Morris Sweetkind and "Poetry in a Scientific World"

Morris Sweetkind’s article “Poetry in a Scientific World” offers a different view on why poetry is still relevant to a society engulfed by technological advances.

Author: John Forster, 1678.
Source: Library of Congress via
Wikimedia Commons

Some of Sweetkind’s main points include the importance of poetry in curriculum. While it is true that many students do not see poets at the helm of society (primarily it is politicians and engineers), poetry has a place in education because it can teach things that science cannot. Sweetkind outlines the four components of a healthy individual that the writer Matthew Arnold once spoke of:

 (1) the power of conduct; 

(2) the power of  intellect  and knowledge; 

(3) the power of beauty;

(4) the power of  social life  and manners

In excluding poetry in the sole pursuit of scientific query, Sweetkind believes that a person is only reaching one-fourth of their potential (the power of intellect and knowledge), (360).

Even with all the knowledge of science at his or her fingertips, there is a still a question as to how it can be applied to the world. Will the student use the knowledge they have to judiciously better the world, or will they use it irresponsibly to destroy the world?

Though Sweetkind’s essay is written in the 1970’s, the points he makes about the division of poetry and science are still relevant. Our society today is still heavily centered around technology and advancement. It seems as if everyone has a Smartphone attached to their finger. Book sales have declined and everything is becoming digitized. Still, a complete digitalization of things like books, movies and music is not all bad. Inventions like Amazon’s Kindle have encouraged reading, and Kindles are even being used in some school classrooms.

Sweetkind spoke of technology as being desensitizing and I partly agree with him. Technology is efficient and convenient, but, as Sweetkind suggests, at what cost? 

Works Cited:

Sweetkind, Morris. “Poetry in a Scientific World”. The English Journal, 59.3 (1970): 359-36. JSTOR. Web. 3 October 2011.  

Try saying THIS five times fast: Communication Organizations!

Although one may have not been aware, there are several organizations available to communication professionals. In fact, there are so many that I chose only five to discuss at length. The five organizations that I chose to dissect were:

The Association for Women in Communications (AWC)

The Association of Professional Communication Consultants

The American Communication Association (ACA)

The Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (AEJMC)

The Center for Global Communications (GLOCOM)

The AWC is committed to establishing women in different positions to ensure greater advancement for them in Communications. They recognize that the field of communications is growing and diverse, and women should have their own stake in it as well. Obviously, the intended audience for this organization is women who are interested in furthering their career in Communications.

The Association of Professional Communication Consultants provides consultants or references to companies that are sans a communications consultant. Most companies probably do not realize the dynamics a communications consultant can bring to any business. Thankfully, that is what the association is there to explain. Companies who require a PR representative or the like would be the most likely intended audience for this organization.

The ACA is a non-profit and was started out of an interest in all types of human communication. This association is also completely aware that communication is increasingly becoming a virtual forum. Their goal is to facilitate the freedom of communication on the internet and on other means of mobile communicative mediums. Other major goals of the ACA include: "(a) fostering scholarship in all areas of human communication behavior, (b) promoting excellence in the pedagogy of communication, (c) providing a voice in communication law and policy, and (d) providing evaluation and certification services for academic programs in communication study," (ACA, 2009). Technological communication experts could be the intended audience for the ACA.

The AEJMC's mission is to ensure high standards and multi-culturalism in journalism and education, while promoting objectivity of all journalists and mass communications. Another non-profit, the AEJMC also proliferates extensive research in communications. Teachers, journalists, broadcasters, and students would get the most out of this organization.

GLOCOM is based in Japan, but over the last decade has expanded to include over 50 countries in its pursuit for international communication awareness. Researching international communication methods, communicating with international governments and academia are only a few of the other things GLOCOM is a part of. Government officials, business professionals, and students with an interest in international communications would be the intended audience for this organization.

The organizations I am most interested in are AWC, AEJMC, and GLOCOM. As a woman, being a part of AWC might open up opportunities for me I might have otherwise been unaware of. As a former enthusiast for journalism, the AEJMC might give me a new appreciation for journalism while also educating me on the finer points of mass communication styles. Finally, different cultures fascinate me and I always wish to know more about them, thus GLOCOM would be a perfect way to learn and grow in the international business world of communications.

References:

ACA. (2009, n.d.) The american communication association. Retrieved on August 11, 2010, from http://www.americancomm.org/

AEJMC. (2010, n.d.). The association for education in journalism and mass communications. Retrieved on August 11, 2010, from http://www.aejmc.com/

AWC. (2010, n.d.). The association for women in communications. Retrieved on August 11, 2010, from http://www.womcom.org/about_us/overview.asp

GLOCOM. (n.d.). The center for global communications. Retrieved on August 11, 2010, from http://www.glocom.ac.jp/e/about/

Professionals. (n.d.) The association of professional communication consultants. Retrieved on August 11, 2010, from http://www.consultingsuccess.org/