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[piecewise]

The thing about literary analysis is that you don't get marks for being right, you get marks for the process and the foundations of what you've said.

If Saved By the Bell was a Christian allegory for you, then it is not 'wrong'. There is no right or wrong, just stronger or weaker choices.

It's hard to explain the difference, but after you've seen a few analyses/performances/whatevers, you will start to understand.

You realize you're talking to someone who studied English in college right? That I practically analyze writing for a living and that I'm actually usually very very good at it? 

The reason why I asked about the poem is becase Pathos's explanations seemed rather shoehorned in and I was curious to see if this was actually a famous poem (I'd never heard of it) and if that was actually the excepted explanation because it seemed rather like a stretch. I'd thank you not to talk down to me as though I've never done this before.

[Jackrabbit]

And how was he supposed to know you studied English in College?

[Pathos]

You realize you're talking to someone who studied English in college right? That I practically analyze writing for a living and that I'm actually usually very very good at it? 

The reason why I asked about the poem is becase Pathos's explanations seemed rather shoehorned in and I was curious to see if this was actually a famous poem (I'd never heard of it) and if that was actually the excepted explanation because it seemed rather like a stretch. I'd thank you not to talk down to me as though I've never done this before.

English! In College!

_{( That might be highly respectable in America or something, I don't really know. )}

[Jackrabbit]

University = College in America.

I know. Over here College is High School too.

[Pathos]

University = College in America.

I know. Over here College is High School too.

We should really teach them the correct meaning.

Damn Colonials.

[Jackrabbit]

Was funny when we had some American friends over. They heard I was in college and thought I was a superchild.

[piecewise]

Nah, english is a pretty crap as a major since it basically boils down to "heres a ton of books, read and analyze them. That will be $60,000 please."

But I hope you can understand why I'd be a little pissed when someone who is, judging by the median age in these forums, 14 tells me that I might "start to understand" later something I've been studying pretty much exclusively for years. I understand that he couldn't have known about my education but I can't help if it hit a nerve.

Also, I didn't know that high school was considered/called College in...where ever you are land. College and University are basically interchangeable in America for whatever reason and they actually mean the same thing. University however is a more "pure" word with less meanings while college can basically refer to any group of people coming together for a shared purpose. Often times you have several colleges at a single university, each specialized to a single area of study. 

[Pathos]

In England, colleges can refer to halls of residence within some of the older universities, too. It can be applied to quite a few things.

But, yeah, amongst most English speaking countries ( well, all except America, I believe ) a college is just something that's above high school ( secondary school for us, I think, anyway ) and below university. It's basically what you go onto after you finish forced education.

Basically:

Nursery ( Kindergarten )(1-4/5, I think) -> Primary school ( I don't know )(Upto 11) -> Secondary school ( High school? )(11-16) -> College ( High school? )(17-18) -> University ( From then onwards depending on course length )

[Pathos]

Could I just say that I can't analyse for shit, by the by? I still got A/A* on all the work I had to do for it, but it was nothing compared to one of my friends - who regularly managed to combine insightful, witty and clever use of English into essays that entranced you upon reading them without any effort on his part at all.

Dude's going onto doing History in one of England's best universities.

Lucky bastard.

[piecewise]

In England, colleges can refer to halls of residence within some of the older universities, too. It can be applied to quite a few things.

But, yeah, amongst most English speaking countries ( well, all except America, I believe ) a college is just something that's above high school ( secondary school for us, I think, anyway ) and below university. It's basically what you go onto after you finish forced education.

Basically:

Nursery ( Kindergarten )(1-4/5, I think) -> Primary school ( I don't know )(Upto 11) -> Secondary school ( High school? )(11-16) -> College ( High school? )(17-18) -> University ( From then onwards depending on course length )

Yeah,  here you enter college at about 17-18 too but you usually end up there for about 4 years before going to graduate school for another 4 or more. Seems as though college is extended and university is just a kind of nebulous  label over everything. 

