Richard Deming - Teachers Make a Difference - Robert Creeley

The speaker reflects on their experience with poet Robert Creeley during their PhD at the University of Buffalo. Creeley, who was on the speaker's oral exam committee, challenged them to think authentically and break away from academic conventions. Through intense weekly discussions, Creeley pushed the speaker to answer questions truthfully, particularly during an exam on Shakespeare's 'The Tempest.' This experience profoundly impacted the speaker's approach to teaching, emphasizing the importance of genuine thought and expression over habitual academic discourse.

Who was the influential poet and professor that the narrator studied with at the University of Buffalo?

• Shakespeare

• Richard

• William Carlos Williams

• Robert Creeley

During the oral exam, what did Robert Creeley insist the narrator focus on regarding 'The Tempest'?

• Its historical context

• Its influence on modern poetry

• Its place in Shakespeare's body of work

• Its poetics

What was the narrator's initial approach to answering questions about 'The Tempest'?

• Analyzing its characters

• Discussing its modern adaptations

• Relying on graduate student discourse

• Using spontaneous and authentic responses

What teaching method did the narrator adopt from Robert Creeley?

• Promoting authentic and spontaneous thinking

• Focusing on historical context

• Emphasizing literary analysis

• Encouraging rote memorization

According to the narrator, where does genuine understanding occur?

• In memorizing facts

• In structured debates

• In spontaneous and authentic thinking

• In habitual academic thinking