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Level
Purpose
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To provoke reflection upon the relationships between scientific
knowledge and artistic sensitivity
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To explore how our perceptions of the landscape around us are
affected by the words we use to describe it
Materials
Procedure
1. Read the following quote by Harry Vandervlist from Mind
Over Mountains: “Jon worked at rescuing the landscapes of the Rockies
from beneath layers of cliché that make it difficult to see them in a
fresh, visionary way”
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Discuss this quote. What common clichés are
associated with the Rockies? (Postcards of picturesque mountain
scenes; romantic poems describing their beauty…)
- Show the photograph of Jon on the mountain and
read the quote by Marni Jackson that goes with it. Do you see any
clichés here? (No. This is no panoramic mountain shot or perfectly
posed poet. Note the switchbacks on the trail going up the mountain
behind Jon.)
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Jon wanted to find ways of describing the famous mountains so that
people would see them with fresh eyes, and not take them for granted.
The poem you will be working with today is one example of how Jon tried
to do this.
- Jon saw the mountains with a poet’s
sensitivity. But many people around him were more interested in the
scientific explanations for how the mountains were formed.
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Demonstrate the process of mountain-building with the simple
exercise described on the “Glossary” page.
2. Look at the poem "Epigone - from Epeirogeny " to see a poem that looks like a
thrust fault in a mountain range.
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Before you begin to read it, look at it visually, noting columns,
angles, kinds of type, and other visual clues.
- What’s the first line? Where does it continue?
How do the two columns relate to each other? Experiment with different
ways of reading the poem and putting the lines together.
- Divide the class in half. Group 1 starts by
reading the first line in the left hand column. Group 2 follows with the
first line in the right hand column. Continue in this fashion for a few
lines until students begin to see a pattern emerging.
- Discuss the patterns you see in the rhyme
scheme and typeface. How do they help you connect the lines of the poem?
(The poem is written in rhyming couplets. A line written in one
typeface in the left column connects to a line of the same typeface in
the right column.)
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How is this poem like a mountain? What
geological event has happened to this poem? (Jon is using poetry to
demonstrate how mountain ranges were formed by visually depicting
folding and faulting right within the poem
structure.)
3. Now that students have an understanding of the structure of the
poem, dig a little deeper for the meaning.
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Read the preface to the poem: “The
Professor of Geology applies…” Do you think the Professor has a
scientific view of nature or an artistic appreciation for it? How does
the poet feel? Does he agree with the Professor? What would happen if
they met? (Would they agree about things peacefully or disagree and
collide violently, like the tectonic plates that created the
mountains?)
- The poet seems to be making a rebuttal to a
scientific theory that he feels is inadequate as a complete explanation
of how the Rockies were built. Is he finding “fault” with the Principles
of Uniformity?
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Typical of his style, Jon uses many uncommon words in this poem.
List the ones you don’t know and assign individuals or small groups to
find their meanings and report back to the group. What do these
definitions add to your understanding of the poem? Can you imagine using
these words in everyday conversation? How do you think people would
react if you did? Try it and see!
4. Jon uses humorous images and words to suggest that there is a
lot more going on in mountain-making and its study than the dry
dissertations and boring lectures for which science is renowned.
- Example 1 (lines 13 - 14):
“the Rapturous Corruptions / overlies the
Disputatious Fogs Vituperative Conniptions confuse the /
Efficacious - some say late Clamorous - Bogs”
Science is known
for its arguments over fact and interpretation. Sometimes it can get so
out of hand that it literally can create a “fog” of dispute! And
it tends to ignore the importance of emotional appreciation. Jon would
argue that emotional appreciation is not a “rapturous corruption” of
fact, but necessary to enhance our understanding and appreciation of
scientific theory, and that the power to move us emotionally is part of
the reality that makes mountains so beautiful, even if confounding to
science. A fit of violent rage (vituperative conniption)
is an apt description of a
mountain-building process. With great wit Jon uses the terms of science
itself to poke fun at the snobbery of rigid theory. The line “some say
late Clamorous - Bogs” suggests that the sedimentary bogs that became
the mountains disagreed noisily with theory.
- b) Example 2 (line 27):
“Early Adolescent Epoch / with signs of
low Rambunctious ooze,
Rampageous Ramifications, / Eructations,
should you choose”
What word links
the reckless activity of the early times of the Rockies to a stage of
life? (Adolescent.)
The early Rockies
oozed with kinetic energy, just waiting to become “rambunctious” and get
out of the gate of sedimentary life. The Rockies were on a “rampage”
with long-term consequences. The word “eructation” means belching, as if
to signify the rude and abrupt power unleashed in these times. Does any
of this sound familiar to you?
5. If possible, visit a mountain site as a group. If this is not
possible, show slides of a mountain site, or remember or imagine one you
have visited. Make two kinds of notes about your observations of this
place.
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What do your senses tell you about this place? How does it feel
emotionally? Do you get a spiritual feeling? Describe these things in
detail.
- What does science tell us about this place? How
were the geological formations made? How long ago?
- Are these two sets of observations linked? Are
they similar in any way? Do they share any qualities?
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Use both sets of observations to create a visual poem that reflects
how your scientific knowledge and your personal observations are
related. Do they flow into each other or stand apart in contrast? Are
these permanent feelings or is there room for change?
6. Share your visual poem with the class. Do others understand the
message you were trying to communicate?
Evaluation
Curriculum Connections
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