Work Shop 2

Welcome to your second and final work shop. The same rules apply during this work shop. Be sure to read everyone's poem. I want you to comment make at least five comments on your fellow classmates poems. After you've finished this activity, go back and read the comments people posted about your poem. Write me a one page paper reflecting on these comments and whether or not they were helpful. After you've finished this reflection, email it to me and revise your poem.

Once you finish revising your poem I need you to email it and your other completed to me.


Congrats, you have finished this poetry lesson.

Writing Assignment 10

Be finishing up on your poems because we will be doing your second and final workshop tomorrow.

Haiku
A Haiku is a Japanese form of poetry. A haiku consists of three unrhymed lines. The first line consists of five syllables and the second line is made up of seven syllables. Te third and final line is also five syllables. Another of the main features of a haiku is the tone. Haiku's are heavily influenced by Zen Buddhism. As a result, haiku are deeply connected with scenes from nature and oftentimes convey some insight or deeper meaning to life. Traditionally haiku include a seasonal reference. These seasonal references are sometimes little more than a vague reference like 'cold'.

Lets take a look at a haiku by Masaoka Shiki.


A mountain village
under the pilled-up snow
the sound of water.
I would recommend that you read this poem aloud to appreciate this haiku form. As you read count the syllables, they follow a 5-7-5 pattern. Even though there isn't very much to this poem, it speaks volumes. Shiki indicates that it is winter by telling us about the snow. What happens when the snow falls? When winter comes and the snow falls everything either dies or goes dormant in nature. So, in the first two lines of this poem we are introduced to a cold, dead environment. However, Shiki gives us a glimpse that not everything is dead, the “sound of water” that is mentioned indicates that the snow is melting and life will soon be returning. You could also take this reference of water running as an indication even in death (death being winter) there is life (water).

Since you have your poems to finish up for tomorrow, all I want you to do tonight is write me a haiku. To do so please use the following steps.

1.Choose a topic involving natures
2.Choose a season. When you write about this season you don't have to be specific. You can say 'cold' or 'hot' or any other word or occurrence that makes a seasonal reference (like snow)
3.Now down to the specifics, in the first line of your haiku describe your scene (A mountain village)
4.In the second line you elaborate on the scene (under the pilled-up snow)
5.In the third line show action (the sound of water)
6.Remember that this third line is supposed to get across some insight into nature and the poem.

Good Luck. Be sure you post your poems for tomorrow

Writing Assignment 9

Goodness, where has the time gone? I hope you are already started on a new poem because our next work shopping session is just two class sessions away.


Have no fear you hopeless romantics, Dr. Love is here. Today we are going to work on your ability to write love poetry. Valentine's Day is just around the corner and I want to help each and everyone of you sweep that special someone off their feet.

So without further ado, lets get started. This time we are going to do things in a step-by-step style.

1.Remember that speed writing activity you did before the first work shop day? What we going to do is similar, I want you to write for a minutes straight about falling in love for the first time, or how you feel when you are together with that special someone.
2.Next, go through what you have written and circle every verb you see.
3.Look at these circled verbs. Do any of them seem rather week? If so, then replace them with stronger sounding verbs. Love is all about extremes. You don't 'kind sorta like them', you ADORE them and can't live without them.
4.You know what this poem needs now? Metaphors. Love and metaphors go together like steak and baked potatoes. You need to think of some metaphor representation of your love. Usually right before I get a restraining order placed on me, I like tell that special someone that “our love is like the deep blue sea.” This out course is a reference to the depth of my love. Looking back I should have compared that love to a creek, its shallow.
5.Now that you have some romantic metaphor in mind, try to work it into your poem somewhere.
6.Finally, love poems are typically packed full of words that evoke the sense. Try to add some imagery into your poem. Don't just tell him or her that you love them, show them with words. If you need some help then just out those sensory words I posted a while back. I would however strongly recommend that you refrain from using words like 'putrid' or 'slithering'. Rarely are those words considered flattering.
7.Finally, get a guitar and stand outside your loves window and recite this poem while playing guitar poorly at around 3 A.M.
8.Don't call me to bail you out of jail. You should have known better than to listen to me in the first place.

There you have it, Dr. Love's 8-steps to romantic poetry. For your assignment tonight, I want you to follow steps 1-6. If you perform step 7 then be sure you've read step 8, because your on your own.

BTW keep these poems clean and wholesome. Somethings are better left unsaid.

Good Luck.

Writing Assignment 8

Painting Prompt

Take a moment to look at this painting by Pieter Brueghel painting Fall of Icarus. See if you can find Icarus.


In case you're having trouble, you can see Icarus's arm sticking out of the water underneath the boat on the right-hand side.

If you're unfamiliar with Icarus, he is a Greek mythological figure. As the story goes Icarus's father made a set up wax wings for him and his son so that they could escape from the Minotaur's maze. Rather than go straight home, Icarus disobeyed his father's orders and started flying higher and higher. Icarus flew so high that the sun melted his wings and he plummeted to is death. Because he died while trying to go as high as he could go, Icarus is sometimes considered a romantic figure. Instead of listening to reason Icarus pushed himself to the limits and eventually paided the ultimate price.

