Does When I heard the learn’d astronomer have a central theme or message? If so, how would you express that message and defend your thinking? Is it as simple as becoming bored with a lecture and leaving for some fresh air? Is the writer suggesting something about the differences between facts and feelings?
What's the point? What's the point of learning a bunch of pointless crap in school everyday when all those facts dull the beauty? The beauty is lost when it is dumbed down into numbers and charts. There is so much more to the stars then the numbers that define them. Isn't funny how society judges everything by numbers, then questions why people feel like they don't belong? People are being judged by GPAs, BMIs, numbers on the scale, how many likes a picture gets on social media, and the number in their bank account. Why does any of this matter? Why can't we be taught to look at the stars and see them for what they are, not what we say they should be? I think that this is the point the poem is trying to get across. We live in a world where we are told day in and day out that math and science are the only things that will get you anywhere in life. We are told from a young age that the world revolves are numbers and formulas. The easiest way to be told you are throwing your future away is to tell someone you are going to college to major in English. But what is wrong with following your dreams? Why do we even bother telling kids in grade school they can be whatever they want? All we do is turn around and say that unless they aspire to be an engineer or doctor than they should conform to what those around them say will bring them success. This way of thought is destroying creativity. It may seem as simple as needing some fresh air, but I think it goes much deeper than that. There are some things that fresh air can't fix. There are times when being alone will not cure all the ailments that accompany life. There is a huge separation between the facts and the feelings of life. Facts are are concrete, unchangeable, but emotions are free flowing, they come and go, they are hot and cold. You can know all the facts in the world and still not understand emotions, and I think that's the wonderful thing about them, you can never fully comprehend all that is going through your head or the thoughts that race through someone else's mind.
ReplyDeleteI think the ideas contained within this blog are similar to the ideas I spoke of in mine, but yours is written in a way that more truly encaptures the meaning. I am often faced with these types of troubles in life when deciding what to do with my future, especially as a junior in high school. When the mention of my future comes up, it is always "you are too smart to do that", "you will never make a living off of that", "college for that field is too expensive", or "that field is a dying field, it would be pointless to become that". Why then, am I told that it is my future and that I can do what I want if everything I try to do is deemed wrong for me by everyone else?
DeleteI like your ideas and concepts but I have no idea where you're getting them from. I agree that everything is measured and scored and that's what others look at to decide things about you. We should be judged on who we are not by what we do. With some people they are extremely smart, but if you ask them something that should be common sense, they are completely lost. So really the door swings both ways in a sense.
DeleteThe poem When I heard the learn'd astronomer, to me, seems to be taking into consideration how much we overlook the simplistic beauty in things. Inside, away from all the stars, many are discussing the scientific aspects of the stars and the mathematic properties of outer space. Those inside are deeply analyzing an aspect of nature, yet they have separated themselves from nature, it's purpose, and it's beauty completely. This poem seems to be saying that those who think they are intelligent are discussing the properties of the stars, while those who are realistically intelligent are the ones enjoying their presence in the sky.
ReplyDeleteWe are so driven by the need to know, to understand, and to control. Because of this drive, those who listen to the "learn'd astronomer" appreciate his thinking and deep analyzation of the lights in the sky that have guided us since the dawn of time. People keep coming up with more ways to give meaning to these stars, to understand their purpose and origins. New ideas are constantly being formed about the stars in the sky. Yet, after all the continuous analyzations, everyone fails to see the real beauty that is portrayed by the stars. Those so interested in the details are quite literally failing to see the big picture, the beauty of the stars in the night sky.
This poem, however, can be taken as a metaphor for any situation, on my opinion. The ideas of this poem, written in the early 1800s, can be applied to the things in our society today. Products and material good are so advertised in our society that we fail to see the true meaning of what it is to be happy. We are deceived by the want for more, the need for perfection, but we are failing to see that things are not perfect, and they never will be. We are failing to see that life in itself is beautiful and does not need assistance from the latest material good to be perfect. Just like the poem, everyone needs to rise up from the wants of society and look at the big picture, rather than just following the crowd looking too far into things that are simply already there.
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DeleteNot to trash Hannah's but, I think yours explains the poem better Emily. I guess it's just a matter of personal preference though. I understand the poem a little more now that I read yours. I only wish I could look this deeply into the poem as you and Hannah did. I like how you related it to our time as well with the advertising. Many people fail to see what's really wrong with a product if they can only see what is on the commercial. It's easier to take the companies word for it than to look into it yourself.
