Of Slender Silver Slivers

Apropos of yesterday's discussion, here is a link to an NPR article regarding the poetics of hip-hop and rap; the article appeared over two years ago, but those of you interested in this area might want to seek out the anthology that is reviewed. As I said, it makes me wonder what other blind spots we might have in the course as it's currently designed -- or maybe not so much "blind spots" as just other possibilities (texts, genres, issues, etc.) that might enrich a course like this one. Thinking back to your musical DNA papers from the beginning of the semester, part of me wonders if music and children's literature might be an interesting little mini-unit (half a class?). Some children's books can be positively brilliant -- in terms of rhythm, alliteration, rhyme, assonance and consonance, et al. -- and can function like sheet music and yield new inflections every time they're read aloud/"performed." I think of something like Lloyd Moss's Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin, for example, which deals with music directly: "With mournful moan and silken tone, / Itself alone comes one trombone. / Gliding, sliding, high notes go low; / One trombone is playing solo. / .... / Flute, that sends our soul a-shiver; / Flute, that slender, silver sliver. / A place among the set it picks / To make a young sextet--that's six." Or Karma Wilson' wonderful Bear Snores On, which is always a positive delight to read: "An itty-bitty mouse, / pitter-pat, tip-toe, / creep-crawls in the cave / from the fluff-cold snow. / Mouse squeaks, "Too damp, / too dank, too dark." / So he lights wee twigs / with a small, hot spark." / The coals pip-pop and the wind doesn't stop. / But the bear snores on. / Two glowing eyes / sneak-peek in the den. / Mouse cries, "Who's there?" / and a hare hops in. / "Ho, Mouse!" says Hare. / "Long time, no see!" / So they pop white corn. / And they brew black tea. / Mouse sips wee slurps. / Hare burps big burps! / But the bear snores on." Well, if you have any other ideas for texts and topics germane to a future iteration of this course, send them along!