Week 7: Mathy Poetry
The article that I volunteered to be in charge of officially was the shortest of the bunch by a longshot: Surfing the Mobius Band (Saez de Adana, 2018). I didn't mean to choose the shortest one, honestly. It even turned out to be my least favourite. If it had been the only article that I ended up reading this week, I wouldn't have gained much insight into the genuine love (for math, ideas, and humanity in general) at the heart of the mathy poetry I ended up reading. Instead, the Saez de Adana (2018) article was an exploration of ways in which popular culture has embraced a fascinating, but not well-understood geometrical figure: the mysterious Mobius band. Often seen as a symbol of the cyclical and the infinite, the Mobius band inspired a time-loop episode of Star Trek: Next Generation (one I remember well), a creative Marvel character (Silver Surfer), and an Argentinian story of a train lost in a tangled subway system. Saez de Adana notes that despite the fact that the Mobius band isn't really infinite and that stories inspired by it are based on erroneous ideas, it demonstrates the power of mathematical symbols to "excite the imagination" and serve as a union between art and mathematics.
I agree that mathematical symbols are inspirational in profound ways, even when they are not perfectly understood. I remember the SFU pyramid frame inside the quadrangle that had been created as a powerful place to meditate, apparently concentrating some sort of universal energy at the heart of its mystical form. Or the spiritual awe that some people have experienced in the deep exploration of the Platonic solids. Or the pursuit of mathematical perfection in the art and architectural design of Al-Hambra and the many other amazing Islamic sites. As a side note: I have never been to Al-Hambra, but I have seen a documentary and I have been superficially introduced to the deep mathematical ideas represented there.
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| Al Hambra in Granada Spain (From <a href="https://lovepik.com/image-501392799/architectural-dome-of-the-alhambra-palace-granada-spain.html">LovePik.com</a>) The problem with the article is that it didn't provide me with insight into mathematical poetry, specifically why and how one might write or read such a thing. Radakovic & Jagger (2018) and Karaali (2014) were much more helpful. Radakovic & Jagger's synopsis of poetry work they had done with students of an elementary math teaching methods course illustrated the prospects and challenges of using poetry for the development of conceptual understanding in mathematics. This was the first (and certainly not the last) time that I felt that making creative and profound connections between mathematics and personal ideas takes deep understanding of mathematics. When understanding is superficial, connections are superficial and sometimes erroneous.
I don't know why I thought that poetry was the right medium for that thought exploration. I could have gone with prose, but I there is something about poetry that both constrains and liberates my thinking in just the right way. Now, I'm not saying my poem is anything special, but I gained insight by trying to come up with ideas that resonated with me. And it's important that I really wanted insight, I believe. If you are not pushing yourself to articulate connections for the purpose of seeking some sort of truth, I'm not sure that the exercise is very meaningful. In my case, the exploration of a such a large number helped me understand what it meant to be one human being in a population of 7.9 billion. It leveled every person to a single plane of existence defined by the basics of life and death. Karaali's (2014) personal journey with mathematics and poetry was interesting because it shows how it is never to late to pursue a powerful medium like poetry (or mathematics) and that the connections between the two are profound. She is an example of the mathematician-turned-mathy poet. I would never suggest that I am a poet, but I am certainly more naturally poetic than mathematical. If the connections between the two media are indeed as profound as Karaali suggests they are, then perhaps there is a mathematician inside me that might yet be nurtured. Now to my favourite of the bunch: Sarah Glaz's 2018 interview with JoAnne Growney. I think I love JoAnne Growney. She's the kind of person I would like to spend some time with. She reminds me of two ladies that lived next door to me growing up: Mary and Vin. They chose to dance with teaching and learning. They had each other as well, but their shared love was teaching. What a wonderful influence they were! They were so funny, kind, and smart. They helped my dad complete his schooling and were there for my family in the roughest times. Anyway, JoAnne's poetry has that mixture of humor, kindness, and intelligence. Her beliefs that "everything connects" and that "you can learn from everything you