I'm going to disagree with the "joyful" interpretation of the man's statement. I think this is simply the stripped down language of a tired 68 year old man (and Snyder). The man could have grinned. He could have laughed. But he didn't. He simply said he had been bucking hay most of his adult life. Snyder doesn't talk about how lovely the hay chaff looked as it drifted through the shafts of light. He talks about how it itched under sweaty shirts. There aren't many people who enjoy "haying" as it's called in mid-Michigan. It's sweaty. It's itchy. And it's plain hard work. I teach in a rural community and even with modern machinery, baling hay is not a job people look forward to. As a "non-hayer" I can tell it smells good when there haying going on. But I've never been haying and I don't intend to start. I don't think we should make hay bucking into some romantic endeavor. And it's not really like Snyder to romanticize something like this, as I recall. And, yes, feel free to use anything in the powerpoint presentation. That's why I uploaded it--to share. Nancy At 04:52 PM 7/4/01 -0400, you wrote: >Helene, > Thank you. Feel free to use my comments. As for Paul's point about >the positive, almost joyful tone underlying the final comments, I think >the grammatical aspects may well play a part. All his statements are >active and, except for "hate," the verbs are quite positive and dynamic: >bucked, thought, started, gone and done. "I" is the subject of all the >clauses. None of the sentence subjects are outside forces that are to >blame for ruining his life; he seems to accept the responsibility for >the way the years have gone. > >Brock > >-----Original Message----- >From: Helene Krauthamer >To: [log in to unmask] >Sent: 7/4/01 1:32 PM >Subject: Re: Grammar and Snyder's Hay for the Horses > >Brock (or Nancy), > >Thank you for such a beautiful illustration of how >grammatical knowledge helps us to read poetry. >The tutors in my lab have been building a website >(called the UDC Reading/Writing Connection) where we >have been looking for examples just like this one to >show the connections between reading, writing, and >grammar. May we use this sample, particularly your >wonderful interpretation, Brock? We will, of course, >be giving appropriate acknowledgements. > >Helene Nancy G. Patterson Portland Middle School, English Dept. Chair Portland, MI 48875 "To educate as the practice of freedom is a way of teaching that anyone can learn." --bell hooks [log in to unmask] http://www.msu.edu/user/patter90/opening.htm http://www.npatterson.net/mid.html To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/