DeleteWhy do we learn what we do in school? I'd like to think it's to help us better understand other concepts later on in life. Yeah all of us tend to daydream durning the classes we have no interest in but, most of the time, we still learn something of value. It's okay in a lecture like in the poem to take a moment to step out and try to fullest grasp the concept of what was just taught. This, I believe, is the meaning behind the poem, "When I heard the Learn'd Astronomer" that sometimes things need time to process so taking that break is good for you. If you aren't paying attention however, I believe it is a good way to get your mind back on track and to refocus on the class. The only downside to this is you may miss something that was important but, if you can keep your mind where it should be, then you can pick up on what you missed and continue on. To be completely honest though, I thought the poem didn't make much sense. What I got from was someone got tired in class and wanted some fresh air to refocus. So they went outside and looked at the stars and into space where the possibilities were endless. Anything could be out there all you had to do was find what is right for you
ReplyDeleteI like that you were honest about not really knowing what to talk about with this blog. However, I think you unknowingly found some meaning in this poem when you said that anything can be out there and you just have to find what's right for you. It would be interesting to hear an elaboration on why this sentence was relevant to the topic of the poem or how it is a theme within the poem.
DeleteEveryone needs a break at some point so it is good that you acknowledged that the poem is talking about that. The poem was hard to understand but I like how you said the possibilities are endless.
DeleteBen, I thought you had a very interesting take on the poem. I did not see it the same way you did when I first read it. I believe that your interpretation has some good points and I thought it was very effective argument.
Delete"When I Heard The Learn'd Astronomer" is an interesting poem which poses questions about its true meaning. I believe that the poem is symbolic of the true essence of science and the way people effectively interpret and understand nature. Science is something that can not merely be grasped in a classroom or a lecture. Rather, science is something that must practiced, it must give way to intuition by constantly cultivating difficult questions in the form of mysteries that yearn be solved. One can not truly understand something by listening to a lecture, even if the lecturer is "Learn'd." Graphs and charts do not help us unravel the mysteries of the universe and nature, they merely grant us information that is already known. So the poet, in this intuitive poem, is escaping the lecture because, yes, he becomes bored and tired, but he conveys this state of mind because he can not fathom listening to someone lecture about a topic he could be out experiencing first hand. When he escapes the lecture, he looks up into the perfect science of the stars. The mystical, moist night air is symbolic of the intuition and mystery of nature and true science. And the perfect silence of the stars symbolize the mysteries waiting to be solved. There is a difference between facts and feelings. Facts do not conjure the feeling of first hand application, or proving a theory, or solving a mystery. Feelings lead us to understand. Feelings guide our intuition and lead to the discovery of facts, and what better way to discover facts than first hand involvement wth the mysteries of science and nature.
ReplyDeleteI can see where you are coming from when you say that the poem is symbolic. There are many mysteries in the universe and the poem may be referring to them.
DeleteI really enjoyed how you interpreted the poem to say that students must experience science in the real world. You can not simply just here how to do it then become an expert in the field of science. I did not see the side of the poem only being about science not all subjects, and I thought it was a unique approach.
DeleteI don't think that the poem "When I Heard The Learn'd Astronomer" is intended to belittle what we learn in school but I also do not think that it makes an effort to support classroom learning and lectures. Just about every math concept that we have learned in school, outside of multiplication, we will never use in our lifetime. The point in learning them is not so that we can necessarily use them but to hold knowledge. The astronomer in the poem did not become the great intelligent person that they are over night. Classroom education and lectures are an important part of the process to become a learned person. The poem also shows that we cannot fully rely on that education. Just because you get straight A's throughout al of your schooling does not mean you will advance in life to be knowledgeable or successful. Sometimes it is necessary to get up from the lecture that life is giving and actually get involved and learn form examples of those who have experience. If a person is going to grow up and be a carpenter, electriction, plumber, welder, engineer, or almost any other profession they will not learn the skills necessary for that job in school. That's why it is important to learn through practice and experience. Looking at it this way it is easy to ask why we even learn the things in school that we do it we are never going to use them in life. The point in learning them is not to necessarily use them but rather to obtain information and become a well rounded and educated person. The poem shows that classroom environments and hands on learning are both necessary for success and knowledge.
ReplyDeleteI see where you are coming from when you say that the poem is not trying to belittle what goes on in the classroom, but I'm not sure I agree that we need to learn things that we will never use. I understand that it makes us more rounded, but is it worth it?