Now I would like you read this poem by William Carlos Williams entitled “Landscape with the Fall of Icarus”.
According to Brueghel
when Icarus fell
it was spring

a farmer was ploughing
his field
the whole pageantry

of the year was
awake tingling
near

the edge of the sea
concerned
with itself

sweating in the sun
that melted
the wings' wax

unsignificantly
off the coast
there was

a splash quite unnoticed
this was
Icarus drowning

Do you see how Williams' was able to draw inspiration from Brueghel's painting to create this poem?

Sometimes it is helpful for poets to seek out inspiration objects. For the purpose of this next assignment I would like to find a picture to write about. This picture doesn't have to be a famous painting, it could technically be any type of image. Next I would like you to this this picture as an apparatus for today's writing activity.

Just as a suggestion, I would recommend that you find a picture that has a particular meaning to you. It could be a family photo or a picture of something important, such as the World Trade Center. These types of images would probably stir a greater emotional response from you than say a picture of Justin Timberlake (unless you are a huge Justin Timberlake fan.

Good Luck.

Writing Assignment 7

Writing Assignment 6

Class, I was really pleased with our first workshop session. It seems that nearly everyone had a poem to post and everyone appeared to be offering their fellow classmates advice. Keep up the good work!

As poets it is important for us to have an extensive vocabulary. Today I would like to offer you a list of sensory oriented words. Please feel free to use these words during your revision and creation of poems.

Touch Words
breezy downy gritty sharp sweaty
bumpy dry hard silky tender
chilly dusty loose slick tepid
cold elastic lukewarm slimy tight
cool filthy melted slippery uneven
cuddly fluffy plastic slushy warm
damp frosty rough smooth waxen
dank gooey searing sodden wet
dirty greasy shaggy stinging wooden

Sound Words
bang echoing lapping purring sloshing
bark faint melodious quietly snapping
boom groan moan raspy snarl
buzz gurgling muffled reverberate squeak
coo harsh mumble rumble thud
crackling haw murmur rustle thundering
crunching hiss mutter scream tinkly
cry hoarse noisy shriek wail
deafening howl pealing shrill whimper

Smell Words
acrid medicinal sour
antiseptic musty spicy
bitter pungent stale
burning putrid stinky
choking rancid strong
clean rich sweet
delicious rotten
fragrant salty
fresh smoky

Taste Words
acidic mild sticky
bitter nutty strong
cool peppery sweet
creamy ripe tangy
delicious salty tart
gooey savory tasteless
hot sour
juicy spicy
Movement Words
advance dodge leap scamper sprinkle
billow drift limp shake squirm
bob fidget lumber shove sway
bounce flounder lurch shower swell
bound float move shuffle swivel
burrow flutter plummet skid thrash
creep glide prance slide topple
dance hover rebound slither tremble
descend jump rock soar waddle


Your assignment is to use these descriptive words and write a poem for EACH category of words. These poems can be only a few lines long or incomplete upon submission. You do however need to have at least a total of 20 lines written.


Good Luck.

Work Shop 1

Welcome class, today is the day that we share our poetry. If you have not done so yet, please post your poem in your blog. Remember, that you should not put a password on these blog entries. You need to let your fellow classmates read your poem.

After you have read everyone's poems and commented on at least five poems, write up a one page review about this workshop experience. I want to know what you learned through this activity. Please be sure to include whether you were offered any helpful advice, if so be sure to include how you plan on implementing it into your poem.


Since we are on the topic of sharing, I'd like to share a poem I've been working. Your comments are welcomed but not required. Also, replying to my poem does count toward the five comments you need to leave on your classmates' blogs. I would much rather you focus your attention on your fellow students.

Thanks for your participation.

Writing Assignment 5

For the next session of class please have a poem prepared and ready to be work shopped on your blog. Remember, you have to comment on at least five of your classmates' poems. Please keep in mind that the purpose of this activity is to help one another better our poetry. Let your fellow poet know how they are doing, tell them what works with the poem and what doesn't.

Rather than assign you a need activity to write on, I decided to allow you this time to finish up on the poem you will be submitting for workshop tomorrow. I would like to take this time to discuss poetry with you a bit more.

Have you ever heard the word 'apparatus'? An apparatus is a device that is used to accomplish a particular purpose. When we write poetry we are using apparatuses. The apparatus in a poem are the poetic devices we use to get across a certain message, sensation or experience. If you wanted to write a light-hearted poem about childhood, what apparatuses would you use? One particular apparatus that we have gone over in the past is hyperbole, which is a form of exaggeration.

When your writing your poems, I would rather you be less concerned about using these devices and more concerned about the apparatus of the poem. If you had been paying attention to the previous paragraph, by now you must have thought to yourself that these two things are the same thing. While these two terms are referring to the same thing, there is still a big difference.

When a poet writes, they aren't going through a checklist trying to decide whether to use similes or metaphors, they are more focused on the poem. Deep beneath the language and technique inside a poem there is that underlining meaning or effect that the poet wants to accomplish. If the poet wishes to expresses disappointment and sadness at being spurned by a lover they try to incorporate language that gets at this meaning across. To do so ,they poet might use include metaphoric images, but the metaphor isn't the reason the poet is it, the poet is writing to express their sadness. Therefore, the poet is using metaphor as a device to accomplish this sadness.

