Winds of Unity: An exploration of the methods by which F.R. Scott depicts the weakness of society’s boundaries in “T.V. Weatherman”
By Danielle (Cheryl) Wong
***Originally submitted 30 September 2019 to Dr Jason Wiens, in part for credit, for ENGL 372: Canadian Literature at the University of Calgary***
***Not only is this essay subject to copyright, but any unauthorized use without citation is considered academic misconduct (plagiarism). You are welcome to consult this paper if you provide the appropriate citation(s)***
Poetry has a freedom of form unlike that of any other writing style, which allows it to more clearly illustrate the images the speaker is describing. This applies to both written verse and spoken word, although the techniques of both presentation styles are unique. F.R. Scott’s poem “T.V. Weatherman” was performed in 1969 at Sir George Williams University (SGWU) (“F.R. Scott at SGWU, 1969”) in Montreal, Quebec. The poem was published 12 years later in a collection of Scott’s poetry titled The Collected Poems of F.R. Scott. The different versions of the poem are very similar, yet also contain a single key edit that Scott makes in order to further exemplify his theme of barriers. “T.V. Weatherman” uses both form and content to depict the omnipotent equalizing force of weather. It discusses the divisions humans have arbitrarily created and how those divisions are impotent in the natural course of events. While there is a clear literal image of poor weather attacking all parts of North America equally, the poem can also be seen through a more metaphorical lens. The multicultural face of North America, more specifically Canada, is comparable to the states and provinces the weatherman’s chalk lines cover. Scott, therefore, is commenting not only on the physical unity that weather provides, but also the social unity he feels is natural and is suppressed by the walls we build. He achieves this through an expert use of spoken and written poetic techniques.
Scott’s 1969 performance of “T.V. Weatherman” at SGWU was read from a manuscript. This is significant, especially when we consider the striking similarity between the reading and the final published copy in 1981. The sole editorial change Scott makes is in the fourth stanza. Scott’s performance version reads:
A heat-wave chorus
in a thousand mile curve
sweeps upstage from California
led by a spin of tornadoes
while in the wings of Hudson's Bay
a band of cold furies is poised to wreak vengeance
on the orange groves of Florida (0:0:47-0:1:12)
The line breaks have been determined based on Scott’s pausing in his reading. I have deemed this to be the best way to approach the formatting of the transcription due to the patterns in pausing as compared to spacing seen in the rest of the poem. Scott’s performance syncs pause in speech with line breaks. There is a progression in this version from the heat wave to a windy spell to a final cold snap. Note that there are three distinct phases that exist in this stanza, yet they are all interconnected and flow naturally from one to the next. Moving now to the later written version of the poem, we read the following:
A band of cold furies
from the wings of Hudson's Bay
descends
to shuddering Florida
while, in the play of seasons
a heat-wave chorus
sweeps up from the Gulf of Mexico
led by a spin of tornadoes (Scott 196)
In this version, Scott has not only changed some words, but most notably has changed the order of the lines. The “cold furies” (196) come at the beginning now, with the tornadoes woven into the later-mentioned heat wave. The juxtaposition of cold versus hot is now made clearer to the reader and reinforces the concept of barriers and differences that is the focus of the poem. Also, Scott’s choice to present the cold before the warm provides an interesting switch from the spoken version. As the poem intends to show how the barriers society puts up are easily broken down, this ordering of the presentation of cold versus hot implies that society tends toward unity. The use of cold or winter in literature often symbolizes death, isolation, and darkness. Contrarily, the use of a warmer temperature or season provides a symbolic understanding of friendliness, connection, and happiness. Thus, Scott uses these lines to show a shift from isolation to connection that is caused by the weather.
The fourth stanza in the spoken performance version of “T.V. Weatherman” makes a specific reference to the “orange groves of Florida” (0:1:09-0:1:12). This reference causes a quiet burst of audience laughter in Clip 2 that is unfortunately obscured by background recording noise in the secondary recording except at high volumes (0:1:11-0:1:14) but is audible in the original recording from the SpokenWeb website (“F.R. Scott at SGWU, 1969”). This laughter indicates that the line was intended to be a sort of an inside joke to draw the audience in by giving them a quaint reference to Florida. However, Scott removes this reference in the written version in order to support the greater theme of generalizability. When the specific identifying details of a place have been removed, it becomes significantly easier to extrapolate the conclusions that are drawn from analysis of one place and use them for another. In this case, the generalizability of “T.V. Weatherman” is used to further emphasize Scott’s message that the strength we believe the barriers we uphold is much less in reality.
While the SGWU performance of the poem appeals to the audience in order to maintain their attention throughout the poem, the written version lends itself well to the more clear-cut juxtapositions of hot and cold as well as increased generalizability. This is simply due to the fact that readers can sit and reread a poem an infinite number of times and can even put the poem down and come back to it. However, the spoken version must not only engage the audience, but must also present a logical flow that is easy to follow while hearing it for the first time. For this reason, the initial version’s use of the flow from hot to windy to cold serves its purpose of entertainment and clarity of oral understanding.
