enhance one's critical and creative thinking skills.  Let me end with my exhortation to the numerous books that have been my wonderful companions through the years.

Lead me into fabled lands

where fiction's crafted in fertile minds

Or quench my thirst with tales

Of fate and humour in the lives of mortals.

For a critical understanding, with examples, of the following:

The liberal understands that the conclusion one draws derives its rational from the premises that one works from, and as individuals we could work from varied premises which originates from opposing logical arguments.

look out for an update here on when the explanations will be posted on Our Blog, found in website of The Pear Tree Centre for Education.

The importance of context

Oh, East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet,
Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God's great Judgment Seat;
But there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth,
When two strong men stand face to face, tho' they come from the ends of the earth!

(The Ballad of East and West by Rudyard Kipling)

Most of us would remember the first line of Kipling's ballad and I can remember the line being used to describe the cultural gulf between the peoples in the West and those in the East. Each group is on the other side, forever weighing each other, forever looking on with suspicion and disdain at the other's ideas and values. However, if one were read on, one would note Kipling also made an exception to the idea contained in the first verse. Anyone quoting Kipling's first line does him an injustice for, according to Kipling, there are moments when the `twain' shall meet, when the gulf dissipates into nothingness and exists no longer.

Taken out of context, we can do a writer injustice. His thoughts become fodder for alternative ideas that have no links with the author. Therefore, context in any kind of reading is important. And that is why, at The Pear Tree Centre for Education, we teach English Language skills in context. Whether it is to enhance basic comprehension skills, critical thinking skills or to teach a writer's craft through the use of literature, we feel it is imperative to use a work that is as complete as possible; therefore, even if an extract is used, the idea encapsulated in it has to be complete and not half-expressed. Let me demonstrate what I mean with a couple of examples which are extracted from Mary W. Shelley's Frankenstein.

Extract 1:
I had hitherto supposed him to be the murderer of my brother, and I eagerly sought a confirmation or denial of the opinion.

Extract 2:
I was partly urged by curiosity, and compassion confirmed my resolution. I had hitherto supposed him to be the murderer of my brother, and I eagerly sought a confirmation or denial of of  this opinion. For the first time, also, I felt what the duties of a creator towards his creature were, and that I ought to render him happy before I complained of his wickedness. These motives urged me to comply with his demand. We crossed the ice, therefore, and ascended the opposite rock. The air was cold, and the rain again began to descend: we entered the hut, the fiend with an air of exultation, I with a heavy heart and depressed spirits. But I consented to listen; and, seating myself by the fire which my odious companion had lighted, he thus began his tale.

In the first extract, the information is insufficient and one could easily come to the conclusion that Frankenstein's sole purpose at that point was to find out if the creature he had created had indeed murdered his brother. However, more motives are offered in the second extract.  What may these motives be? Why would the second extract make for a richer reading and hence, a more comprehensive understanding of what's happening in the story? Possible answers and interpretations will be offered in The Pear Tree's blog on Thursday, 12/3/2015. 

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To attain best results, contact us at info@thepeartree.com.sg to negotiate with us on how best we can help you through a customised learning programme, whether it is through online courses, blended learning of face-to-face and online sessions or face-to-face sessions.

Creative Written Expression - The Shakespearean Way (Continued)

You would have had the chance to mull over the following extract from Shakepeare's The Merchant of Venice and come up with your own interpretations and thoughts about the piece.

Shylock:

O father Abram, what these Christians are,

Whose own hard dealings teaches them suspect

The thoughts of others! Pray you tell me this:

If he should break his day, what should I gain

By exaction of the forfeiture?

A pound of man's flesh taken from a man

Is not so estimable, profitable neither,

As flesh of muttons, beefs, or goats. I say

To buy his favor I extend this friendship,

If he will take it, so; if not, adieu.

And for my love I pray you wrong me not.

Here are my thoughts:

Shylock is being very crafty here.  He, in brushing off their suspicions of his motive and appealing to their logic by saying that there is no material benefit in getting a pound of human flesh as opposed to animal meat, is attempting to put Antonio and Bassanio at ease.  He leads them to think that the request is illogical, preposterous, of no benefit and hence, harmless.  Coolly, he claims that he is doing it to befriend Antonio and ends by telling them not to think ill of him when all he wants is to extend his affection.

Shylock is successful in getting Antonio to accept the condition on signing the bond.  And the rest of the story...?  Well, pick up Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice to find out!

Happy reading!

Creative Expression - The Shakespearean Way

I have often heard people groan when Shakespeare is mentioned. They seem to think he is beyond the comprehensible; his language is too far removed from the present age. Yes, there are uses of archaic vocabulary and references to Greek mythology that may not be familiar to generations of current readers spanning the globe. Then, there are all those cultural inferences immediately evident only to those who have lived in that age and in England and those who study the history of those times.

Yet, if you look closely and make some effort to visualise what is being said in the plays, one can appreciate the beauty of the language used. In the present age of limited vocabulary, often interspersed with `ah, yeah, like', `you know' and `whatever', Shakespearean language gives one an opportunity to go beyond the mundane and find expression in playing with the language.