Could I just say that I can't analyse for shit, by the by? I still got A/A* on all the work I had to do for it, but it was nothing compared to one of my friends - who regularly managed to combine insightful, witty and clever use of English into essays that entranced you upon reading them without any effort on his part at all.

Dude's going onto doing History in one of England's best universities.

Lucky bastard.

Don't "lucky bastard" him yet because if it's anything like here a history degree won't get you jack squat in the job market. But then again america is a capitalist nightmare realm of greed and corruption where college is increasingly about getting a degree rather then learning anything.

[Pathos]

Don't "lucky bastard" him yet because if it's anything like here a history degree won't get you jack squat in the job market. But then again america is a capitalist nightmare realm of greed and corruption where college is increasingly about getting a degree rather then learning anything.

He's a lucky bastard because he could've went for whatever degree he wanted, he just enjoys history as a field the most. I mean, I call the people I know who're going for dentist degrees mercenaries, but I just sound bitter doing it. He calls them it and he sounds sincere.

He is the Mycroft to my Sherlock.

[Grakelin]

Nah, english is a pretty crap as a major since it basically boils down to "heres a ton of books, read and analyze them. That will be $60,000 please."

But I hope you can understand why I'd be a little pissed when someone who is, judging by the median age in these forums, 14 tells me that I might "start to understand" later something I've been studying pretty much exclusively for years. I understand that he couldn't have known about my education but I can't help if it hit a nerve.

Also, I didn't know that high school was considered/called College in...where ever you are land. College and University are basically interchangeable in America for whatever reason and they actually mean the same thing. University however is a more "pure" word with less meanings while college can basically refer to any group of people coming together for a shared purpose. Often times you have several colleges at a single university, each specialized to a single area of study.

I am not 14, I am not talking down to you, and I find you to be extremely rude. If you really do have a Bachelor's in English, maybe you should try to provide an analysis of your own instead of tear down a perfectly reasonable analysis that somebody else put forward? I hope you can understand why I'd be a little pissed when someone who is, judging by the median age in these forums, 14 throws a temper tantrum over somebody with a related field of study not realizing that they had attained a degree of higher education after relating a story about tricking an English teacher with nonsense, before promptly going on to discuss how useless their academic field is.

What university did you attend, exactly? How did you do? Did you actually get along with your professors with this attitude?

[piecewise]

I am not 14, I am not talking down to you, and I find you to be extremely rude.

Understandable. I overreacted

If you really do have a Bachelor's in English, maybe you should try to provide an analysis of your own instead of tear down a perfectly reasonable analysis that somebody else put forward?

I said that the analysis that Pathos put forth seems shoehorned in because the poem doesn't seem to have any deeper meaning. As Freud said, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. But to actually properly analyze it I would have to know the ideals of the writer and the time frame of the writing.

I hope you can understand why I'd be a little pissed when someone who is, judging by the median age in these forums, 14 throws a temper tantrum over somebody with a related field of study not realizing that they had attained a degree of higher education after relating a story about tricking an English teacher with nonsense, before promptly going on to discuss how useless their academic field is.

Once again, overreacted sorry.

What university did you attend, exactly? How did you do? Did you actually get along with your professors with this attitude?

NAU for a while, moved to Las Vegas and took a dozen random english classes for fun. I got along with most of my professors, though some were pretty annoyingly hippy.

[Pathos]

I said that the analysis that Pathos put forth seems shoehorned in because the poem doesn't seem to have any deeper meaning. As Freud said, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. But to actually properly analyze it I would have to know the ideals of the writer and the time frame of the writing.

As Pathos said, sometimes a joke is just a joke.

[Grakelin]

I said that the analysis that Pathos put forth seems shoehorned in because the poem doesn't seem to have any deeper meaning. As Freud said, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. But to actually properly analyze it I would have to know the ideals of the writer and the time frame of the writing.

I disagree. I think that being heavily invested in the public politics and beliefs of the authour may actually dilute our understanding of a piece. When I started university, my English prof was very adamant about not letting us know anything about authours before we studied their work.