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Unit 3:

Poetry

Writing & Analysis

Name:

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Gr. 8 ELA – Poetry Unit Lessons – 8 weeks 1. What is poetry? How do you read a poem? Glossary. Discussion & Response “Beware do not read this poem”

2. Two word form poems

3. Discussion and response: Emily Dickenson: Apparently with no surprise

4. Video: Gymnopedie – visual poem writing. Haiku poems

5. Discussion and questions: Social Commentary

6. 5 Line adjective verb model

7. Discussion and question on “Keep Away”

8. Genre: Love poems – assignment write a love poem

9. Discussion and questions on “I have a dream”. Poetic Devices chart 1-5

10. Cinquain –

11. Discussion and questions – Dylan Thomas. Poetic Devices Chart 6-9. Assign Project

12. Make memory cards of poetic devices. Work on Project.

13. Play memory cards on poetic devices. Work on Project.

14. Work on Project

15. Poetic Devices test. Work on Project – 25 Jan

16. Pass in project – self assessment of this unit. – Feb 1st

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What is Poetry? Brainstorm your answers to the following questions:

What is poetry? How would you describe poetry?

What do poets usually write

about?

What are poets like?

What is Poetry? A poem may appear to mean very different things to different readers, and all of these meanings may be different from what the author thought he meant. For instance, the author may have been writing some peculiar personal experience, which he saw quite unrelated to anything outside; yet for the reader the poem may become the expression of a general situation, as well as of some private experience of his own. The reader's interpretation may differ from the author's and be equally valid-- it may even be better. There may be much more in a poem than the author was aware of. The different interpretations may all be partial formulations of one thing; the ambiguities may be due to the fact that the poem means more, not less, than ordinary speech can communicate.

- T.S. Eliot

What is a Poet? A poet is somebody who feels, and who expresses his feelings through words. This may sound easy. It isn't. A lot of people think or believe or know they feel -- but that's thinking or believing or knowing; not feeling. and poetry is feeling -- not knowing or believing or thinking. Almost anybody can learn to think or believe or know, but not a single human being can be taught to feel. Why? Because whenever you think or you believe or you know, you're a lot of other people; but the moment you feel, you're NOBODY-BUT-YOURSELF. - e.e. cummings

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How Do You Read a Poem?

To read a poem aloud: 1. Read the poem slowly. A nervous reader will speak to fast in order to get the reading over with.

Reading a poem slowly is the best way to ensure that the poem will be read clearly and understood by its listeners. Learning to read a poem slowly will not just make the poem easier to hear; it will underscore the importance in poetry of each and every word. A poem cannot be read too slowly, and a good way for a reader to set an easy pace is to pause for a few seconds between the title and the poem's first line.

2. Read in a normal, relaxed tone of voice. It is not necessary to give any of these poems a dramatic reading as if from a stage. Let the words of the poem do the work. Just speak clearly and slowly.

3. Obviously, poems come in lines, but pausing at the end of every line will create a choppy effect and interrupt the flow of the poem's sense. Readers should pause only where there is punctuation, just as you would when reading prose, only more slowly.

4. Use a dictionary to look up unfamiliar words and hard-to-pronounce words. To read with conviction, a reader needs to know at least the dictionary sense of every word. In some cases, a reader might want to write out a word phonetically as a reminder of how it should sound. Learning to read a poem out loud is a way of coming to a full understanding of that poem, perhaps a better way than writing a paper on the subject.

Adapted from http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/p180-howtoread.html

To read a poem to prepare for discussion: 1. Look at the poem’s title: What might this poem be about? 2. Read the poem straight through without stopping to analyze it (aloud, if possible). This will

help you get a sense of how it sounds, how it works, what it might be about. 3. Start with what you know. If the poem is difficult, distinguish between what you do and do not

understand. If permissible, underline the parts you do not immediately understand. 4. Check for understanding: Write a quick “first-impression” of the poem by answering the

questions, “What do you notice about this poem so far?” and “What is this poem about?” 5. Look for patterns. Watch for repeated, interesting, or even unfamiliar use of language, imagery,

sound, color, or arrangement. Ask, “What is the poet trying to show through this pattern?” 6. Look for changes in tone, focus, narrator, structure, voice, patterns. Ask: “What has changed

and what does the change mean?” 7. Identify the narrator. Ask: Who is speaking in the poem? What do you know about them? 8. Check for new understanding. Re-read the poem (aloud, if you can) from start to finish,

underlining (again) those portions you do not yet understand. Explain the poem to yourself or someone else.