Let's look at an extract from Act 1, Scene 3 of The Merchant of Venice.

Shylock: 

This kindness will I show:

Go with me to the notary; seal me there

Your single bond, and - in a merry sport -

If you repay me not on such a day,

In such a place, such sum or sums as are

Expressed in the condition, let the forfeit

Be nominated for an equal pound

Of your fair flesh, to be cut off and taken

In what part of your body pleaseth me.

The use of the term `merry sport' not only indicates that Shylock adds the following condition, "as a joke" but it gives an air of playfulness, an air of `look, let's just have some fun and include this preposterous condition as well." Those two words implies quite a bit, enabling Shylock to quite craftily make the whole proposition sound innocent and not serious.

Antonio:

Content, in faith. I'll seal to such a bond,

And say there is much kindness in the Jew.

Instead of a boring, "Alright, I agree to sign the bond", Antonio expresses his satisfied feelings too in merely saying, "Content, in faith."

Bassanio:

You shall not seal to such a bond for me!

I'll rather dwell in my necessity.

And I love this - "I'll rather dwell in my necessity"! What a wonderful use of the word `dwell' to mean that he would rather continue to be in his predicament of being in need of money.

Antonio:

Why fear not, man; I will not forfeit it.

Within these two months - that's a month before

This bond expires - I do expect return

Of thrice three times the value of this bond.

So what would be `thrice three times the value of this bond'?! So, there is Math in there as well!

Shylock:

O father Abram, what these Christians are,

Whose own hard dealings teaches them suspect

The thoughts of others! Pray you tell me this:

If he should break his day, what should I gain

By exaction of the forfeiture?

A pound of man's flesh taken from a man

Is not so estimable, profitable neither,

As flesh of muttons, beefs, or goats. I say

To buy his favor I extend this friendship,

If he will take it, so; if not, adieu.

And for my love I pray you wrong me not.

Read through and observe closely the expressive language. What can you gain from such a mode of expression? There will be many perspectives from just this short dialogue. In mid-week, Part 2 for my perspective on this will be posted - keep a lookout for it!

Meanwhile, try The Pear Tree's course on Literary Analysis for Beginners to gain a greater appreciation for literature and in the process, language!

Appreciating the English Language

  

Language has these, and more.

The following story, about the famous English poet, Lord Byron, was told by one of my university professors:

When Lord Byron was a young child and in school, he was told to write an essay on the `Wedding at Cana'.  Before I continue with Lord Byron's childhood exploit with his writing skills, let me enlighten those unfamiliar with this Biblical reference.  Jesus was once invited to a wedding at Cana, but midway through the wedding reception, the wine ran out.  He then instructed that jars be filled with water.  When the guests were served from these jars, it was found that the water had turned to wine and the guests complimented the host on serving the finest wine toward the end of the feast.  Now, let's get back to our story about the young Lord Byron.  While the other children in his class feverishly wrote their essays, our young Lord Bryon was gazing out of the window, seemingly lost in a dream.  Just as the teacher told the class they had five minutes to finish their essays, Lord Bryon wrote the following one-liner:

The water saw its Lord and blushed.

That one-liner is what I call, `art'! The whole story of `The Wedding at Cana' is captured in that one-liner.

In that one-liner, you will find that water is personified and takes on the characteristics of a bride.  The active verb, `blushed', provides a beautiful imagery of not only the changing properties of the water, but it also hints at the inner feelings of a bride.  The reference to `Lord' is an allusion to how a groom was perceived in a bygone era.  Yes, all it took was a one-liner to capture the essence of the changing of the water to wine and link it beautifully to an event set during a wedding.

Now, would you like to discover more of the `art' in the language? Enrol in our course, Literary Analysis for Beginners I, and learn to appreciate the `art' in the English Language!

Though the course is targeted at students who will be learning English Literature for the first time, anyone can enrol in the course as this will be useful for those who would like to, not only learn the English Language, but also gain an appreciation of its artistic usage from the masters of the language.

Learn English the Creative Way - A Holistic Learning Programme

The Literature-Driven English Programme

At The Pear Tree, we use a programme designed by Dr Pereira and tested in a few schools in Singapore. They were found to be effective in enhancing English Language skills of students of varying levels of fluency.

The Literature-Driven English Programme constitutes a holistic English Language Curriculum. In designing it, theories associated with Language Acquisition were taken into consideration; the knowledge gained from its test implementation and its subsequent use in numerous settings, including Adult Learning of  the English Language, also helped to enrich the design of the curriculum.

A guarantee that we provide at The Pear Tree Centre for Education is that we are constantly working on improving our curriculum so that you can learn:

• to speak English fluently;
• English grammar in a fun and effective way;
• to write in English fluently and creatively;
• to think critically to express yourselves in English, coherently and logically; 
• to appreciate the nuances of the language so as to comprehend a text well; and
• to enjoy English Literature.

Come, enrol in any of our courses today and it will get you started on an enriching and fulfilling journey toward an enhanced communication in English. (To discover the various dimensions of learning the English language, Read What We Have To Say.)