do" ring very true to me. I am jealous of her mathematical knowledge...even something as simple as 6 and 28 being perfect numbers. There are so many interesting ideas in mathematics that I am not even aware of. The poet in me loves to make connections between interesting ideas. If you don't learn new ideas, you cannot make new and interesting connections. When I delved into the biographies of the Bridges poets, I skimmed past many and went straight for JoAnne (and Susan, of course). Even hearing her slightly quavering voice reading My Dance is Mathematics was perfect. Her telling of the story of Emmy Noether was emotional and although it was specifically about this one amazing (and nearly lost) mathematician, it reminded me of many women that I have known, including my own mother and grandmother. They are not mathematicians or physicists but they could have been. Instead, they overanalyzed, controlled, and directed their own small worlds to their own personal detriment. The severe depression they both struggled with was as a result of boredom. Instead, they should have been at those conferences making it very difficult for JoAnne to count the number of women present with her. I also really enjoyed the poetry of Mike Naylor. I definitely appreciated his playfulness and sense of rhythm. His Water's Edge poem was, I think, a great poetical exploration of how by trying to measure the seemingly finite curves of the waters edge, you approach something infinitely complex. I also found the poem Entirely Nothing clever and beautiful. Is the the removal of the centre third over and over again also a type of fractal exploration? It seems like it. Fibonacci Poems: These are fun little poems to write. I think children would enjoy them as much as writing Haikus with the added benefit that it gives them an excuse to learn a bit about the Fibonacci sequence and perhaps even play with other number patterns as possible poem structures. In fact, I'm sure that teachers would really like this idea and find it doable. My own little 'Fib' poems document two life experiences--one belonging to my feisty Corgi and one belonging to my youngest son. I've also included a 6 x 6 syllable poem documenting my youngest son's first day on a real job (which was today). GEORGIE stop! you! heed my glorious golden royal ruff proud paw stomping bouncing deck dance SAVORY ISLAND, SUMMER 2021 young teens sans tech sleeping bags sweep of stars above glow of life in paths of skipped stones PAJOS, FEBRUARY 2022 fried fish in cramped quarters rush of hungry people no time to ponder--go! stir, dip, and fry--rotate! chop, laugh, and swear--rotate! greet, serve, and sell--rotate! so sweet--your first real job. |
Hello Jen,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your poem, you drew such a beautiful picture of the globe with the number of populations, breaths, and wastes. When I was reading your poem, I somehow imagine the earth as a giant aquarium with 7.9 billion big and small sea animals. The breaths are transformed into bubbles and wastes as fish feces. Health and well-being are what every life-being is looking and wishing for. Your poem connects to the life cycle of all kinds(born-growth-maturity-decline) and some important values of living, the desires for comfort and wellness, that everyone can relate to. Your statement, “if you don’t learn new ideas, you cannot make new and interesting connections.” speaks to me. When I was writing my very first mathematical poem this week, the new ideas of poem writing really helped me to develop my personal feelings about the math concepts. I found the Fib poem writing fascinating, it starts with something simple (1, 1, 2, 5 words) and allows writers to dive in and extend the poem as much as they like. My poem is not as long as yours, but it was an exciting experience to connect something I teach to my students with my imaginations.
Jen, I join Stella in complementing your beautiful thought exploration and Fib poems. I was struck by your acknowledging that your purpose was to push yourself to articulate connections to achieve insight. I like this honesty and while I too believe everything connects and relate to your wanting to level all people, I also feel that it is important to know our own special gifts and ways to give these. I was impressed by the strength of your words and opinions and carrying these with conviction.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your mother and grandmother’s experiences and how these have affected your life as an educator. In turn, I want to share with you the end of the poet-botanist Robin Wall-Kimmerer’s beautiful book ‘Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants’ (2014):
“The fierce defense of all that has been given. Gifts of mind, hands, heart, voice, and vision all offered up on behalf of the earth. Whatever our gift, we are called to give it and to dance for the renewal of the world. In return for the privilege of breath”.