When you write poems, I want you to be more concerned with the the experience you are trying to create. Use these poetic devices that you have learned about, but don't let them use you. Remember, they are the apparatus, these tools only function is to help you get across whatever desired outcome you have in mind.

Writing Assignment 4

So far you have had three writing activities. At this point your goal should be to have at least one poetic work in progress. There are only one more writing sessions till your first poetry workshop takes place.

One of the most beautiful things about poetry is it that can take any shape. If rhyming words and using rhyme schemes isn't working for you, then perhaps you could try a form know as “free verse”. Free verse poetry doesn't rhyme and it isn't written in any specific meter. Do you remember the T.S. Eliot poem we read earlier as homework entitled “The Wasteland”? That poem was written in free verse.

So if the poem doesn't rhyme or have any of the other tell-tell signs of being a poem, how is it a poem? A simplified way to think of a free verse poem is that it is a poem, because the poet says so. There are no rules or restrictions that apply to free verse. Do with it what you will.

When I write poetry, I write in free verse. Being the rebel that I am, I hate being bound by limits or restrictions.

With that said, I'm going to place restrictions on this next writing activity. I want you to write a free verse poem of your choice utilizing one of these poetic devices :metaphor, personification, and imagery. If your unfamiliar with any of these terms (shame on you), please look back to our earlier poetry lessons over poetic devices.

I picked these three devices because they would probably be the easiest for you to use. If you wanted to write a poem using imagery, write something very descriptive could appeal to any or multiple senses. If you chose metaphor or personification, I would suggest that you build the poem around this device. For example, in a poem about time you could use the metaphor “time flies” or use personification and say sometime about the “arms on a clock”.

Good Luck

Writing Assignment 3

How many of you work best under pressure? How many of you wait till the absolute last moment to do a homework assignment? Some of the best research papers I ever wrote in college were the ones I didn't start writing till the night before the assignment was due. While I would strongly advise you not to follow the study habits I had, there is no denying that we all have a tendency to work better and put forth more effort when we are faced with a deadline.

One poetry writing exercise that poets sometimes engage in is called 'speed writing'. When 'speed writing', the poet designates that he or she writes non-stop for a certain amount of time. “Speed- writing' is a great way to brainstorm for ideas or inspiration. The product of a 'speed writing' session doesn't necessarily have to be a poem either, the end result may be a few poetic lines or an idea that a latter poem can be produced from.

For the sake of this next activity, lets pretend that you have five minutes to come up with a 20 line poem.

Got a watch?

Are you ready?

GO!!!!!!!



Good luck.

Writing Assignment 2

Continuing with this word game theme, have any of you ever written an acrostic? A acrostic is a poem in which the poet uses the first letter of word to spell another word. Take for example this acrostic using my first name.

As the world turns
Day becomes night
Always washing away darkness
Morning's shining light

Awesome poem isn't it? Acrostics have often been used by poets to write out the names of loved ones. Check out this poem by Edgar Allen Poe entitled “An Acrostic”

Elizabeth it is in vain you say
"Love not" — thou sayest it in so sweet a way:
In vain those words from thee or L.E.L.
Zantippe's talents had enforced so well:
Ah! if that language from thy heart arise,
Breath it less gently forth — and veil thine eyes.
Endymion, recollect, when Luna tried
To cure his love — was cured of all beside —
His follie — pride — and passion — for he died.

Acrostics don't necessarily have be written down the left-hand side of the poem. Poets can place or 'hide' them throughout the poem.

For your next writing activity I want you to write an acrostic or several acrostics (This all depends upon the length of the word you select. Remember, I am expecting at least 20 lines of poetry from you daily). I'd recommend that you choose a word of some significance to you like someone's name, a phrase, sports team name, anything. If your doing an acrostic that isn't written down the left-hand side of the poem, I want you to underline the words for me that hide the acrostic.

Good luck!

Writing Assignment 1

Lets return to the topic of rhyme, whenever I first started writing poetry I wrote poems that rhymed. My reason for doing so was that writing in rhyme seemed fun to me. I always found poems that rhymed to be easier for me to write because the words I choose were dictated by the rhyme. So, if I used 'blood' in one line, I would have to end the next sentence with a word that had a similar sound. Offhand, this would mean my selections could be 'mud', 'above', or 'love' (do you hear that consonant sound?). Basically I would use the rhyme scheme that developed in the poem as a type of map to follow.

Now its time for you to try it.

Make a list of 15 words.

For each of these 15 words, write down four additional words that rhyme. This will give you 75 words.

Stare at the words you have written down. Do you see a pattern of general theme emerging between these words?

Pick a word and try to write a sentence using that word. Next, try to write another sentence using one of the rhyming words you wrote down.

Don't get frustrated if you're not pleased in the lines of poetry your coming up with. Very few people can sit down and churn out a masterpiece like Edger Allen Poe's “The Raven”. Instead I would like you to just relax and write down whatever comes to mind. Speaking of mind, free you mind and let the words come to you.