9. Find the crucial moments. The pivotal moment might be as small as the word but or yet. Such words often act like hinges within a poem to swing the poem in a whole new direction. Also pay attention to breaks between stanzas or between lines.

10. Consider form and function. Now is a good time to look at some of the poet’s more critical choices. Did the poet use a specific form, such as the sonnet? How did this particular form---e.g., a sonnet---allow them to express their ideas?

11. Did the poet use other specific poetic devices which you should learn so you can better understand the poem? Examples might include: assonance, alliteration, symbols, metaphors, or allusions. Other examples might include unusual use of capitalization, punctuation (or lack of any), or typography. Ask. “How is the poet using punctuation in the poem?”

12. Check for improved understanding. Read the poem through again, aloud if possible. Return to the title and ask yourself what the poem is about and how the poem relates to the title.

Adapted from http://www.englishcompanion.com/pdfDocs/howtoreadpoem.pdf

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How Do You Write a Response to Poetry?

The following questions can be used while responding to the poems discussed in class.

Here are some questions you can answer in your response.

1. Who is speaking in the poem?

2. To whom is he or she speaking?

3. What is the occasion?

4. When is the poem being spoken?

5. Where is the poem being spoken?

6. What is the central idea?

7. What is the dominant tone/mood of the poem?

8. How is that tone achieved?

9. What happens in the poem?

10. How would you describe the language of the poem?

11. What words in the poem especially move you?

12. How would you describe the imagery used in the poem?

13. Are there examples of figurative language (similes, metaphors, personification) used? How do they relate to the theme of the poem?

14. Is the poem symbolic?

15. Does the poet use hyperbole, irony, or understatement in this poem?

16. Are there any allusions within the poem? How are they used?

17. Are there meaningful sound repetitions?

18. How would you identify the rhythm and rhyme schemes of the poem?

19. What is the poem’s purpose?

20. Why do you like this poem?

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Beware: Do Not Read This Poem

tonite, thriller was abt an ol woman , so vain she surrounded herself w/ many mirrors

it got so bad that finally she locked herself indoors & her whole life became the mirrors

one day the villagers broke into her house , but she was too swift for them . she disappeared into a mirror each tenant who bought the house after that , lost a loved one to the ol woman in the mirror : first a little girl then a young woman then the young woman/s husband

the hunger of this poem is legendary it has taken in many victims back off from this poem it has drawn in yr feet back off from this poem it has drawn in yr legs

back off from this poem it is a greedy mirror you are into the poem . from the waist down nobody can hear you can they ? this poem has had you up to here belch this poem aint got no manners you cant call out frm this poem relax now & go w/ this poem

move & roll on to this poem do not resist this poem this poem has yr eyes this poem has his head this poem has his arms this poem has his fingers this poem has his fingertips

this poem is the reader & the reader this poem

statistic : the us bureau of missing persons re- ports that in 1968 over 100,000 people disappeared leaving no solid clues nor trace only a space in the lives of their friends

- Ismael Reed

Assignment:

Read the Poem “Beware: do not read

this poem” and answer the 20

questions on Page 5.

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Glossary

• Alliteration: a repetition of an initial sound in two or more words in a line of poetry.

• Apostrophe: the addressing of words to an absent person as if he/she were present

or to a thing/idea as if it could understand and appreciate the words.

• Assonance: a method used to provide rhythm: vowel sounds of the rhyming words

are the same, consonant sounds are different. (rate and came, penitent and reticence).

• Catharsis: Relieving of emotional tensions by bringing them to consciousness.

• Cliché: A trite or overused expression or idea

• Couplet: a pair of lines joined by rhyme.

• Found poetry: The presentation of a borrowed text or found object as a poem or as

part of a poem.

• Hyperbole: deliberate exaggeration, which is not intended to be taken literally.

• Imagery: The use of vivid or figurative language to represent objects, actions, or

ideas.

• Irony: The use of words to express something different from and often opposite to

their literal meaning.

