Review the Instructions for Discussion Posts as needed. Use your own ideas about the text, not information from the Internet.
Pick one of the poems from the list below from The Tamil Anthologies. You must pick a poem that has not already been covered by a group member. Put the number of your choice as the subject line of your post so that those posting after you can easily see which ones have been covered (you do not have to post before you can see the others).
- Orampokiyar: What Her Girl Friend Said (p. 931-2)
- Anonymous: What Her Girl Friend Said to Him (p. 932)
- Kapilar: What She Said (p. 932-3)
- Kapilar: What She Said to Her Girl Friend (p. 933-5)
- Uruttiran: What She Said to Her Girl Friend (p. 935-6)
- Maturaittamilkkutta…: What the Servant Said to Him (p. 936)
Post a discussion of about 150 words answering the following questions in paragraph form. Some questions depend on the poem, so you don’t have to cover them all, and that’s why a paragraph works best. Use specific examples and details from the poem(s) you chose.
- Please put the name and page number of the poem at the top of your post.
- Who is the speaker and what his her or her place in the relationship (meaning is it one of the people in the couple or an outsider)?
- What issue of romantic love does the poem cover? For instance, does it seem like a new relationship, a crush, an established relationship, a troubled relationship, etc.?
- What images stand out in the poem? What ideas about love or feelings do those images suggest?
- The syntax (sentence structure) of some of the poems can be confusing. Summarize the poem in one sentence—what is the “heart” issue of the poem?
- What questions do you have about the poem? What about it confuses you or have you not figured out yet? This can be one line or image or “big picture.”
- You can also ask questions about any of the other poems to make sure you understand them all.
- Reply to any posts for which you think you can help the posters with their questions. This counts for the bonus participation points at the end of the semester (see the Course Policies).
