A key element of the framework proposed by my thesis is that the creation of interpretive theoretical schemata not only leads to deeper analysis, but proves more applicable to other forms of interpretation. I argue that intentionally creating these systems of associations builds transferable skills that lend themselves to all forms of interpretation. I tested this concept in my practice with my 11th graders throughout my critical lenses unit, which most explicitly prioritized the building of these theoretical schemata. As a means of building "interpretive muscles," throughout my unit I built in mini-lessons focused on applying critical lenses in interpreting visual images. These standalone lessons allowed me to see if students could use these intentionally constructed interpretive schemata to make meaning outside of the routine of structured interpretation of text.
These lessons also proved pedagogically valuable for exposing students to strong meaning-making processes (building "interpretive muscles"). Although students are less familiar with interpreting visual art, visual media, I found, can be more conducive to the cognitive modeling of interpretation; it's easier to make the thinking visible when either I or a fellow student can point at objective detail and connect it to ideas covered in the theoretical text.
I implemented this practice early in my students' exposure to the Marxist lens by designing a Warm Up activity where students applied the critical process (Campbell, Martin, and Fabos, 2011) to develop a Marxist interpretation of the Diego Rivera mural Sugar Cane (1931, pictured below). Alongside the image, students were instructed to respond to the following:
These lessons also proved pedagogically valuable for exposing students to strong meaning-making processes (building "interpretive muscles"). Although students are less familiar with interpreting visual art, visual media, I found, can be more conducive to the cognitive modeling of interpretation; it's easier to make the thinking visible when either I or a fellow student can point at objective detail and connect it to ideas covered in the theoretical text.
I implemented this practice early in my students' exposure to the Marxist lens by designing a Warm Up activity where students applied the critical process (Campbell, Martin, and Fabos, 2011) to develop a Marxist interpretation of the Diego Rivera mural Sugar Cane (1931, pictured below). Alongside the image, students were instructed to respond to the following:
- What social classes do we see represented?
- How do these social classes interact?
- Who is powerful? Who is powerless?
- What conflict or potential conflict do we see? What might be the cause of these conflicts?
My students essentially nailed it. They delineated the three classes visible: workers, overseers, landowner. They tallied the members of the different classes (10:2:1) and noted the pyramidal structure of the class system depicted. They easily applied the vocabulary learned in our lessons on The Communist Manifesto, designating the workers as the proletariat and the landowner as a member of the bourgeoisie, and then they wrestled with the question of what class the overseers might belong to. This theoretical framework provided a focus for interpreting this visual image and the accompanying vocabulary allowed them to articulate their interpretation. Overall, I considered the mini-lesson a success. I noted in my lesson plan's reflection section:
Notes 3/15: Diego Rivera mural was super conducive to marxist reading--we had a rich discussion...
![Picture](/uploads/5/6/2/4/56248431/691439565.jpg?586)
Although I was pleased with the meaning my students made of the mural and their use of strong critical vocabulary in expressing their interpretation, a detail I left out of this quick summary note was a comment a student made that really stuck in my craw. He said something along the lines of: "All this stuff makes sense, but I don't see how you could interpret this painting any other way. Like, it's clearly about social class."
Now, this was likely standard 11th grader complaining, but I couldn't help but take it as as curricular feedback. Maybe this was a bit of a slow pitch. I decided to take another pass at this lesson using a painting less explicitly concerned with social class.
Like with many things, you tend to do better your second time around. I much prefer this painting Room in New York by Edward Hopper to the Diego Rivera mural for this lesson. Hopper was living in and creating art about New York City contemporary to Fitzgerald. This painting very much feels like it's in the same universe as Gatsby. Not to mention the fact that it's considerably more challenging in terms of reading through the Marxist lens. I took no small amount of satisfaction when, the next day, I informed the class that we were working with a much more difficult painting today.
Now, this was likely standard 11th grader complaining, but I couldn't help but take it as as curricular feedback. Maybe this was a bit of a slow pitch. I decided to take another pass at this lesson using a painting less explicitly concerned with social class.
Like with many things, you tend to do better your second time around. I much prefer this painting Room in New York by Edward Hopper to the Diego Rivera mural for this lesson. Hopper was living in and creating art about New York City contemporary to Fitzgerald. This painting very much feels like it's in the same universe as Gatsby. Not to mention the fact that it's considerably more challenging in terms of reading through the Marxist lens. I took no small amount of satisfaction when, the next day, I informed the class that we were working with a much more difficult painting today.
Notes 3/17: WOW these kids are amazing. The Hopper painting was incredibly rich. Started off what do we notice--who do we see, where are they, how are they posed, what are they wearing, etc. Kids were super insightful even on observations, they’re dressed nicely, they’re both isolated, she seems sad, he seems focused. They readily supplied a narrative: she tried to talk to him but he was too focused on the paper. She’s sad/having doubts. From there, what is he focused on--dressed nice, reading the paper, maybe he’s reading about his work/company, etc. From there we were off. I posed this basic narrative back to them and asked for an interpretation through our marxist lens and they absolutely killed it--they’re relationship isn’t as important as his job. Asked for the vocab word for that, JS nailed it, “Commodification!” Was an awesome way to practice these interpretive skills--kind of an aha moment, making meaning out of a visual image that might have otherwise been opaque.
We had a funny epistemological/aesthetic debate about interpretation--BW was like “how do we know he wasn’t just painting two people in a room--that he didn’t mean any of this stuff?” I posed it back--asking if author’s intent (which we can never really know) is more important than what meaning we can make and defend through our own analysis. She was still skeptical, but then jumped in like “well, fine, if I’m playing along with that I could say that they’re both isolated and the table between them represents the separation that his job creates between them” and we all snapped and she was kind of annoyed that she did such a good job at a thing she’s suspicious of. Overall, amazing...
In their analysis of this painting, my students used the thematic foci provided by the critical lens to pick up on subtle details, from which they extrapolated rich interpretation. This process unfolded organically, requiring very little facilitation on my part, which I was very pleased with considering my broader goal of increased academic agency. My students' success at this new task (with relative ease) proved to be encouraging evidence supporting my theoretical framework and the ultimate value of my paired text curricula.
Conclusions and Connections
These mini-lessons support my two goals of my proposed solution:
- The success in implementing the critical process in these lessons demonstrates how structured interpretation of texts together (in this case, the explicit application of a theoretical framework derived from a critical text) provides focus for an interpretive task, building interpretive skills and resulting in deeper analysis.
- Further, this lesson proved incredibly rich as an opportunity for students to apply the interpretive framework built in previous lessons to new media. By using an interpretive schema to focus students' interaction with a new text (in this case, a painting), students saw that this framework lends itself to powerful meaning-making beyond our structured work with literary texts in English class.