Good luck!

Intro to writing

Now that you have had an opportunity to learn about some of the tools that poets use to create poetry, it is time for us to begin the writing portion of this class. As was mentioned in the introduction to this class, I expect for you to write at least twenty lines of poetry during each lesson. This might seem a little harsh at first, but as poets we must maintain this work ethic. Nothing comes easy in life, and the same can be said for poetry. Poetry takes practice.

I am aware that you may not at this point be comfortable with sharing your poetry entries with your classmates. Thats fine, if you did as I asked and created a blog at WordPress, then you can password these entries. However, I must insist that you allow me access to these posts. If I can't see them, then you won't receive a grade for your effort. I would suggest that if you do choose to password these entries then you will need to send me the password. If you continue to password your entries, then you got to stick with the same password on your future posts. There are too many of you in this class for me to be keeping up with an ever-changing list of passwords.

Also, if you have not done so, make sure you add the addresses of your classmates' blogs in your rss gator. If you don't do this, you will not be able to share your poetry during work shops.

This is how this final section of the class will work, you will continue to check my blog as you have been doing. Each day I will be posting some different writing exercises. You have the option of following these instructions or striking out on your own. Either way is fine with me, my main concern is that you are making a genuine attempt at writing poetry. Unless I dictate otherwise in the writing activity, you will be expected to write at least 20 lines of poetry in each entry. Don't panic, this isn't as bad as it sounds. I am not expecting you to write entries in your blog that are ready to be published. Think of your entries as a pre-writing or brainstorming activity. This is an opportunity for you to play with the language, discover what works best. When I look at your posts I want to see this experimentation, I want to see the beginnings of your poems.

Throughout the course of this section I will assign two workshop dates. On these dates you will post a poem that you have been working on. Unlike you're other entries, this one cannot be passworded. On these workshop days, you are expected to visit ALL of your fellow classmates' blogs and read the poems they have posted. You are obligated to post comments on five of your classmates' blogs. In these comments I want you to review their poem. Let them know about the piece's strengths and weaknesses. Constructive criticism is welcomed and encouraged, being hateful and insulting will have a negative effect on your grade.

After these workshop dates, I want you to write me one double-spaced page about the workshop experience. Let me know what you took from this experience. Did any students suggestions answer some of your questions about your poem? Who provided the most help? How will you use this the comments gather from this workshop experience when you go back to revise your poem?

After the final workshop session you will be given a few days to work on your poems. You've still got to make posts in your blogs, but in these posts I want to see you writing or revising a poem for the final submission. As was mentioned previously, you are expected to turn in two completed poems. Unlike your previous posts, these poems don't necessarily need to be twenty lines. With that said, if I get the impression while reading this that you might be trying to pass off some last minutes scribbles as a poem, then I will be in touch with you. From that point we will discuss the poem and try to come to an mutual understanding. What I am wanting to see in these poems is evidence that you gave this writing assignment your best effort. Just make a genuine effort at this task and I'll assure you your effort will be rewarded.

Now that I've finished my rather lengthy speech, lets write!

Test

Hello students, this is the end of our section about poetic devices. In two days I will post your unit test. In the meantime I would like to urge you to take this time and review the material. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.


*Note*
Two days later students would be given a link to a remote testing site where they would complete their test. I have attached a sample copy of the student's test.

Download Test

Personification

Personification

Personification is a figure of speech that gives animals, ideas, or inanimate objects human traits or abilities. These traits could be sensations, emotions, desires, physical gestures, expressions, and the power of speech. So, if I were to say “my car was happy to be washed”, I am attributing a human emotion onto a car, which is an example of personification.

The main purpose of personification is is to explain whats happening, how it is happening, and to give detailed imagery. I could simply write “the door creaked when I opened it”, or I could used personification and add some good imagery by saying “the door moaned in loud protest of being opened”. As you can see, the description that attributes personification onto the door contains more imagery.

Personification is all around us, in the news you will often hear governments and cooperations referred to with personification. Oftentimes these headlines will read like “China's economy is hungry for natural resources.” In my example China's economy it being depicted as being hungry.

Now it is time for an exercise in personification. Please click the “Stand Alone” icon located below. Listen to The Blue Oyster Cult's “Don't Fear The Reaper” while following along with the lyrics that I have provided. Watch for instances of personification.



Blue Oyster Cult Don´t Fear (the Reaper) Lyrics

All our times have come
Here but now they're gone
Seasons don't fear the reaper
Nor do the wind the sun or the rain (we can be like they are)
Come on baby (don't fear the reaper)
Baby take my hand (don't fear the reaper)
We'll be able to fly (don't fear the reaper)
Baby I'm your man
La-la-la-la-la-la-la la-la-la-la-la-la-la

Valentine is done
Here but now they're gone
Romeo and Juliet Are together in eternity (Romeo and Juliet)
40,000 men and women everyday (like Romeo and Juliet)
40,000 men and women everyday (redefine happiness)
Another 40,000 coming everyday (we can be like they are)
Come on baby (don't fear the reaper)
Baby take my hand (don't fear the reaper)
We'll be able to fly (don't fear the reaper)
Baby I'm your man
La-la-la-la-la-la-la la-la-la-la-la-la-la

