-fiti(' - ERIC

.IñthispOem,Elinor Wylie has posited three 'Ways of life lerMan: the two extremes represented by the eagle and the Mole.and4lielife,of thellierd walking, the earth that the others slut).While it mayappear that Wylie favors the eagle Cr themole to any ,type of herd, existence, it becomes apparent that ,she,is actually rejecting the ways of life represented by eagle, andMole. She IS indicating-that:the third alternative, the life, amongthe herd, is indeed the only viable -one, that the herd's way oflife, may engender hate, but it is the only life. possible to manthat .offers,.coMinunicatiOr and love: It may inVOltre-hate,-lut itrisk that one,-Mutif take ;the: alternatives offered' are megatiOns'-.Otlife.The questions were designed to elicit. some broad response in-dicating how close the tide* itact.,Conlq' ie.:understanding-the:poem. In all three versions of the 'first question it Vas; hopedthât the students Wonld,coMMent:UPon the general lone Of.itortYwhich VerYadea, the poem. ''EtT.en where .sinclenta-WOuld, use theWard,, *it** one would be able to sense that they had gone'beyond theliteral: The secOnd, question was meant to call attenTtiolii,tofitietki;he:negatii7e.'and the'poSitive,,adjeotiVeS-andi epithets-used #,,eonitinetieit with the herd. In responding to the thirdquestion, *den* were expected to See: the way '-oflif*Offbotk.emotion, focusedattention on the figurative level rather, than the literalor the teem ;.Lecoinerita# ,about the ,pednee:being --a series ofeagle and MOle.,06,-.equally. sterile. Theremarks on the ways of life possible to man was :anticipated.'Finally,- the fifth question, a summary kind of question, wasaimed at laying StuderitS, ,see the POein-at deMatidirie':invol*'Merit .rather than withdrawal, that the:)iind',0trIliftr ascribedto the -eagle -1144- the mete is actually a death,, That the onlyland of life for man is one among Men; These, then, Were:the,broad aims of theteine7e0roinent about the oyekall, performance T otet#denkcIn4,hie exercise is -4t-'04er prior to ti- hte*.dow.n. into 4100.04eilliOrP-POcift sections : ;abut, the ,ititeNtets to each 70eitiOn. Ingeneral, students 'clisOlayecUtv,,,p0ot-undelittaiidiiitt of-thwloeM.While, there wi'slittle-iAttettpt, at "hardf data" -10ePing:,in the,-rëadirg of the responses, only fifteen percent of the studentsinherent iro yof the poem.showed any understanding ofAU the cthers, li:t*Oief after answer, *ifite.lrotthe:VOtiekiiitsuch'643 OWeigle:aid. erwhelming :00#itiAt i***In klOtti*:, :01-1*-4038,000,i'lj,04oseLlh9se representative ofthe types of student responses given. The aim Is to rtti*th k range OfartaWerS.Vie:qUeStionk,OVOkeknOt.,. the frequency. Since17IFORUARY1976, '.**.-,,,.-:.,.--,,

.most ,of' the wrong answerswere, essentially the 'same,leCted those -which--SeeniedmOst-representati'Ve,The :fait-question, the onlyone rewritten during the testing,Was 4PeCifically, -diredted, atelicitingsome -remarks About tone.The poem achieves itseffect largely through irony, it was hoped;thatearly loCusing of. the students'therA.-startin the right ,direction. attention ow tone Would'helpof tone at all. It was apparentat Often, students did not write;that the prObleitot identifying andleast among .these :Students -commenting upon tone 4s, adifficult04Of course, notall the writersused the*Ords;anfis then Pointed failed to talk about tone. .Some.out What they:07Optiate,desieriptionfof the tone of the poem. thought an zip,Iinek.1-42,*011 ssein.to- suggest-in koilciet,more gentle tonesthan4hatiOet:asetnnea*Jth4iric13.;-Theaimilet and metaphor.in the second half Of thepoem are 'harsher"lathered"steaming sheep." Whereas lino 1.12"suggest," the tone ofthe poem threafter directs.Lily, there tvere'ttentit*ostudents who wrote irony orIii.!***00:Th. :#Inco.fth#4*.m.appears to be one of sarcasm.!"etie the poet msefathethisin the eagles- track your images "stares Into the an,','- "Ifpier,isinevis--eannetleati,'!" "Ikie,shke,the,-Itieentaio',Iniggettthat even though arict-"disenihei4eirhOneii.",way oftbe :eatle and the mole might the "reel life I. tough, thenot be as itiy:as-lt 'might,.OneOttloote,*jile:Oist-,:oestfori: It was rewritten twice;41.00,--iLnluit* with the results(few seemed to detéct the irony), a second timewhen someone suggested that in.aSmuchasthe rfe#tirttone is rornc, nointinc to*.spjecifiC-.elhitrige.-4110:0, '2044 he::-#1teleaciifik. '-Thiiinidoubtedlytrue Vthe,4!-Oetiii; 4,4erill, sironiCin'iherTerAiirla.,oriceT when-tett)*aboutthe.eagle.strong-in:4 effedt e.th4t*,:it.:ojak; 'theMOS- APrOdUCed,WhO lineW'no?,COrreSPOnding: epoileo. Those.1110e than 1g:1:abet:seti#0,-'060icoet: the heavier usetorie,,ofirony:Write about the generally ironic tone from ihie, 13 :on, or,:throughout. The ':ter,#0404, '44.* AO* *Nit ',:f*****. ,preferredto Wri.te. -A*something else, or could iofidentiffthelOnes:ot this poemtiThe second questionon,e. y derogatory remarksabout, first of all, animals herds generally: and,- secondly, human beings inany sort of Mob -:or ,tre04'',SitUiatiOn41*;*heSe,iitudenteabout, numberthethe-P.64M had,.liesAa uf a Single' and single-minded lateral.\A4Atit: ;ENOkisit :RECORD',

