Last week I spoke about the importance of reading and writing and their interrelated nature. I stated that deep reading is known to enable writing and writing has the capacity to facilitate deep reading. Reading-via-writing and writing-via-reading are two approaches which assist in the improvement of understanding, thinking, and creativity.

I also mentioned that my Year 12 English students were intending to engage in these types of activities using an extract from T.S. Eliot’s poem ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’. They began by copying a selected extract, followed by highlighting key words and phrases which made an impression. These pieces of text were then quickly refashioned to form a new text. I have included Eliot’s extract below, followed by some of our creations.

Let us go then, you and I,

When the evening is spread out against the sky

Like a patient etherised upon a table;

Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,

The muttering retreats

Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels

And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells:

Streets that follow like a tedious argument

Of insidious intent

To lead you to an overwhelming question …

Oh, do not ask, ‘What is it?’

Let us go and make our visit.

In the room the women come and go

Talking of Michelangelo.

                                T.S. Eliot

Let us go

The evening is spread,

Etherised.

Half-deserted streets

Muttering

            Restless

                        Insidious

“What is it?’

Let us go.

                                Jeremiah Myatt-Kane

You

Like a patient etherised

Muttering

Of restless nights in

streets

of insidious intent

You

Do not ask, ‘What is it?’

Go.

                                Shania Menezes

Let you and I

Spread out etherised

Muttering

Restless.

Follow a tedious argument

Insidious, overwhelming.

‘What is it?’

Let us

Visit

Women

     talking.

                                Clare Murphy

Mrs Clare Murphy

English Coordinator and Literacy Instructional coach