Love of two is one
Here but now they're gone
Came the last night of sadness
And it was clear that she couldn't go on
Then the door was open and the wind appeared
The candles blew and then disappeared
The curtains flew and then he appeared (saying don't be afraid)
Come on baby (and she had no fear)
And she ran to him (then they started to fly)
They looked backwards and said goodbye (she had become like they are)
She had taken his hand (she had become like they are)
Come on baby (don't fear the reaper)

The two central images of personification in this song are the seasons (seasons can't fear) and death, which is portrayed as the Reaper. If you think about it, death has always been subject to personification. The earliest example of this that I can think of off hand is in the Bible, Psalm 23:4 “though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death...” The personification in this example being that death can cast a shadow.

Assignment

Rather than have you read a poem I have selected on personification, I want you to go out on the Internet and find me THREE poems that contain personification. In want you to copy/paste these poems into a word document and email them to me. Be sure that you include a description with each poem that describes how personification is used, and how it affects the poem as a whole.

Here are a few links you could use for your research.

http://www.poetry-online.org/

http://www.emule.com/poetry/?page=author_list

http://www.eliteskills.com/classics.php

Metaphor

Metaphor

A metaphor is a word or phrase which makes a comparison between two unlikely subjects. The comparison made by metaphors only make sense figuratively, and not literally. In the statement “My love is a rose” a metaphoric comparison is being made between the object of the speaker's love, and a rose. So does this mean that our speaker has an unhealthy attraction to plants? Of course not, this comparison is a figurative one. However, this figurative comparison does get at a deeper truth that explains the relationship between the speaker's 'love' and a 'rose'. Like a rose, love is a beautiful thing. Love can also be painful, as when one accidentally pricks their finger on the thorns attached to a rose.
The comparisons made in a metaphor add to the imagery of a poem and make comparisons between two unlike subjects that adds a deeper dynamic to a poem.

Read the following poem written by William Shakespeare entitled “The Seven Ages Of Man”. As you read along jot down instances where Shakespeare uses metaphor and explain what you believe Shakespeare is trying to say.

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.
And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel,
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lin'd,
With eyes severe, and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slipper'd pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side,
His youthful hose well sav'd a world too wide
For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.
In this poem Shakespeare uses the stage as a metaphor of life. This isn't necessarily surprising considering that Shakespeare was a play write.

Assignment
Download “The Season” by Jane Thompson and identify the poet's use of metaphor.

Simile

Simile
A simile is a figure of speech that makes an explicit comparison of two objects that are essentially unlike one another. Similes are made up of two parts: the thing being compared, the comparandum, and the thing by which the comparison is made, the comparatum.

Since there is a comparison being made in similes, they often rely on these words: like, as, or than.

You probably use similes (or at least hear them) nearly everyday. Here is a brief list that you may have heard. Many of these similes are so commonly used that they are considered cliche.

* busy as a bee
* clear as a bell
* cold as ice
* cute as a button
* dry as a bone
* dead as a doornail
* free as a bird
* high as a kite
* light as a feather
* sharp as a tack
* solid as a rock

To further illustrate what a simile is, this next poem was written by a teacher for the express purpose of teaching similes.

“Predictable”
by Bruce Lansky

Poor as a church mouse.
strong as an ox,
cute as a button,
smart as a fox.
thin as a toothpick,
white as a ghost,
fit as a fiddle,
dumb as a post.
bald as an eagle,
neat as a pin,
proud as a peacock,
ugly as sin.
When people are talking
you know what they'll say
as soon as they start to
use a cliché.

Normally I would have asked you to watch for similes, but you would have probably been more hard pressed to find a line that didn't have a simile.




Assignment

Download “A Red, Red Rose” by Robert Burns and answer the questions attached to the poem.

Hyperbole

Hyperbole

Hyperbole is figure of speech which relies upon exaggeration and overstatement. Hyperboles are not intended to be taken seriously and are often used to add humor to a piece. Poets often rely on hyperboles to describe intense emotions. It should go without saying that hyperboles are used in love poetry to describe longing for another. The statement “he or she ripped my heart out” is an example of a hyperbole.

While I was surfing the web, in preparation of this lesson, I came across a poem entitled “Death By Hyperbole” by Daniel Evans. I would like to share it with you now. While you read this poem take note of how Evans uses hyperbole to express the bounds of his love.

Death by Hyperbole
By Daniel Evans

Let Tsunamis wash over me and volcanoes explode on me, order fire to consume, the cold earth to entomb.
Invent diseases to sicken me, plagues that just pick on me, bring on tornadoes and hurricanes, send floods from all origins.

But please don't leave me.

Find vipers to bite, African elephants to smite, Grizzly bears to unbowel me [sic], Great White sharks to devour me, bulls to gore, piranhas that gnaw, birds (they can peck), what the heck, stampede herds that will trample, grow plants that can strangle.

Pay robbers to shoot me, offer knives while they loot me, use sticks and throw stones, just aim at my bones.