Scott’s spoken poem uses a mix of theatrical pauses and careful enunciation to paint an audible image of the barriers he argues are easily broken down. MacArthur, Zellou, and Miller’s article examining the performance styles of a variety of American poets proposes four attributes of what it calls the “Poet Voice”- formal, expressive, conversational , and dramatic- and argues that any given poet’s performance can be categorized using these attributes (MacArthur et al). In the case of Scott’s performance of “T.V. Weatherman,” we observe a formal, dramatic performance. The speed at which Scott reads is more formal than conversational in that it has very consistent speed and tone. It is not monotone, per say, but rather maintains the kind of cool, professional tone one would expect in a more business-like or explicative conversation. The performance’s dramatic aspect is demonstrated in its pausing. When looking at the written version, it seems apparent when the pauses will occur, which makes them seem almost prepared or staged. However, we must remember that the written version was published after the performance version was staged, and as such we can act under the assumption that the performance informed the publication. Thus, we can notice the way the pauses Scott takes when speaking- and subsequently the line breaks in his publication- are seemingly random. They fall in the middle of phrases, breaking them up and creating seemingly arbitrary boundaries. The stanzas seem to follow a scheme of some organizational form. The stanza breaks occur when a change in idea happens, which allows the listener- and later, the reader- to follow the thread Scott presents. In the performance version, however, these breaks are not made as apparent in the same way. Scott instead uses the volume of his voice to accentuate the stanza breaks. In the first stanza, his voice is about mid-level volume. The opening stanza is presented in a very drawn out manner, especially the word “draws” (0:0:3-0:0:5). This emphasizes the element of control the weatherman has on the fronts that will assail North America. The mid-level volume of his voice allows the listener to feel as though they are watching an actual weather report on television. The next stanza is slightly louder than the first and draws on more harsh- yet still flowing- sounds. An example of this is Scott’s pronunciation of “ballet” (0:0:15-0:0:16). The emphasis placed on the first syllable of ballets is different from the more conventional way of pronouncing the word. This emphasis creates a harsher, more abrupt sound effect due to the accentuated nature of the hard “b” sound. This meshes smoothly with the volume increase to create a pulse to the stanza, akin to that of the winds blowing across an open plain in gusts. The third and fourth stanzas continue to increase in volume successively, which contributes to a growing feeling of impending danger. The final stanza is the peak or climax of the piece and is contains the most variation in volume within a stanza. Scott begins this stanza with the same volume he ended the fourth stanza with, but then slows down his tempo, increases the pauses between lines, and slowly drops the volume of his voice. This creates a strong sense of tension, almost as if a storm was nearing, but has not yet blown in yet. The last line contains the most pauses of any line in the piece, with Scott pausing every second word for emphasis. This pausing creates a barrier of empty space. That is to say, the silences are used effectively to audibly define boundaries within the line itself. This further emphasizes the poem’s theme of barriers and draws attention to the idea that these arbitrarily erected walls can easily be felled. The final line also sees Scott dramatically decreasing his volume as it progresses. This gives the effect of a wind tapering off, having already blown past. The ending leaves listeners wondering about the strength of the barriers they have erected or supported. This also happens in the written version, where the ending line is isolated- that is, not directly below the line before it- in order to create a sense of distance as well as a visual separation to draw attention to its contents. The poem is very meditative in both versions due to these shifts in volume, pausing, line breaks, and visual spacing.
“T.V. Weatherman” effectively forces its audience to examine their understanding of the strength of the barriers that society reinforces. This is done through oral presentation techniques such as control of pauses, tone of voice, and speed of speech, as well as through the visual arrangement of the lines on the page and the stanza and line breaks. The edits to the fourth stanza made between the 1969 presentation of the poem and its 1981 publication serve to further reinforce the theme of artificial barriers and insignificant juxtapositions that Scott wishes to emphasize. Finally, the poem leaves both its audiences to reflect upon its message by Scott’s careful use of form. Scott’s masterful use of poetic techniques unique to spoken and written verse allow both audiences to more clearly see the divisions society arbitrarily creates, which generates a powerful space for self-reflection.
Works Cited
“F.R. Scott at SGWU, 1969.” SpokenWeb, Transcription, Research, and Editing by Celyn Harding-Jones, 2019. montreal.spokenweb.ca/sgw-poetry-readings/f-r-scott-at-sgwu-1969/#1. Accessed September 24, 2019.
MacArthur, Marit J., et al. "Beyond Poet Voice: Sampling the (Non-) Performance Styles of 100 American Poets," Journal of Cultural Analytics. April 18, 2018. DOI: 10.31235/osf.io/5vazx. Accessed September 26, 2019.
Scott, F.R. The Collected Poems of F.R. Scott. The Canadian Publishers, 1981.
Scott, F.R. “T.V. Weatherman.” 22 February 1969, Sir George Williams University, Montreal, QC. Reading.
Scott, F.R. “T.V. Weatherman_F.R. Scott_Full.” September 19, 2019. MP3 file.