'Ne.lefere to the ierd as reeking polluted, flock,as hegettingàrd fostering hate, ;Ai lathered' ;.iisteltii,,teteeMiiiiVishOei%T4e-poet:hed the utmost distaste for theandherd.There were those- who saw the iliithiOtion,,between :some'of the direct adjectives and 'epithetsandthewarmth"; they ;gni' this latter quality, however,later "huddledas a furthernegative :,attribute ,t Of the 'herd.The iiid-As ',6harsOrizedli its 'unpleasantsmell, Its comp-,tiOni its offering of comfort to itsmembers,ta covriirdlinessvits hate, ite*te.O. We eail--einieledethat-theherd has Itsattractionsii sense 0, belonging, a seniii, of ,anOnymitt,-concealment,, from the 'liter/it of life." And.-iret--,purchased at the expense of indepeadenee,and this coáfort Isintegrity.,moleOnly twenty writers -saw thelives-,Ottheeagle and:, the4i ':UnsUitablef ways otelkiiitirtg;, they:Ow the lieiiIe4Stente,,a 4POSOible'WO' of life.The herd is 'fiit'ellitraeteirreA by such wordsas "reeking afldpolluted" but 40-,thC4cifint moves On the,f0euilftleeraik,iii.aliange.Although the herdjmay be *ea and sinful;positive side in iheiniages;1-of huddledthereli:ieirtain, .warnitlr, of Oro**, andflocks folded 7iverni.:,Tha,peet--,anglisisesthe warmth of does.nees and unity. which overcome the negativeIn answering the itiird':tfi*iti0*,the students 'exptieSiet anis.Qverwhelnling preference fortheeagle.One,Prea,,clidted ". that the symboliceagle would have drawn many readers.,11#0-101ste4c110s,tVii,1 'bólic value. Yet it is 046 ia "Aid, ofprey;somehow,thislatterOonaiderittien rarely cameeitle,thete,feadorg. saw Is the.magnificent ,AtteriOan, .or Roman eagle,,sYmbelta, of power, Independence,, and resolution. ThetlAt is admirable in the 14iiiian?tiPirit,,, became a symbol for allthat the life of theIs to be preferredto that of the mole, The *Orde-uied eagleto describe the etiglell,existence (stoic, Inviolate, sails abcve thestorm, stares Intothe '4uii) 'afe;;Onhaneintrreised :above the banalitiesof everyday life. There is a looking0):00;rd; possibly forward (towards) God -ther,eitii, the -#0i1Tee of life andan air of juritat ,sense of. onefies41' *-401: 'OneeelfThereisTali 'Ore&There were students for whom theways of life of eagle andmole WO* equal alternatives, to the herd.Such did not mean ; Itath01%,:thei:SEWeither #1)000#1ilit' magnificentways of life that;4:11*f9t,11* Should-The**41;.iiiiit4,-TreferanCe. The Maher begins by litarietingof the ,eagle's, life but In ,0"0 loutikiittoui11e4ells,116*to* thethen you canstill follow the -Mole to the undergroundeagle,i solitude and :still'-,-avoId-thEOrowdEFEBRUARY, 1970I

