I don't get why you have to awnser stupid questions like this in english.

[catycatcat4]

i hate questions like this.

The term,"Harpies," in line 15 of "Old Ironsides" is an allusion to predatory flying creatures in Greek mythology, which have bodies of vultures and heads of women. The name meant "snatchers" or "robbers." Why do you think that Holmes uses this allusion in his poem?

I don't know i don't read minds. why do we have to analyze the crap out of what writers write and why? Chances are we are probably wrong about what they where thinking unless the writer left the dissected meaning written down someplace. I would understand simply writing what we thought the whole poem means. But this is seriously getting annoying.

 

[DisneyKevin]

Just do your homework and quit complaining.

Spam me , will ya?

 

[ukwildcat]

Those are the easiest questions to answer. There is no wrong answer. It's your opinion.

 

[catycatcat4]

Those are the easiest questions to answer. There is no wrong answer. It's your opinion.

But its annoying that we have to put more thought into it than the writer did to get a grade for it.
Just because it says what do you think or something like that doesn't mean that is how the teacher will grade it.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

And then, several years ago, the late Isaac Asimov wrote in his autobiography about a similar incident. A friend had told him that one of his books was to be the subject of discussion in a class at Columbia University.

He went there, entered the room, and sat down. He observed all the discussion, especially how the instructor attributed various thoughts to him in that story.

At the end of the hour he went up to the instructor, introduced himself, and told the instructor that he was completely wrong as he had not had any of the thoughts which the instructor attributed to him. And the instructor did not apologize but tried to tell him that he was wrong and his subconscious controlled.

 

[TXYankee]

Get creative! Maybe he had issues with woman...or issues with voltures?

 

[rocio]

You're learning critical thinking skills. How to analyze a passage like that helps you learn how to analyze other things in life. It's a good skill to have.

 

[catycatcat4]

And then, several years ago, the late Isaac Asimov wrote in his autobiography about a similar incident. A friend had told him that one of his books was to be the subject of discussion in a class at Columbia University.

He went there, entered the room, and sat down. He observed all the discussion, especially how the instructor attributed various thoughts to him in that story.

At the end of the hour he went up to the instructor, introduced himself, and told the instructor that he was completely wrong as he had not had any of the thoughts which the instructor attributed to him. And the instructor did not apologize but tried to tell him that he was wrong and his subconscious controlled.

Does not shock me.
Not all teachers but at least halfof them seem to think (At least in my experience ) they are right not matter what because they are a teacher and they are are right.

BTW happen to have some sort of online link to something about it?

 

[catycatcat4]

You're learning critical thinking skills. How to analyze a passage like that helps you learn how to analyze other things in life. It's a good skill to have.

I don't have problem with analyzing its the way they want us to analyze it.
I rather analyze it in a this it what it means to me even though its probably not what the writer was thinking.

 

[DisneyKevin]

Does not shock me.
Not all teachers but at least halfof them seem to think (At least in my experience ) they are right not matter what because they are a teacher and they are are right.

BTW happen to have some sort of online link to something about it?

Sierra...teachers get paid to teach a certain curriculum.

Their livelihood depends on it.

Instead of looking for ways to prove your teacher wrong.....why dont you funnel that misguided energy into providing the best possible answer to the question asked.

Questioning authority isnt a bad thing....but choose your battles.

You arent going to win this one. If it's not this question...it will be another.

If you spent as much time answering your question as you did complaining about it on the internet....you'd be done.

 

[catycatcat4]

Sierra...teachers get paid to teach a certain curriculum.

Their livelihood depends on it.

Instead of looking for ways to prove your teacher wrong.....why dont you funnel that misguided energy into providing the best possible answer to the question asked.

Questioning authority isnt a bad thing....but choose your battles.

You arent going to win this one. If it's not this question...it will be another.

If you spent as much time answering your question as you did complaining about it on the internet....you'd be done.

I didn't say i was trying to prove my teacher wrong i just posted my thoughts on here.

see above.

Its not about that specific question thats just the example i had at the moment.


My class is on the internet btw and i finished about a couple minutes after posting the thread im making Spanish flashcards right now.

 

[AJRitz]

Figuring out what the author may have been thinking can be a critically important thinking skill later in life. I do it every day, as a core function of my job. I'm a lawyer, and I read judicial opinions while preparing my own cases for trial. In order to put the best argument in front of the judge, I have to try and figure out what the judge was thinking when he or she was writing their opinion in a previous case. Because the facts of a subsequent case are never IDENTICAL to the facts of the prior case, I have to try and undersand WHY the judge said what he or she said, so I can determine whether the judge is likely to say the same things in reference to my case (which has slightly different facts).

It doesn't really matter what I think the thing the judge is commenting on means. I have to parse out, based on prior writings, what the judge thinks it means, so that I can present the best argument to get the judge to decide this case in my client's favor.

 

[Yvet]

I LOVED those questions at school!!!!

I love to think deeper, to search for a deeper thought and the meaning of things...
Hmmm maybe that's why psychology was one of my things i wanted to study when i was all grown up....

 

[lugnut33]

Prefieres contestar en Espanol?

 

[dalt01]

the ship was decommissioned and was going to be scrapped. the reference is that the people or Vultures as it were would tear it apart for suvvies. he would rather it sink intact.

 

[jcb]

I have to try and figure out what the judge was thinking . . .

And there is your mistake, assuming that judges think before writing.

Personally, I'm offended by Mr. Holmes. I think he was referring to me.

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

These questions are designed to increase your critical reading and inferential thinking skills. Many people have professions that require them to think about why someone/something might have done/will do something.

Careers in education, science, medicine, advertising, psychology, communications, business, etc. all depend on assessing evidence and making predictions.

Your job is to look at the evidence (text) and see what the most likely answer is. As long as you have textual support, a good teacher will not grade you poorly, even if your opinion is different. However, your teacher might take off points for spelling mistakes and lack of capitalization.

Just do your best. When you're young, it is hard to understand why you're doing all this work, but you need to be prepared for college and future employment. It's not so bad, looking back.

 

[georgemoe]

Harpies are like Zombies. COOL!

Wish I had a harpies question when I was in school.

 

[lugnut33]

the ship was decommissioned and was going to be scrapped. the reference is that the people or Vultures as it were would tear it apart for suvvies. he would rather it sink intact.

Oh no he didn't!! Ol' Ironsides is a phallic symbol for his short comings. The vultures are Viagra pills that he had dreamed about because back then they didn't have Viagra. His big toe was the Captain of the ship and the pinky tow swabbed the poop deck. It would have been bigger, but half of 30 was 12 back then, but he hypotnused it. It's really quite simple.

 

[DSNY4ever]

Half of every class is figuring out what kind of teacher you have and what they are looking for from you. If you can figure this out, there is a good chance you can ace the class. You will find out that this is very similar to when you are working and have a boss someday.

Best of luck, there are subjects that all of us hated in school - but I was an English major