• Juxtaposition: the technique of placing 2 words or phrases side by side to create a

certain effect.

• Metaphor: A figure of speech in which a word or phrase that ordinarily designates

one thing is used to designate another

• Meter: rhythm in language; the arrangement of words in a succession of rhythmic

movements easily recognizable by the listener.

• Onomatopeia: a word that imitates the actual sound of a thing.

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• Personification: A figure of speech in which inanimate objects or abstractions are

given human qualities or are represented as possessing human form as in. Also called

prosopopeia.

• Rhyme scheme: the pattern or plan of rhymes in a line, verse, or stanza of poetry.

• Rhyme: the repetition of similar sounds, usually at the end of lines of poetry.

• Rhythm: The pattern of development produced in a literary or dramatic work by

repetition of elements such as words, phrases, incidents, themes, images, and symbols.

• Satire: A literary work in which human vice or folly is attacked through irony,

derision, or wit.

• Simile: A figure of speech in which two essentially unlike things are compared, often

in a phrase introduced by “like” or “as.”

• Symbolism: The practice of representing things by means of symbols or of attributing

symbolic meanings or significance to objects, events, or relationships.

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POETIC DEVICES PG. 1

With a partner, fill in the table below. Give a definition as well as three examples of the poetic device.

Poetic Device Definition Example 1 Example 2 Example 3

onomatopoeia

hyperbole

simile

metaphor

alliteration

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POETIC DEVICES PG. 2

With a partner, fill in the table below. Give a definition as well as three examples of the poetic device.

Poetic Device Definition Example 1 Example 2 Example 3

personification

rhyme

couplet

assonance

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MAKING POETRY

FORM POEMS: TWO WORDS One of the basic elements of poetry is SOUNDS; RHYME is a basic element of sound. With this in mind, our first “form poem” will use the following form: , , , A , , , A .i Each verse of this model has four lines, two words in each line. The second and forth lines of each verse rhyme (A’s above). The words in the first three lines are not grammatically related, but must be appropriate to the subject and contribute to its development. The fourth line contains words that are grammatically related; they are not separated by commas like the words in each of the other three lines. You are free to choose any subject you wish, but concentrate on choosing the most appropriate words you can think of. Here are several examples of this form poem:

CARS gas, oil metal, steel, rusty, slow, trade-in deal.

MONEY Dime, nickel, quarter, penny, spend, save, never many.

DRIVING LESSON Teacher, shout, light, red, policeman, ticket, driver’s ed.

Assignment: Create 8 TWO WORD Form Poems. If you work with a partner, you and

your partner need a total of 15 poems.

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Emily Dickinson (1830-1885) Emily Dickinson, regarded as one of America’s greatest poets, is also well known

for her unusual life of self imposed social seclusion. Living a life of simplicity

and seclusion, she yet wrote poetry of great power; questioning the nature of

immortality and death, with at times an almost mantric quality. Her different

lifestyle created an aura; often romanticised, and frequently a source of interest

and speculation. But ultimately Emily Dickinson is remembered for her unique

poetry. Within short, compact phrases she expressed far-reaching ideas; amidst

paradox and uncertainty her poetry has an undeniable capacity to move and

provoke.

Apparently with no Surprise

Apparently with no surprise,

To any happy flower, The frost beheads it at its play,

In accidental power. The blond assassin passes on. The sun proceeds unmoved, To measure off another day,

For an approving God.

Emily Dickinson

Poetry Circle

� Break into groups of four or five

� Each person read the poem out loud to the group and make an instant comment, no duplicate comments.

� When everyone is done, you will have 4 different ideas to start discussion about the poem.

� Discus the poem with your fellow group members (answering all 20 questions on their sheet about how

to write a poetry response – it’s in your binder), everyone is to take notes – this will be the first 30 mins

of class

� Each group is to present to the class what they thought about the poem, with connects were made, and

what they understand/don’t understand about the poem, 2-3 mins per group = total 10-15 minutes.

� Lastly, return to your desk to start writing a ½ page detailed response about the poem

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Listening and Writing Activity Gymnopeid http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atejQh9cXWI

1. Listen to the video and while you watch write down adjectives that describe the images and

sounds before you.