Finally, there were the few who ;saw the two as equal; butequal in a -negative sense. .These-,Studenta.,saW, both as,synibolsrepresenting.ways of, life man should not emulate.'1,40. I, feel neither the existence" of the eagle nor,thcmole isto be preferred. Both live in isolation fromsInd- the. pdit semi -to to Censuring this 'as'pect. To/sail:above:the 'storm and "liar, into the sun is not as appealing asitmight ais,Arit,iieem. The warmth in a shelter is better. Xolding-intereoUrse with roots of :trees and atones IS 'a beautifulArt, of life,,:sbut.'net:4f it is to 'sacrifice, the communion ofcrettn tee-With, one anether--.-nreattirei of ill. types»,,a1110.fOurth4.1estion,,atiting who the resdsaubject of the'tkein,drew .partially 'orighti,',anaWers, from all writers. EverybodySaid ;that the poem was not about the eagle': or the atole, t- all read.era. saw the eagle, mole, ,and'' herd- as each representing wain!, Ot-life, for man. 'Tho difficulty Student:4,4d: with this question wasthatOtilefiningWhiitihe;ticiern:isjaAot ; most added some of the'interpretive material they had taect, ;in:", Other' :answers, again,,atresaing:the:*alties of the 0*-ot:the:eagle or that of the moleOrliotha,/'The question served to'iSOnntlate further Invidious Comp*,sOns bet*en' the eagle inOle way of life and that of the, herd.Twenty-two saw iht6PgkIO., the Irony of the poem; as the fol,lowingThe 'eagle and the -Mole are' symbolictrePreaentsitions' ofsvzitli,drawal from life. Tljey represent two aspects of societytwo.personalities in societythe eagle -being the :diabitereite#41'n1 ,involved, .nnebmplitte&axiiiteeint,, and the mole being the MT.npitedi.imenligittened, Isolated; The 'eagle is on the 'Pedestal'and the Male is ,Under it. 'OnbOliCally the poet suggests theludicrousness In withdrawalthe *West -meaningless ofuninVOlVeniOtaTime filial.fqtiestion prodieect the (Same kiñ4 ofthat the third did:, About .1.rfr,0\41identi;iirefetred the .life of theeagle,: While- only a, fe*, preferred, the ',life- or the mole. Those who*rote of the .advantages of the lives of the eagle; and the moleWere2adaniant.AmtikaatiOn COncernslialitiretent way of life that man Isteitdingetiiiittit the herd. ft is :a*ity.nt'litetiiiit begets hate,,thet.fereel:the.individiaal to auffenderihii individualsfor the,- of 11,4, social group. The 'imnrde,'"heirci,'llook"-inf41,0*.0410;10s-100- 0,f -140***A1.11#g Is daistogether, in, mass. Thelenlfiiax. to Enke*: this fate by--tiiwith ything human. This ida Is evident ;inthi,blatIlne, wherethe poet says that it is all -right for-the reader' to hold inter ,curse : With) f',4iSembedied sinei;lt -for- -Presiiinab1y theii lnniea11i4e-'1#*'20*!THE.' ENdlISII RECORD

Again, as with the preceding ariSwers, the, same tv'venty-to''sensed:the irony and intent inherent in the Poetn:I think the tottil,,poein 'implies for hire!, the existence Within'the herd despite the fact stanzai Invite man to aatoiC existence of whichthe ,Poet seems to believe man Is ificapable.,:lie;then-,suggestg,,an.Aternsitiva way, the life of the -mole, the dekriPtionWbichlandeon,a degrading note It seems to me that the poemis written In an Ironic tone which,-brings out the point thatthe group he is eitherapartif mat 'istriVes tohave to be content withsthving for the Impossible orpoet Seen* to be -directing hisWhat : tallest thinthOag/its tOWard'thosO who 40.';.#614000.111:0**Y *0-*4.,The .ansWerS? quoted in the Past Several pages tePreient, the-performances of about two ihundred students being trained: espe-ciallitts,EngiiihAeaCherS. As was indicated earlier; only twenty 1of the poem The,WeaY,neSies AiSPlayedlirtheliaPerpf Can,lae:C*Sideredlin, seVerali *a*The first question displayed -'4,rilajorinability to write aboutliterary tone; StUdentleitherlaileitto Write,,,a1jOntIone 4,01 orwrote:abOtit-,:an-inaPPrOPriateiene, Both of theseare related tO,,a-lailUre?tO-tetid the ,poem/closely and ,atilnatillitytO,ArariSlate:ati:alistractiOn about a literary term into .a ,specificafter Altcommentary about a text in front, of theni. Tone :two studentifiensed the inherentmerely one of 'many such terms that we use in the study ofliterature. En gngliSh in the Seconda,y School; Edwin Saüementions more than twenty terms that secondary school stndents should be familiar with as they 'study literatUre.e Terms,,SUch.e.S' meter, illy*: And -rhythm- as,-*11- its,Others-On Sauer'slist are more specific than tone. Yet if these prospective teachersare so vague and Inept about an important raspect of poetrysuch as tone, we can eicPeCtlittleffrOni the students theY-Will'13eteaching; The inability' to write clearly aboUf, tone, a sped&aspect - of this'Wet; ill for the teaching performances ofthe students whoThe fact that most students preferred the existence of theeagle, or, in a fe*, instances, that of the mole to the life of theherd suggests seVeratthingi. First of all, it again illustrates thelack of close attention to the e)4:, the title IS, ,after all,- "TheEagle and the,114016;0-not'uThc Eagle orMole." Further, thetext devotes an almost equal aMount. of space to each, growing:increasingly ironic as the poem prOkreSSes. To miss these clues,on such a ;Scale as the responses indicate, is evidence of failureto read closely. Thethat ,most, preferred the way of life ofNif. .EllytinAireiv. -itilettiol.i hi nic 1,,,einidait- i,thhiiiiU0Sw York: *4 11,111,iiiLet rani11,1,1t,!-,4251): nwia-,FEtiRVARY,, 1,970,9;,,,,,I;.,21