DeleteI agree with you on the concept that we need to learn through practical application and experience. It is a huge part of the educational process in order to own the concept or skill. Although, I'm not sure I agree with the fact that we learn useless things. Everything we know makes us more intelligent and there will be some point in life where many skills that we thought were useless in school will aid our endeavors.
DeleteYour take on the poem in its relation to school is interesting, and I do say that I agree to a certain degree. The poem did not directly condemn the school environment, I feel it instilled a more global sense of disharmony.
DeleteI believe that the whole poem reflects about the school setting. There will always be someone up in front of you, telling you about the great, amazing things in life, like this astronomer. There will always be someone who is going to tell you how it is, as if you are the student and they are the teacher. This can be a good thing, in many instances. They can teach the common people many things about the world around them, telling them what is going on that they cannot see. But this can only get anyone so far. If a student is only exposed to someone standing in front of them, telling them what to do, then they will either get bored or not understand why something is happening. With lectures, the only way they learn is by someone telling them, this is how it is because I said so. In the poem, he speaks of going outside to look at the stars. This could symbolize the act of someone needing to go outside the box to fully understand the concept. Most people will learn better when they find things out for themselves. They will then fully understand why that something is happening. Also, there is the fact that all people will perceive things differently than someone else. Where you see chaos, I see beauty. Where you see tragic messes, I see lovely surprises. When the person was talking about going outside to see the stars, he most likely saw them differently than what the person was describing in the lecture hall. It also seemed more peaceful outside than it was described as when it was inside. Nature is a wonderful place for deep thoughts and realizations. The person was fully able to understand what the guy was preaching about. So whenever you need a quiet place to think, about anything or everything, the best answer is to go find out for yourself.
ReplyDeleteI like that you compared looking at the stars with looking outside the box. Maybe what the teacher is saying does not click with a certain person, so they need to investigate further. Also, I think that the way you tie in how everyone has a different perspective, and that's what makes the world so interesting.
DeleteYour relation to the reader and the astronomer is well done. The symbol of "going outside the box" is overused, but it works well with this arguement.
DeleteFeelings and education must go hand in hand. The student must be both emotionally and educationally attached to what they are learning. I believe that is the central theme to this writing. It is a theme that I believe very strongly about also. I think that this reality of learning is ignored in modern schools. Teachers seem to forget at times that in order to engage their student's attention they must make their teachings exciting and interactive. It is never fun to just sit and listen to a person lecture, even though the information being conveyed is very good. That is what this short righting is saying. It is more than a person leaving a lecture. The person in this piece is being "taught" some very good information, and other people in the crowd applaud his information. However, the main character of this piece cannot connect emotionally with what is being taught. It is imperative to feel, in a sense, what you are learning. If this is not done, school and learning just become a drag that seems never ending, and one ends up learning less than he/she would if their feelings were involved. That is what I believe the author of this short piece is trying to explain. Feelings and education are directly related. If one wants to make the most from their learning, they must be both educationally and more importantly emotionally attached to what they are learning. The information must mean something in order to have it stick in the mind. That is truly what I believe the author is trying to express. It is a theory that I wholeheartedly support because it is the only true way to acquire knowledge from your learnings.
ReplyDeleteI like the approach about having emotion in learning. If a person hates what they are learning they definitely will not learn as well. This goes along with the emotion. In order to learn effectivly we must feel and have emotion towards what we are learning. I agree with your view completely.
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DeleteI agree with your second sentence, for a student cannot fully grasp the worth and gravity of their education if they don't first appreciate or fear it like a greater power or naturally engrained response- such as the human concept of emotions. I also concur that it is extremely important to keep a student's attention, even though the student must also put effort in, I believe teachers shouldn't give up on them as easily as some might.
DeleteThe message I receive from this poem is simple, and yet, the task of its correction reaches so far. To me, the message seems to be that learning and achievements of great magnitude have been far too generalized, causing many dull souls to lose the true motivation behind what they pursue. Listening to lectures of similar and constantly changing discoveries in fields akin to and including the scientific, do little for the individual. These great, complex achievements mean much less if they cannot reach even the most overlooked soul and resonate with them on a very personal level. So, what can we do to ensure that people find their own "way"? To be frank, and equally frustrating, I believe the answer lies in encouragement to self-guide. Many people spend their lives following the metaphorical maps of others, when they'd benefit greatly from their own. Why spend time clapping for the theories that can never be fully concrete? Why not find a reason in the stars to clap for oneself? After all, there is quite the difference between being arrogant and genuinely determined or invested in one's self worth.
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