2. Choose 5 of your favorite adjectives and list them vertically

3. Write a sentence beginning with each of those 5 adjectives

4. Your end result will be a prose style poem – prose is non-rhyming speech in everyday language

5. Add a picture that goes with your prose

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TOWARDS A LITERARY FORM The Haiku The Haiku is a traditional Japanese poem that has only three lines and 17 syllables. Haiku-poems consist of respectively 5, 7 and 5 syllables in three units. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ Haiku-poems can describe almost anything, but you seldom find themes which are too complicated for normal PEOPLE's recognition and understanding. Some of the most thrilling Haiku-poems describe daily situations in a way that gives the reader a brand new experience of a well-known situation. In Japanese, the exact number of syllables is a must, but in English, which has variation in the length of syllables, this can sometimes be difficult. Haikus need not rhyme nor use metaphor. For example:

Cottage Cheese I like Cottage Cheese. Cottage Cheese is my favorite, yummy Cottage Cheese. Sea The sea at springtime. All day it rises and falls, yes, rises and falls.

Lightening The lightning flashes! And slashing through the darkness, A night-heron’s screech.

Assignment: Write 5 Haikus and add pictures

for each poem in your good copy

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FIVE LINE ADJECTIVE VERB MODEL

Poetry is enhanced with the use of varied grammatical elements. The following poem form requires the use of a noun, adjectives, a pronoun, and verbs. It also requires the use of alliteration. This poem has 5 lines and the last four lines include words containing the same beginning sounds (alliteration). Start with establishing a situation for a noun. The second and third lines are single adjectives describing the situation. The forth line is a pronoun and verb, followed by the fifth line which is a single verb.

-Establish situation:

-Single adjective:

-Same beginning letter adjective:

-Pronoun and verb (same beginning letter):

-Single verb (same beginning letter):

Examples The sun on snow looks The sky at night looks

glassy, silky, glossy, silent, It glistens, It shivers, gleams. shines.

Review: Noun: A noun is a word used to refer to people, animals, objects, substances, states, events and

feelings. Adjective: An adjective modifies a noun. It describes the quality, state or action that a noun refers to Personal Pronoun: A personal pronoun is a word that substitutes a noun or noun phrase ex: I, you,

he, she, it, we and they. Verb: A verb refer to an action (do, break, walk, etc.) or a state (be, like, own). Alliteration: Alliteration is the use of words beginning with the same letter ex. Jell-o, Jiggles, Jovially.

MAKING POETRY

At the dance my best friend seems distracted, distraught, She dabbles, drinks.

Assignment: Write 3

poems in this form

and add a picture for

each poem in your

good copy.

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KEEP AWAYKEEP AWAYKEEP AWAYKEEP AWAY

Don’t touch me; keep away. It’s my body, and mine to stay – You think you know it all. Well it will always be Mine, So get your act together And please be on your way.

This poem was written by a Grade 9 student. Discus the following

questions about the poem as a group then write your own answers on a

sheet of loose leaf. Each question is worth 5 points – your response should fill a page (all 5 questions fill a page).

1. What does this poem mean, use parts of the text to support your

answer 2. How does the poem make you feel, explain by using parts of the

poem? 3. Why do you think the word mine is on its own?

4. What do you think is the message of the poem? Do you think the message of the poem is valid/true?

5. What would you ask the author if you could meet them?

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Poetic Theme: Social Commentary

A common theme in poems is social commentary. Some poets often use their craft to comment on conditions in their society. After reading the poems today, reflect on the following questions:

• Should poets and other artists be commenting on society through their work?

• What should the role of the poet or artist be in our society?

Vegetarians Vegetarians are cruel, unthinking people. Everybody knows that a carrot screams when grated. That a peach bleeds when torn apart. Do you believe an orange insensitive To thumbs gouging out its flesh? That tomatoes spill their brains painlessly? Potatoes, skinned alive and boiled, The soil’s little lobsters. Don’t tell me it doesn’t hurt When peas are ripped from the scrotum, The hide flayed off sprouts, Cabbage shredded, onions beheaded. Throw in the trowel And lay down the hoe. Mow no more Let my people go!

- Roger McGough

Roger McGough was born in 1937. He is an English performance poet. Not only does he perform his own poetry, he also does voice-overs, and presents the BBC Radio 4 show Poetry Please. What message is the writer trying to send? Find the poetic devices used in this poem.