:the: :0410101.11,0*.t.OS110100-00210---**occurrence iti will'i'ecinentlir, misread ,,aincr 'tit* ' .401:04-04':"1#0.71400:, Pne, *Olkdefaii0 WOieeoald jia:Ve401*than Slie:740;;0,.t.4-43:1*,ljoeriyithey will:,091:404';108441#* qr:,0***40011:.'the 'at*** reveal:,TePukar Ver4,91.14,P9S0.!.9110:, while arrma tenil;tikeheoitnitlYiiiiiii-nOtqn4irtrit; fiftit0-;itteet-:'late -,of-40;:iPlatuit:0*/* ee-*olio :endorse;1.104#31.404'Vle: 'to :ftersOtar 0140**-404es4',08,415-0iowtatementsif is usoteache-M-6'6up.he reader willarace Are,1? '1asides:*Ore,:lamentable from ,reading; A1040 e40li tae #0ik to'themselves;eToera,4,11.0Y-Tgy047i-t J174to4,in,n 'th e; or itamfeittitWO.,,.Vier** 0*::044014.0k ,tentjt,,-. 01 4i#01*to,,-';*0100.400 #-.11jiiiiiPelt-. if001i'l'At.-sex-**10 --tOS ''-.4.: 44 ni00 7 0:" OA PAtniet at e., a o *0*14ii s S411',-.4filio.ori'leg, ii* Pr4Q,.1402, ,teachers re atilt-7,,,eiltrit: eni-jiettetli-S-2:.POO , ,,, a '00*04's el*---ri.*.::icathosewhich:l:no-d',.:-.,&,.e ***od foc iiitsokie; [AT ei,i' d--.2i--!iof TO' '.r%7oetifres- ii04:6*-,,,o,.ae Onrap, cewo. ' i'n Vilo-i:.:-s.001te--i46isiiwitatiot .e,,ii:0 OffeiViN -.-::' 'Th 61, 05101:.-:401 .14;i34 -ar,Jaasen : ,i0tetSic '-:-10lit ei4/4kAWciiitit:lai*OVeneh0 rE,s -*.4. CloseEitritiOilliii#4400010It a wit Ts*.0000litiiki*kiiatitatfoutgrowth a,,:re,4 ics-iltlOscl,0:.-4v :IC , ,004111:-,. .t*.-4.001.41,1000.444ni *011'1"4.001 .*;.:/W-17e .tetliitiW,t- ii#401,-'4410AM .0.! 80.144410-'0, o*:tioaurges.04ei ,i*444N.!1:-70"Support. ,.of'OotnOtiOrfi**ta3likeir plaeis,i.'0,tic 0ik: study'el!' onge:-'In.,Onl.,.os14-6::-i.SinWbiisig'100:4s e 'a*, 040.11.*0149. 11,,:p.';:',iliel ,,er r --s teachers'S'fii(*'*#''Onitgiihiss, i*iiiii*--,ii-40 00 n is we*.*ne .an Antitiaittee or0g-ieint0-**