Call on henchmen to hurt me, tell your friends all about me, clone me then kill me twice, you might find that nice.

But please don't leave me.

Call elections to topple, send thugs to throttle, politicians to oppose, journalists to expose, doctors to section, lawyers to threaten, ask boffins to baffle me, perhaps the Merched could raffle me?

The Ancient Greeks should hear of me, they could record my vile history, get my name in the bible (snake) come, there's no time to be idle.
Buddha and Mohammed? They'll want to hear the things I did, Hindus too should be put in the frame, all religions be alert to my name.

But please don't leave me
because if you do, I will surely o.d.
on far too much hy-per'-bo-lee.

My favorite part about this poem is how it is structured around the premise of hyperbole. This poem acknowledges that it is a bit overstated, then revels in the fun. The fact that it rhymed and had a sing-song type of rhythm furthered my enjoyment of it.

Assignment

I have another fun little poem for you to read. This is another sonnet by William Shakespeare entitled “My Mistress' Eyes”. Once you've finished reading and answering answering the questions I've posted with it, please email it back to me


Download “My Mistress' Eyes” by William Shakespeare

Tone and Mood

Tone/Mood

The tone and mood of a poem refer the poet's or the poem's speaker's attitude toward a subject, or the mood it creates in readers. To create a certain mood, poets carefully select certain poetic devices to include in their pieces. If the poet intends that the poem have a galloping feel, then they can use repetition. To add a dark depressing feel to the poem, poets can use dark shadowy imagery.

Poets also interject certain verbal clues to give readers hints about how to feel on a certain subject. Poetic devices like hyperbole (exaggeration for dramatic effect) can add a comedic or sarcastic tone to a poem.

Next you will read a poem by WWI poem Wilfred Owen entitled “Dulce et Decorum Est”. Owen is perhaps the most well known of the WWI poets. He tragically died in battle a week before WWI ended. As you read “Dulce et Decorum Est” I want you to consider Owen's attitude toward the subject matter along with the mood it creates for you the reader. If you run across a word or term you are unfamiliar with, please look at the footnotes located directly below the poem.

I obtained a copy of this poem from a website dedicated to poetry from WWI. I would strongly suggest that everyone of you check out these poems and poets. Many of the poems you will find on this website were written on the battlefield.

DULCE ET DECORUM EST
Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind.
Gas! Gas! Quick, boys! – An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling,
And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime . . .
Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.
In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.
If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie; Dulce et Decorum est
Pro patria mori.

8 October 1917 - March, 1918
DULCE ET DECORUM EST - the first words of a Latin saying (taken from an ode by Horace). The words were widely understood and often quoted at the start of the First World War. They mean "It is sweet and right." The full saying ends the poem: Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori - it is sweet and right to die for your country. In other words, it is a wonderful and great honour to fight and die for your country

Every time I read this poem I find myself caught up in the imagery Owen used to describe the unfortunate soldier's death. I swear I can almost see this guy clutching his throat gurgling for help. So, based upon the imagery that Owen uses to describe this element of battle, what would you say is Owen's opinion of war? Does Owen's portrayal of death reinforce the poem's title Dulce et Decorum Est?

I personally find this poem to have a very anti-war message. Owen reinforces this message by describing the brutal death of a fellow soldier and comparing it to “the old lie” Dulce et Decorum Est (It is sweet and honourable to die for one's country ). There was nothing 'sweet' in witnessing a person drown because their lungs filled up with fluid.

Assignment
Now that I have throughly depressed you, lets talk about fishing. The poem that you are going to have to read tonight for homework is by Elizabeth Bishop and it is entitled “The Fish”. Once you've finished the assignment please email it back to me,

Download Elizabeth Bishop's “The Fish"

Imagery

Imagery

Imagery is the arrangement of words or phrases to invoke any sense or combination of senses. The imagery that poets use can, in ways, be considered a verbal picture that readers perceive with our mind's eyes, ears, nose, tongue, or skin.
Imagery is essential in poetry. Imagery provides readers a with a point they can reference with. Are you writing about being in love? If so then you could include images in your poem like 'bright blue skies' and 'roses blooming'. These types of happy images help set the mood of the poem. So, depending upon your desired outcome, it would be wise for you as a poet to carefully select images to help the reader along.

Let us take a moment to examine “Fire and Ice” by Robert Frost to see how he uses imagery.

“Fire and Ice”

SOME say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To know that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

What are the two central images in this poem? I'll give you a hint, look at the title.

Why are fire and ice so symbolic of the desire and hate that Frost claims will destroy the world?

Where else have you seen this type of symbolic imagery used?


This is my take on the poem, if you have a different take, please let me know. My interpretations are not the the only answer. If you take something else from this poem, I would love to hear it. Thats the great thing about poetry, since each one of us is approaching these poems from a different perspective, we each see something different.
Anyway, back to my interpretation, Frost links desire with fire because fire consumes. When Frost says the world would end by fire, he is saying that our desires will consume this world. If you are approaching this poem from a Judo-Christian perspective, then perhaps Frost is saying that humanity will become immoral like Sodom and Gomorrah and be destroyed by God. It could also be approached from the standpoint that man's desire for resources, land, power, and control will lead the world to extinction.
As for Frost's symbolic use of ice and hate, I am reminded of an old Klingon quote from Star Trek that said “revenge is a dish best served cold”. It seems like humanity has associated hate with being cold. Ever heard the expression that someone is as cold as ice? That does not necessarily mean that they have a temperature below the point of freezing, it just means that they are cruel, and devoid of emotions. So rather than saying that the world will perish in another ice-age, Frost's use of ice underscores the hate that he has also mentioned.