What message is the writer trying to send? Written in 1936 and recorded in 1939, this poem was written to express Meeropol’s horror after seeing the photograph of the the lynching of two men in Indiana. The song recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1978.

Strange Fruit Southern trees bear strange fruit, Blood on the leaves and blood at the root, Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze, Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees. Pastoral scene of the gallant south, The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth, Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh, Then the sudden smell of burning flesh. Here is fruit for the crows to pluck, For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck, For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop, Here is a strange and bitter crop.

- Abel Meeropol - Recorded by Billie Holiday

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Big Yellow Taxi They paved paradise And put up a parking lot With a pink hotel, a boutique And a swinging hot SPOT Don’t it always seem to go That you don't know what you’ve got ‘Til it's gone They paved paradise And put up a parking lot They took all the trees And put them in a tree museum Then they charged the people A dollar and a half just to see 'em Don't it always seem to go, That you don't know what you’ve got ‘Til it’s gone They paved paradise And put up a parking lot Hey farmer, farmer Put away that DDT now Give me spots on my apples But LEAVE me the birds and the bees Please! Don't it always seem to go That you don't know what you’ve got ‘Til its gone They paved paradise And put up a parking lot Late last night I heard the screen door slam And a big yellow taxi Come and took away my old man Don't it always seem to go That you don't know what you’ve got ‘Til it’s gone They paved paradise And put up a parking lot I said Don't it always seem to go That you don't know what you’ve got ‘Til it’s gone They paved paradise And put up a parking lot They paved paradise And put up a parking lot They paved paradise And put up a parking lot - Recorded by Joni Mitchell

We Didn’t Start the Fire

Harry Truman, Doris Day, Red China, Johnnie Ray South Pacific, Walter Winchell, Joe DiMaggio Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, Studebaker, television North Korea, South Korea, Marilyn Monroe Rosenbergs, H-Bomb, Sugar Ray, Panmunjom Brando, "The King and I", and "The Catcher in the Rye" Eisenhower, vaccine, England's got a new queen Marciano, Liberace, Santayana goodbye Chorus: We didn't start the fire It was always burning Since the world's been turning We didn't start the fire No we didn't light it But we tried to fight it

Josef Stalin, Malenkov, Nasser and Prokofiev Rockefeller, Campanella, Communist Bloc Roy Cohn, Juan Peron, Toscanini, Dacron Dien Bien Phu Falls, Rock Around the Clock Einstein, James Dean, Brooklyn's got a winning team Davy Crockett, Peter Pan, Elvis Presley, Disneyland Bardot, Budapest, Alabama, Khrushchev Princess Grace, Peyton Place, Trouble in the Suez

Chorus

Little Rock, Pasternak, Mickey Mantle, Kerouac Sputnik, Chou En-Lai, Bridge On The River Kwai Lebanon, Charles de Gaulle, California Baseball, Starkwether, Homicide, Children of Thalidomide Buddy Holly, Ben Hur, Space Monkey, Mafia Hula Hoops, Castro, Edsel is a no-go U2, Syngman Rhee, payola and Kennedy Chubby Checker, Psycho, Belgians in the Congo

Chorus

Hemingway, Eichmann, Stranger in a Strange Land, Dylan, Berlin, Bay of Pigs invasion Lawrence of Arabia, British Beatlemania Ole Miss, John Glenn, Liston beats Patterson Pope Paul, Malcolm X, British Politician sex J.F.K. blown away, what else do I have to say Chorus Birth control, Ho Chi Minh, Richard Nixon back again Moonshot, Woodstock, Watergate, punk rock Begin, Reagan, Palestine, Terror on the airline Ayatollah's in Iran, Russians in Afghanistan Wheel of Fortune, Sally Ride, heavy metal, suicide Foreign debts, homeless Vets, AIDS, Crack, Bernie Goetz Hypodermics on the shores, China's under martial law Rock and Roller cola wars, I can't take it anymore We didn't start the fire It was always burning since the world's been turning. We didn't start the fire But when we are gone It will still burn on, and on, and on, and on... Chorus x 3 - Recorded by Billy Joel

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The Child Who Walks Backwards

My next-door neighbour tells me her child runs into things.