/'I/f:/-,-,i'///-----,---/7-/---I' -."-'I.:i:-I:i/,,--:I,-INVASIÔNOFTHETEXT/dhárles Hoffman/Hing taught-1iigh schobi English ior many years with-,rhaps a1 mimmum of jornial schoi&&c preparation in closereadIñior'hteri7 analysis1 1 ;ead 1Edward Duèhaiie's arti--/':ele 'ThEvasion of the Text"'tngh/RØ,ord,,Februar7,I--197O)/, with a growingfeelingo unet1iness, if notçhagrin. Wascharlatan, teaóher who &lçdth producestudéntsaêptat4iteraiyaàlyäis notbécâiisë1hat siqiWsex,:?. ;(t-'V/ // --;: :;:Ibethveá1éd'aI-:-- /-,--/-/tremely/1At-//////-':l/ ,,A--:;-- . ;-14difficu1tto,teachto young,-pplewhdo not intend to/'7 ,///7,/-'-Iit,/but/bc,ause'I' wasa tvadrorrnaybemake-a ëareer-juit a'hodidzita reláthrely2/PvL////,::dehberation(/L-have q9ncluddr.Dchiisoi ahe; i;-.7'Y-tlieñ, ttiMdc.2/ Neitheripedagog akesagood teacher,itseems'/;- ,- 'After loj,ig;-1/-::.-''.questionp(m'J- L- -?thr'-i-, -;.-fI-:7 .J,.I.-.-ulrng out.-. &,-*could standproudlybefoievc pedãgpjth)r:'-I. :- -; --agthe ER caier'witha 1reeord catch (2OOsuckers; 'scholastwa's%1.-- '-,x-:POOl' fishafter--:&-,-1- T-1ie-- tirbuient,. fresjilystocked rearn ofAcademeand----,-,---T:-/;:i- man-teacher,castinghis-jautifu1 bti,t inrndious 1urs into th .-'- 7 --fp'-;--, :-:: -viations) on Elinoy-sWyeOUt. Befóè4peliês1fth 1iier4-;-;. ---,- -,--;'-V-L- /'la* óëvèhat I wouId1ae tráIã not Ioi' thitil:Jj':-:-vightPe E li'.'61 iàôi? eer1árs,:cMo1'Whjêkscb1 jüzi-da1thüh'I aaãtlie strit-"ciöse.I anèë?sërio*r-D/-Ouhtf1ie--- (1t'- z t-:.;-:-N -:i-.,jreassesrny atstandardarti4e et1 me to re-analyzeandrr;'àrñiñ*only gliah3át-New York, Miii. Junior--'Hsgh czo, JIa-lti,g Stiw o Ptus'pos,"ticlJpeGyed* th.Sprin, 1961 is8ueof jheJJnplz.hRcovd."--,c'---.'---t4:''1- '1aicüiin6t7-g, /C-v---1IiJharlea áóIman uCat-.*.--;----!ome:22 suents for flndi gsomethingthat jsn't in the poem1--u-.-ready.i.fpr not' finding- iron,. At t)e' same tune ie prIsesf- !- I '.'-1---r/I4eacier--notto èounfr thosêof us 1oare active teachers *al.,os.-'5 J? 't --, -, ---/-'-.OçToBER, 1970p-103//-II-----------I----,- -.1--1' 1ç-.-*I'-1I '4-J--

14-4d* backtraercjleta;ftlonienjtik AV custom., in studyingVoint.40:Wthatpoetry uudersitood-requires :filo40*;;;Oii.414.00.0-14:(7410.4--SiPly:*---**-- least -,ttiree; ley.eti:'1*Ait,erikt-q-04#0,*4.1*-quires u idmt;et.:pie:fioetief--uae, laiguatei .,#1#19-9*:and ariauarlfte nary techniques or- devices:;, and: ,finally tho-#0 4011040:0301.tcbA-gea''-Onil**tiAcitle41Slr *,k.fOttatet**,'--,9k-*,t ictioris.3at all. 4:44:-**1010 i0,70-**0447 )0VOii00 ijot 0-114.141:0,4-1*-0:4 OVeAo.t.opoict**--jtimo :0,,,41t,i,?;:tr,410,-tool-i- a :#ilnitiOketa--;-careful*** 410:5'01*.flj-tes

of sttUdying literature -an-&--.sevenyears of teaching' literature to high school students thrbugh close- treading,- IyiraS intrigue&by the implications of some of the questions raised in the-study. Frantily,,I,'Wet less-sanguinethan Squire about -the-teachersbe-, ing "Well,Schooled in modern critical approadhes," 'despite the,evidence