Team names (UNCLASSIFIED)

[Jonathan Lighter]

When I taught that poem to freshmen about 1980, somebody asked in all
seriousness, "Is it a Mason jar?"

At the time, I was Yankee enough to ask why it should be, specifically, a
Mason jar.

"Because that's what they put moonshine in."

A new layer of meaning. Prove the kid wrong.

In another class, somebody thought Bryant's "To a Waterfowl" was just the
old-time way of spelling "To a Waterfall" (pronounced with /oul/). The way
he turned ornithological into hydrous imagery was surreal.

JL

On Mon, Feb 4, 2013 at 11:41 AM, Shapiro, Fred <fred.shapiro at yale.edu>wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Shapiro, Fred" <fred.shapiro at YALE.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: Team names (UNCLASSIFIED)
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Check out Wallace Stevens' poem, "Anecdote of the Jar."
>
> Fred Shapiro
>
>
>
> ________________________________________
> From: American Dialect Society [ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] on behalf of
> Mullins, Bill AMRDEC [Bill.Mullins at US.ARMY.MIL]
> Sent: Monday, February 04, 2013 11:24 AM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Re: Team names (UNCLASSIFIED)
>
> Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
> Caveats: NONE
>
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On
> > Behalf Of Charles C Doyle
> > Sent: Monday, February 04, 2013 6:43 AM
> > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> > Subject: Team names
> >
> >
> > In reference to the Baltimore Ravens--named for Poe's poem--Dennis
> > Baron posted these possible "literary" names on his Facebook page:
> > "St. Louis Prufrocks? The Camden Leaves? Patterson Wheelbarrows?
> > Tennessee Jars? The Amherst Slants of Light?"
> >
>
> Can someone explain the Tennessee reference?  I don't get it . . .
>
> Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
> Caveats: NONE
>
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