Assignment

Your assignment for tonight is to read a rather lengthy poem by T.S. Eliot entitled “The Wasteland”. This poem is jam-packed with imagery. After reading this poem, I want you to write five instances in which Eliot uses imagery and explain the affect that this imagery has on the poem.

Download T.S. Eliot's “The Wasteland”

Alliteration

Alliteration

Alliteration occurs when the same initial consonant sound of words is repeated in close succession. For alliteration to occur, these consonant sounds must occur in close proximity to one another. So, in the tongue-twister “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers” the 'p' consonant present at the beginning of these words is an instance of alliteration. Don't always rely upon the spelling of words to indicate whether a grouping of words is an instance of alliteration. Words like fish and physics are alliteration while words like ten and thin are not. As always, it is important for the readers of poetry recite the poem to appreciate the artistic merits of the poet.

Now, lets examine Theodore Waltz's “My Papa's Waltz”

The whiskey on your breath
Could make a small boy dizzy;
But I hung on like death:
Such waltzing was not easy.

We romped until the pans
Slid from the kitchen shelf;
My mother’s countenance
Could not unfrown itself.

The hand that held my wrist
Was battered on one knuckle;
At every step you missed
My right ear scraped a buckle.

You beat time on my head
With a palm caked hard by dirt,
Then waltzed me off to bed
Still clinging to your shirt.

This poem does an excellent job of illustrating how effective alliteration is at getting across a certain type of feeling. Sound devices like alliteration, consonance, and assonance do not occur by accident, poets use these types of devices to enhance the language's effect on the reader. Anyway, back to the poem at hand, the first thing that I would like to point out is that a waltz is a type of ballroom dance. Secondly, what is this poem about? From the opening line the poet informs readers that his father has been drinking. The last line in that stanza indicates that the poet's father's waltz (steps) was “not easy”. So apparently this man is walking with great difficulty. Throughout the rest of this poem the poet continues to describe his drunken father leading him around in this waltz. So were the father and son really dancing? No, the poet is using the notion of the waltz as a representation of his father's drinking habits. In the waltz, two people join hands and dance around in a circular pattern. The poet is using this circular image of the waltz as a representation of how his father drunkenness was a reoccurring pattern.

Now that I've described my interpretation of the poem, lets examine those highlighted moments of alliteration. Notice the pattern of alliteration, the 'w' 'w' followed 'm' 'm' and so forth. The alliteration of this poem is used to imitate two people waltzing. The father takes a step left (your first 'w'), the boy takes a step (the second 'w'). So through alliteration the poet quite cleverly uses language as dance steps. This of course adds to the general theme set by the poem's title.

Assignment

Today you are going to read Percy Bysshe Shelly's “The Cloud” and mark instances of alliteration. When you finished with this task email the document back to me.


Download Percy Bysshe Shelly's “The Cloud”

Consonance

Consonance
Consonance is the repetition of the same end consonant sounds at the end of words. Do not confuse this with assonance or alliteration. Assonance as you will remember, deals with vowel sounds. Please examine the following sentence for it's use of consonance.

She gave the big dog a hug.

See how easy that was? A casual glance at that sentence would reveal that the consonant 'g' sound was being continually repeated. When looking for consonance in poetry it is important to not just rely upon your eyes, sometimes word endings that produce the same consonant sound do not always end in the same spelling. Take for example the following quote from Edgar Allen Poe's “The Raven”.

"And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain"

Notice how many of the instances of consonance that I highlighted ended with 'n' except for 'rustling' which ended in a 'ing'? If you were simply looking at the spelling of words as indicators of consonance, then there is the possibility that you may overlook something.

I know I mentioned this previously, but one of the key features of consonance is that it is located at the end of words. If you notice a consonant at the beginning of a word, it is known as alliteration. We will go over alliteration in a later lesson.

Assignment
Your assignment for the day is to examine Emily Dickinson's “He Fumbles At Your Spirit” for instances of consonance. I'll give you a hint, there is just one occurrence of it throughout the poem (meaning that it is located in just one stanza). Once you find this occurrence of consonance, give me a written explanation as to why you believe that this example represents consonance.

Download
Emily Dickinson's “He Fumbles At Your Spirit”

Assonance

Assonance
Assonance occurs when the vowel sound in a word matches the same sound in a nearby word. An example of assonance can be found in the following phrase “fleet feet sweep by sleeping geeks”. See how the E vowel sound is present in each of these words?

Now that we have a basic understanding of assonance, examine the following poem “She Walks In Beauty” by Lord Byron.

SHE WALKS IN BEAUTY


She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellow'd to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impair'd the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o'er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.