Cupboard comers and doorknobs have pounded their shapes

into his face. She says he is bothered by dreams, rises in sleep from his bed to steal through the halls

and plummet like a wounded bird down the flight of stairs.

This child who climbed my maple

with the sureness of a cat, trips in his room, cracks his skull on the bedpost,

smacks his cheeks on the floor. When I ask about the burns on the back of his knee,

his mother tells me he walks backwards into fireplace grates

or sits and stares at flames while sparks burn stars in his skin.

Other children write their names

on the casts that hold his small bones.

His mother tells me he runs into things, walks backwards, breaks his leg while she lies sleeping.

- Lorna Crozier

1. The first line seems to be a simple statement of fact, yet the poet goes on to repeat it, with variations, three more times.

(a) According to the mother, what is her child's problem? (b) What really is the child's problem?

2. Why are "cracks his skull" and "smacks his cheeks" (lines 13-15) more effective than "injures himself"? 3. Why does the speaker tell us that the child "climbed my maple/with the sureness of a cat"? (lines 11 & 12) 4. Why are the words “while she lies/sleeping” (lines 30-31) more effective than “while she is sleeping”?

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John Mayer

Waiting On The World To Change" Me and all my friends We're all misunderstood

They say we stand for nothing and There's no way we ever could Now we see everything that's going wrong

With the world and those who lead it We just feel like we don't have the means To rise above and beat it

So we keep waiting Waiting on the world to change We keep on waiting

Waiting on the world to change It's hard to beat the system

When we're standing at a distance So we keep waiting Waiting on the world to change

Now if we had the power To bring our neighbors home from war They would have never missed a Christmas No more ribbons on their door

And when you trust your television What you get is what you got Cause when they own the information, oh

They can bend it all they want That's why we're waiting Waiting on the world to change

We keep on waiting Waiting on the world to change

It's not that we don't care, We just know that the fight ain't fair So we keep on waiting Waiting on the world to change

And we're still waiting Waiting on the world to change We keep on waiting waiting on the world to change

One day our generation Is gonna rule the population So we keep on waiting

Waiting on the world to change We keep on waiting Waiting on the world to change

Discussion Questions

1. What is this poem about?

2. How does this poem make you feel?

3. Do you agree with the message?

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Poetic Theme: Love

A common theme in poems is love.

Sonnet: a poem of 14 lines that follows a rhyme scheme and specific structure. In an English sonnet, each line has 10 syllables and the rhyme scheme is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.

Discuss: Do you have some favourite love stories (books, music, movies)?

All My Loving

Close your eyes and I'll kiss you, Tomorrow I'll miss you;

Remember I'll always be true. And then while I'm away, I'll write home ev'ry day,

And I'll send all my loving to you.

I'll pretend That I'm kissing the lips I am missing

And hope that my dreams will come true. And then while I'm away, I'll write home ev'ry day,

And I'll send all my loving to you.

All my loving I will send to you. All my loving, darling I'll be true.

Close your eyes and I'll kiss you,

Tomorrow I'll miss you: Remember I'll always be true.

And then while I'm away, I'll write home ev'ry day,

And I'll send all my loving to you

All my loving I will send to you. All my loving darling I'll be True. All my loving All my loving ooh All my loving I will send to you

- Recorded by The Beatles

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight For the ends of Being and ideal Grace. I love thee to the level of everyday's Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light. I love thee freely, as men strive for Right; I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise. I love thee with a passion put to use In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith. I love thee with a love I seemed to lose With my lost saints, --- I love thee with the breath, Smiles, tears, of all my life! --- and, if God choose, I shall but love thee better after death. - Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Elizabeth Barrett

Browning was born in

1806 and died in 1861.

She was one of the most

respected English poets

of the Victorian era.

Many later poets credit

her as one of their major

influences.

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Sonnet 130 My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; Coral is far more red than her lips' red; If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head. I have seen roses damask'd, red and white, But no such roses see I in her cheeks; And in some perfumes is there more delight Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. I love to hear her speak, yet well I know That music hath a far more pleasing sound; I grant I never saw a goddess go; My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground: And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare As any she belied with false compare.

