The Last Conservative (Robinson Jeffers)
The poem ‘The Last Conservative’, written by Robinson Jeffers has been prescribed for the students of Senior Secondary or Undergraduate programmes in several countries.
Here is a plan for teaching the poem within three hours in face-to-face mode.
The plan for the assessment of the learning of the poem has also been presented.
1. Plan for teaching the poem
Following are the objectives of the teaching of the poem;
a) Students comprehend the poem through silent reading.
b) They analyse the poem from the viewpoint of one who closely observes the environment.
c) They make an attempt to trace out the philosophies of Robinson Jeffers, which are reflected in the poem.
d) They identify the message of the poem.
1.1 Day one (first hour)
You are all of 19-20 years old, aren’t you?
But as a child in class three or four you happened to see a place.
Suppose, that was a place where there were a few houses, buildings and roads.
After several years, say, recently you visit the place.
To your surprise you notice so many new constructions there.
Trees and plants had been cut.
New roads and market places have been built.
The face of the earth has been changed.
You feel some unfamiliarity.
Does any such experience come to your mind?
If so, shall we make an attempt to draw both the scenes?
If so, shall we make an attempt to draw both the scenes?
Divide a blank page of your note book into two; A and B.
Below A, you draw the previous sight of the place.
Under B, you draw the present scene of the place.
Students draw the pictures as suggested by the teacher.
After you draw both, you are writing a description on the changes happened.
Also recall the thoughts when you noticed the changes appeared there.
Students write the description as suggested by the teacher.
Two or three students show the pictures and read out their descriptions to the whole class.
……………………………………………
Anybody else can also present the self-thoughts that you have written.
……………………………………………
Good, you share your nostalgia also.
There is a poem in your textbook titled ‘The Last Conservative’.
Read the poem.
It shares some sadness that was caused by remembering something from the past.
They read the poem silently.
They use the glossary and/or dictionary to overcome barriers of unfamiliar words.
1.2 Day two (second hour)
The poem is seen to be autobiographical.
Certain events in his life are implied in the poem?
What are the events referred here?
Students read the poem and write the list of events.
(Following can be certain events that they may write)
Teacher shows the chart.
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a) Poet builds his own house near the seashore.
b) He and his love live there.
c) Poet enjoys the life there, where he felt aloofness from the society.
d) Surroundings are changed a lot.
e) His dearest has died.
f) The sea has no change at all.
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You understand the location where the poet was living in his twin-house, Tor House and Hawk Tower, aren’t you.
Look, one is Tor House and the other one is Hawk ‘Tower’.
Can you draw the houses and the natural settings around?
They are detailed in the first stanza of the poem.
Read the poem and draw.
They read the poem and draw the picture detailed in the first stanza.
………………………………………………..
Two or three show the pictures and read out the description.
The second stanza says about the sadness, as well as his dissatisfaction.
Write a list of thoughts that shows poet’s sadness or dissatisfaction.
After two or three random presentations teacher presents the chart;
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a) The environment deteriorates like a rotting apple
b) Streets are built around his house
c) People use cars and they have obsession of cars
d) His dearest has died
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Though things around him have changed, there are certain things not yet changed.
Please read the last five lines of the poem.
Those are the things not yet changed, what are they?
Write a list of things that have not changed.
After two or three random presentations teacher presents the chart;
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a) The ocean (Carmel Bay )
b) The forest haunted by squirrels.
c) The quail running on the low roof’s worn cedar shingles.
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1. 3 Day three (third hour)
Jeffers coined the word inhumanism, the belief that mankind is too self-centred and too indifferent to the astonishing beauty of the environment.
What is the evidence in favour of the above statement that you can trace out from the poem?
They read the last stanza and analyse it.
Do you find any expression of the poet that shows that mankind is too self-centred and too indifferent to the astonishing beauty of things?
They make an attempt to copy down such expressions from the second stanza.
After their attempt teacher shows the following chart.
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a) They have built streets around us, new houses.
b) Cars obsess them.
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Read the following lines;
All that we saw or heard was beautiful
And hardly human.
The location where the poet lived with his love was beautiful.
But it was not human.
What does it mean ‘not human’?
Students interpret the expression ‘not human’ in the way they like.
………………………………………
Yes, this expression shows that this beauty had been created by the nature herself.
Rock, wind, sea, moonlight, mountain coyote, doe, fawn etc. were gifted by the nature.
They had a ‘wild’ look, wild beauty.
The nature was maiden, virgin.
‘The Last Conservative’ is another poem of Jeffers that implicate his passion towards stone.
This poem is said to be the ‘poetry in stone.’
What are the references of stone in the lyric?
They read the poem from beginning to the end.
Following can be their possible responses;
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a) outcrop boulders (first line of the poem)
b) we built our houses (means, Tor House and Hawk Tower, both in Gothic style and made of stone, the outer walls were bare, not plastered)
c) squatting beside the stones to see the ghosts of Indians (6th and 7th lines of the poem)
d) rock, wind and sea were in the surrounding (9th line)
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2. Plan for assessment of learning of the poem
2.1 Assessment task one (30 minutes)
Look at the title of the poem, it is ‘The Last Conservative’.
Conservative means, one, who is resistant to change or no progressive.
Does the poet feel that he himself is a conservative?
He is against the development which is upsets the order of the nature.
Civil constructions or developmental activities are beneficial for men.
If the constructions and developmental activates are not carried out, it may affect the well-being of the human community in a place.
One who speaks against the well-being of the human community is an opponent of development.
But, Jeffers is a proponent of the freedom of the humans as well as animals.
He is one who demands to reject the thought that ‘self’ is all.
This poet is rarest of all poets who also practised a reasonable detachment as a rule of conduct, instead of love, hate, and envy.
The poet stands for the beauty of the nature on the expense of development.
Is the poet marching backward?
Is he a conservative, adamant to changes?
If yes, write YES.
If no, write NO.
Write your arguments for your YES or NO.
………………………..
They write their arguments in favour of their response YES or NO.
After the completion of writing the arguments, they involve in a debate.
Teacher anchors this debate keeping neutrality.
Teacher provokes them wherever necessary to make a heated debate.
Indicators for the assessment of the script of the arguments (100 words);
a) Relevance of the arguments to the poser (question): 1/2/3/4/5
b) Attempts to substantiate the arguments with examples from the poem:
1/2/3/4/5
c) Appropriateness of the language: 1/2/3/4/5
2.2 Assessment task two (30 minutes)
The Wikipedia entry says as follows about Robinson Jeffers;
…. Jeffers was largely critical of the US policies including the entry into the World War II. He was largely been marginalized in the mainstream academic community…
But after his death in 1962, Jeffers continues to be a formidable presence even in 2016.
His utterances are reverberating. What are the questions that the poet poses to the world nations on the need of changing from man to not-man? Explain.
Indicators for the assessment of the script of the answer (100 words);
a) Arguments in favour of detachment towards certain human nature: 1/2/3/4/5
b) Attempts to substantiate the advocacy towards protecting environment as the need of the hour: 1/2/3/4/5
c) Appropriateness of the language: 1/2/3/4/5
2.3 Assessment task three (30 minutes)
Write short answers for the following questions, in 50 words.
a) Based on the themes of the poem ‘The Last Conservative’, how far Jeffers is a peace poet?
b) Jeffers called on humans to "uncentre" themselves. What is his suggestion to ‘uncentre’ discussed in the poem?
Indicators for the assessment of the script of the answers;
c) Arguments in favour of the proposition: 1/2/3/4/5
d) Attempts to substantiate the suggestion: 1/2/3/4/5
e) Appropriateness of the language: 1/2/3/4/5
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