And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,
So soft, so calm, so eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!

As you can see, I have went over this poem and highlighted instances of assonance. In these three stanzas we find instances of 'i', 'a', and 'o' assonance. Notice that I didn't highlight every 'i','a', and 'o' present in the poem. The reason for this is that these letters do not always present the same vowel sound.

An interesting thing about assonance and consonance (we will be going over that later) is that they are commonly used poetic forms in rap music. Observe the lyrical content from these lines of Eminem's hit single “Loose Yourself”.

Snap back to reality, Oh there goes gravity Oh there goes Rabbit, he choked He's so mad, but he won't give up that easy No he won't have it, he knows his whole back city's ropes It don't matter, he's dope He knows that, but he's broke He's so stacked that he knows When he goes back to his mobile home, that's when it's Back to the lab again yo This whole rap city He better go capture this moment and hope it don't pass him

What other instances of assonance can you find in this poem?



Assignment

Download the following word document containing a poem by Edgar Allen Poe, “Annabel Lee”.
Correctly identify every instance of assonance in the poem.
Email me the poem back.

DOWNLOAD Edgar Allen Poe's “Annabel Lee”

Rhyme

Rhyme and Rhyme Scheme

If I were to ask you to describe to me what a poem was, what would you say? If you don't have an answer to this question, don't worry. If you were to ask me the same question I would be hard-pressed to come up with an answer myself. The truth is that poetry can take take on many different shapes and forms, depending upon the era in which it is written. Back in Shakespeare's day people wrote poetry in a form know as the sonnet, today poets practice a wide assortment of poetic forms. Rather than concentrate on various poetic styles, this part of the poetry unit will instead be more concerned with the poetic devices thats poets rely.

Returning to the question I asked earlier, would many of you have said that a poem has to rhyme? While it is not necessary that a poem must rhyme, rhyme schemes were (and still are in some cases) a very important part of poetry. Some of my first experiences with poetry are heavily steeped in rhyme. Take for example this shinning poetic example from my childhood.

Roses are red
Violets are blue
You look like a monkey
And smell like one too

Lovely isn't it? Do you see the rhymes in this poem? The word 'red' and 'monkey ' rhyme with one another (at the the vowel E sound does) while 'blue' and 'too' do as well.

I am well aware that probably everyone of you has had some form of experience with rhymes. If you've ever turned on the radio, chances are that you have heard the singer of some song using rhymes. Rhymes are nothing new to you. The next term I intend on discussing with you, rhyme schemes, is probably something else you are familiar with. Returning to my rather juvenile poetic example, examine the rhyme scheme. See how every other line rhymes with one another? This particular poem has an a-b-a-b rhyme scheme.

Roses are red (a)
Violets are blue (b)
You look like a monkey (a)
And smell like one too (b)

There are quite a few rhyme schemes out there. Wikipedia lists several of them on their website (www.wikipedia.org). GO there and check out these various forms, many of them are quite elaborate.

Intro

Hello class and welcome to the poetry unit of your Junior English course. Poetry is a passion of mine, and I am thankful to have this opportunity to discuss poetry with you. During the duration of this unit, you will be given an opportunity to both learn about and write poetry. We will begin your poetry experience by examining the use of commonly used poetic devices in some well-known poems. At the midpoint of this unit, after your POETRY TEST, the focus of this class will shift from learning about poetry to writing poetry. Throughout the remainder of this unit you will be expected to engage in daily writing exercises and poetry workshops. At the end of the unit, you will submit a portfolio containing ten completed poems.

Now that you have some brief idea about what will be going on during this unit, please allow me to elaborate more upon the writing portion of this class. While the class is engaged in the writing portion of this unit you will be expected to keep a daily writing journal. The purpose of this journal is to develop your poetry. Everyday you will be expected to devote some time to your poetry writing. Writing can be an especially daunting task that is difficult to start. To aid you in your writings I will be posting daily writing activities for you to engage in. Please feel free to use my prompts or write whatever comes to mind.

While I seriously hate to do this, I will have to insist that you write at least 20 lines of poetry each day. I used to be a student once, and I am well aware that if I don't impose a standard there may be a few students submitting one-line or one-word poems. Writing poetry is just like an activity, it takes practice to become better.

It is my most sincere goal to help you all develop as writers. To aid us in this quest we will be establishing a writing community in this class. As part of this community, we will be engaging in a practice that many professional poets refer to as “work shopping”. When poets workshop a poem, they basically gather as a group and discuss a poem in-depth, oftentimes pointing out particular strengths and weaknesses present in the poem. Together we will view one another's poems and offer our fellow classmates constructive feedback.

Before we get started, there are a few things I need you to do.

First off you need to go to WordPress's website and sign up for a free blog. After you have created a your blog I will need you to email me the link.

Next you need to download the SharpReader. The SharpReader is an Rss aggregator(gator) program we will use during the poetry writing section. This program will allow you to keep track of your fellow classmates blog posts.

Finally you will receive list of your fellow classmates blogs from me via email. Take these blog addresses and enter them into you SharpReader.

If you have any question or problems during this setup please email me.

Thanks for your time. I look forward to working with you.