- William Shakespeare

Beguiling Eyes

You have the most beguiling eyes,

that I have ever seen They can catch me up and spin me,

and leave me in a dream Though the words you speak are truthful,

you know, you hurt me when you say that the time you spend with me

is but a small part of your day

It seems that I'm the one that always comes a calling,

and I'm asking you away from other friends

but I'm waiting for the sounds of your step outside my door when the sun is setting low

and the evening ends ...

I have always thought, that the picture's what you make it,

and I've always believed that my actions were my own

Tell me can you see, that to give without receiving

is bound to leave my heart like a piece of molten stone

Because it seems that I'm the one,

that always comes a-calling, and I'm asking you away

from other friends

But I’m waiting for the sounds of your step outside my door when the sun is setting low

and the evening ends ... - Stephen Fearing

William Shakespeare composed 154 sonnets, amongst other pieces of writing. This is one of Shakespeare’s funnier poems. Discuss: What do you think of Shakespeare’s take on love?

Stephen Fearing, a Canadian

folk singer/songwriter was

born in 1963 in Vancouver

and raised in Ireland. In 1981

he came back to Canada and

began his music career. He

was also one of the founding

members of Blackie and the

Rodeo Kings.

Discuss: How would you describe the mood/feeling evoked by this song? Identify the poetic devices in this song.

Assignment: Write a love poem in any style you choose. If

you put it in Sonet form, that will add bonus points

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Poetic speech

From “I have a dream” by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."

Dr. Martin Luther King was a preacher, a philosopher and a civil right’s activist. At the age of thirty-five, Martin Luther King, Jr., was the youngest man to have received the Nobel Peace Prize. When notified of his selection, he announced that he would turn over the prize money of $54,123 to the furtherance of the civil rights movement. On the evening of April 4, 1968, while standing on the balcony of his motel room in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was to lead a protest march in sympathy with striking garbage workers of that city, he was assassinated.

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And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

Discus these questions with your group then write your own answers on a separate sheet of loose leaf and hand in at the end of class.

1. What is the topic of the poem/speech? 2. How is this piece of writing different from John Mayer’s? 3. Do you think people are more like John Mayer or Dr. King, explain. 4. What kind of person are you? Are you a Waiter, or a Person of Action?

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TOWARDS A LITERARY FORM The Cinquain This is another form that encourages accuracy of word usage. Here is the form to follow: , , , , , , , The first blank, a single NOUN, is your subject. This can be anything that interests you. The second line contains two adjectives describing the subject, separated by a comma. The third line contains three adjectives, again separated by commas. The forth line contains a four word phrase or clause, connected grammatically and the in “sense”. The final line simply repeats the subject. For example: hamburgers, thick, juicy, delicious, scrumptious, yummy, better still with relish, hamburgers hawk powerful, free soaring, swooping, sailing, always searching for prey, hawk Note the use of both onomatopoeia and alliteration in “hawk”

Assignment: Write 4 poems in this form and

add a picture to each poem for your good

copy.

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POETRY PROJECT Include copies of all poems which you use. You may not use the same poem for more than one activity. Section 1: Speaking Find a narrative poem you enjoy. It should be at least eight lines in length. Practice reading the poem, being careful to use the intended rhythm of the selection. You will present a narrative reading of the poem to the class. After reading the poem, explain to the class why you selected it. Section 2: Reading Part 1: Select 2 poems. Complete a response (150-200 words) of your reaction to the poems. They are expected to be of good copy quality. Part 2: Select 1 poem provided by Ms. Muise. Summarize the story told by the poem (50 to 75 words). Answer the questions associated with the poem. Section 3: Writing Part 1: Write 5 poems with the same theme; say 5 poems about summer, or about Hockey. Your poems are to be in the forms we learned during this unit: haiku, 5 line adjective verb, two word form, and cinquain. The 5th poem can be in a style of your choosing such as sonnet, found poem, or free verse; it can rhyme or not rhyme. Your 5th poem is not to be in a form you have already written, all five poems are to be in a different form.

Part 2: Find a poem (of at least ½ page in length) you enjoy. Draw and colour a series of at least four pictures that depict the events of the poem or portray the meaning of the poem. Include a caption for each picture.

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POETRY PROJECT- Rubrics Section 1: Speaking

Criteria Fair - 1 Good – 2/3 Very Good – 4/5 Excellent - 6

Eye contact

Eye contact not made.

Some eye contact made.

Regular eye contact.

