5.4.

1b Tell the Truth but Tell it Slant

Suggested solution and discussion
In this assignment you were asked to apply the SVC analysis you have learned to a short poem and then explain the meaning of the poem in plain English.
Go through the analysis step by step. You can begin with verbs or subjects or prepositional phrases, as you like. I usually begin with verbs.

Its important to recognize that you will make mistakes. Each step of the process makes what you are doing clearer and you will go back and correct decisions you made earlier. This is a normal part of the process. I make mistakes too and I go back and correct them when I find them. Its important to recognize that there is often more than one explanation for a thing. This means that two people can have different solutions and they can both be right. If you have answered differently than I have, it does not mean that you are wrong. It means that you should look again, and that you should also tell me and I should look again. We may well both be right.

Section One: Analysis

I usually begin by finding the verbs since that is the easiest thing for me to see. If you can see subjects or prepositional phrases more easily, then start with those. 1. ) Ill do the verbs first Tell all the truth but tell it slant-Success in Circuit lies Too bright for our infirm Delight The Truth's superb surprise As Lightning to the Children eased with explanation kind The Truth must dazzle gradually Or every man be blind-*There are only 5 verbs in this poem.

2) Separate the ideas into sentence-like units. (Dickenson does not write in sentences or use

any punctuation in here poems.) This poem consists of two stanzas, each contains four lines. Lets break it up into stanzas.

3. Now Ill add the subjects *You* Tell all the truth but *you* tell it slant-Success in Circuit lies Too bright for our infirm Delight The Truth's superb surprise As Lightning to the Children eased with explanation kind The Truth must dazzle gradually Or every man be blind-Notice that I have more subjects than verbs. What is going on here? Lets try to separate the sentence units. There is a long line and a short line - then long then short and so on. Lets try that. (In Arabic poetry, each of these would be a bayt, made of two parts.) Tell all the truth but tell it slant-Success in Circuit lies Too bright for our infirm Delight The Truth's superb surprise As Lightning to the Children eased with explanation kind The Truth must dazzle gradually Or every man be blind--

4. Lets put each pair of lines on a single line, like Arabic poetry. This looks more familiar. 5. Find the prepositional phrases and separate the clauses (SVC patterns) with horizontal lines. Tell all the truth | but tell it slant-- | Success {in Circuit} lies | Too bright {for our infirm Delight} The Truth's superb surprise | {As Lightning} {to the Children} eased {with explanation kind} The Truth must dazzle gradually | Or every man be blind--

6. Write the clauses in a list. Tell all the truth but tell it slant success in Circuit lies Too bright {for our infirm Delight} The Truth's superb surprise {As Lightning} {to the Children} eased {with explanation kind} The truth must dazzle gradually Or every man be blind 7. Identify the SVC pattern: identify the complements. *You* Tell all the [truth] (DO) but *you* tell [it] (DO) slant success {in Circuit} lies Too [bright] (PA) {for our infirm Delight} The Truth's superb surprise *is* {As Lightning} {to the Children} eased {with explanation kind} The truth must dazzle gradually Or every man be blind This is as far as we can go with what we have learned already: identify finite verb and verb phrase identify subject identify complement and say which type it is identify prepositional phrases.

8. That is enough. This can help us rewrite the poem in our own way. Here is one possibility: a. Tell the truth. b. Tell it slant. c. Because success at telling and understanding truth depends on indirect telling.

d. e. f. g.

Since the surprise of truth is too bright for us. Truth must be explained slowly, like lightening is explained to children. That is to say, truth must be told gradually. Otherwise we will all be blinded by it.

Section Two Discussion

What does this tell us about reading and writing? This means that knowing vocabulary is not enough to understand a text. knowing grammar of is not enough either. knowing how the words relate to each other to form units is very important. seeing the SVC patterns is more important than vocabulary or grammar. seeing these patterns reveals what is not there but is clearly intended.

How does this help me? I can say, I think this book, this article, this poem, this song, means such and such and I can explain and defend my opinion in a rational way. Objection: But I dont read poetry. I dont even like it, so this is probably useless to me. Rebuttal: Knowledge is never useless. When you read something and say this means such and such, you must defend your opinion with reason. When you write something, you make many choices.

Your choices are based on something. You need to be able to explain what that is. Well-known scholars of the Quran used similar methods of textual analysis to defend their positions on the meaning of the Revelation, among them are Fakr al-Din al-Razi and al-Qurtubi. So, how can I use this? This is most useful when you are writing. It can help you make good choices. You will begin to see patterns, and you will begin to favor certain patterns over others, and your habits and choices will be based on an aesthetic appreciation of what you are saying. You will write correctly without thinking about it. You will write accurately, clearly, and elegantly. People will want to read what you write because you have an organized mind, because you

are a master at using language, and because you have something important to say. But I can do that without learning this SVC system. Yes. That is true. Many people write well and do not know this system. They write well because they have a gift. They have an interest in writing, and they are writers. You can to that too. Or, you can focus on other things and use this system to help you become a good writer quickly.