Consistent, meaningful eye contact.

Pace Very fast or very slow.

Inconsistent pacing. Some unnecessary changes of pace.

Consistent pacing.

Rhythm Rhythm of poem not evident.

Rhythm of poem sometimes evident.

Rhythm of poem evident.

Rhythm of poem evident and effectively used.

Emphasis

No emphasis used in the reading.

Emphasis placed on some words/ phrases as required.

Emphasis placed on most words/ phrases as required.

Emphasis effectively placed on all words/phrases as required.

Content

A poem was read to the class and/or an explanation as to the selection was provided.

A narrative poem was read to the class. An explanation as to the reason for the selection was provided.

An 8 line narrative poem was read to the class. An explanation as to the reason for the selection was provided.

An 8 line narrative poem was read to the class. A clear explanation as to the reason for the selection was provided.

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Section 2: Reading Part 1: Responses

Criteria Fair - 1 Good – 2/3 Very Good – 4/5 Excellent - 6 Response 1

Response lacks detail and relevant

information

Response gives some information in less than 150 words or more than 200

words about how student felt with

relevant information to

support viewpoint; more detail required

Response gives some detailed information in approx. 150-200 words about how student felt with

relevant information to

support viewpoint; more personal

connections needed

Response gives detailed information in 150-200 words about how student felt with relevant information to

support viewpoint; extended

explanations; very good personal

connections made

Response 2

Response lacks detail and relevant

information

Response gives some information in less than 150 words or more than 200

words about how student felt with

relevant information to

support viewpoint; more detail required

Response gives some detailed information in approx. 150-200 words about how student felt with

relevant information to

support viewpoint; more personal

connections needed

Response gives detailed information in 150-200 words about how student felt with relevant information to

support viewpoint; extended

explanations; very good personal

connections made

Part 2: Summary and Questions

Criteria Fair - 1 Good – 2/3 Very Good – 4/5

Excellent - 6

Summary

Summary is incomplete or a paraphrase of the

poem.

Good summary that demonstrates

a beginning understanding of the poem in less than 50 or more than 75 words.

Very good summary that

demonstrates an understanding of the poem in 50-75

words.

Excellent summary that demonstrates

a clear understanding of poem in 50-75

words.

Questions Few questions were correctly answered with some support / explanation.

Some questions were correctly answered with appropriate support and explanation.

Most questions were correctly answered with appropriate support and explanation.

All questions were correctly

answered with appropriate support and explanation.

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Section 3: Writing Part 1: Written poems

Criteria Fair - 1 Good – 2/3 Very Good – 4/5

Excellent - 6

Theme

No attempt has been made to

relate the poems to a specific topic.

Some of the poems are related to the same topic, but the majority of the

poems are general or on another

topic.

Most of the poems are related to the

same topic.

All of the poems are related to the same topic. The topic presented in the poems stands

out.

Form

Little to none of the assigned poetry

forms are included, completed, or

correct.

Some of the assigned forms of poetry are included,

complete and correct.

Most of the assigned forms of poetry are included,

complete and correct.

All of the assigned forms of poetry are included, complete

and correct.

Spelling

Writer makes more than 4 errors in spelling that

distracts the reader from the content.

Writer makes 3-4 errors in spelling that distracts the reader from the

content.

Writer makes 1-2 errors in spelling that distracts the reader from the

content.

Writer makes no errors in spelling.

Part 2: Visual Representation

Criteria Fair - 1 Good – 2/3 Very Good – 4/5

Excellent - 6

Pictures

One-two images of artwork or artwork that is not related to the events of the

poem or portray the meaning of the

poem.

Three-four images of artwork that

illustrate the events of the poem or

portray the meaning of the poem.

Four images of colourful, neat artwork that

illustrate the events of the poem or

portray the meaning of the poem.

Four images of colourful, neat

artwork that clearly illustrate the events of the poem and

portray the meaning of the poem.

Captions

Captions are provided for one-two

pictures. They explain what is in the picture and/or how it

is related to the poem.

Captions are provided for three-four pictures. They explain what is in the picture and/or how it

is related to the poem.

Captions are provided for all pictures. They

explain what is in the picture and/or how it

is related to the poem.

Captions for all pictures are well-written. They

explain what is in the picture and how it is related to the poem.