Poetry Unit

En 501Name __________________________ Period 8

Introduction date _______

1. Respond to the following questions:

What is poetry?

What are vital attributes to the poetry genre?

How does one go about writing a poem?

2. Read the following poem and complete the following:a. Mark parts of the poem that “speak to you”b. Write a brief reaction to the poem and be prepared to share

in discussion!

I Dont Write Poetry!

Eric Cockrell

i dont write poetry...i sweat poetry, i drink poetry, i breathe poetry, i make love to poetry, i fight poetry, i eat poetry, i bleed poetry, i crap poetry...too often i betray poetry, sometimes i drop poetry.once i tripped over poetry, got angry and kicked poetry.i rocked poetry on a sleepless night, i buried poetry on the hill...i lived poetry, for i am poetry...

no, i dont write poetry, but poetry writes me!

Poetry Unit

En 501

Poems about Poetry date _______

Directions: In the space below, write 3 poems about poetry. Your poems should convey:

your feelings about poetry, what you believe poetry is, Why you write poetry.

If you’re struggling for a start… Start your 1st poem with the line “Poetry is”

Poetry Unit

En 501

Poetry CatalystsBuild a poem around the PROVIDED line. You may only add up to 25 MORE words to the original prompt. The prompt may appear ANYWHERE in the piece, but it is only “free” (word-count wise) once.

Practice Prompt date ______On the wings of a pale green butterfly

Catalyst # 1 focus on IMAGERY date________Holding my small hand

Catalyst # 2 focus on IMAGERY date _______We wait to change our mask

Poetry Unit

En 501

Catalyst # 3 focus on SIMILE & MATAPHOR date _______I am making a house

Catalyst # 4 focus on SIMILE & METAPHOR date _______You are not forgiven

Catalyst # 5 EXTENDED METAPHOR date _______My soul is a river

Poetry Unit

En 501

Haiku date ______

Structure Line 1: 5 syllables Line 2: 7 syllables Line 3: 5 syllables

Content Traditional Haikus are about nature Modern Haikus are about a variety of topics BOTH juxtapose two images or ideas

Activity Practice with “Flash Card” poetry Write 2 TRADITIONAL Haikus (about nature) Write 2 MODERN Haikus Final copies should be TYPED

PracticeFLASH CARD POETRYWrite 3 flash card Haikus in the space below.

Poetic Device Notes & Practice

Poetry Unit

En 501Imagery

PRACTICE

Simile & Metaphor

PRACTICE

Acrostic date _________

Structure

Poetry Unit

En 501 The poem is built off of a BASE WORD That BASE WORD should also be the last word of the poem

Content Your BASE WORD should be an idea or concept.

Example Harsh words cut through my soulAs tears run down my faceThe world around me stops Even now – I hate hate.

Practice Write 2 poems using the base word HATE

Activity Write 2 Acrostic poems about the topic of your choice Final copies should be TYPED

PracticeHATE POEMS

Shape & Concrete Poems date _______

Structure written in the shape of the object it is about

Poetry Unit

En 501

Content Your IMAGE should be a symbolic object

Example Type # 1 (outline) Type # 2 (filled)

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx

xxxxxx xxx

Activity write 2 shape/concrete poems

1 type # 1 (outline only) 1 type # 2 (typed, filled-in shape)

Final Copy of FILLED poem should be typed

Poetry Analysis: “The First Book” date _________

Directions

Poetry Unit

En 501 Read the poem and take notes on meaning, literary devices, and

personal reactions.

Activity Create a 1-page, typed (1.5 spacing), thesis-based formal

analysis in which you discuss this piece using evidence from the text.

The First BookRita Dove

Open it.

Go ahead, it won’t bite.Well…maybe a little.

More a nip, like. A tingle.It’s pleasurable, really.

You see, it keeps on opening.You may fall in.

Sure, it’s hard to get started;remember learning to use

knife and fork? Dig in:you’ll never reach bottom.

It’s not like it’s the end of the world –just the world as you think

you know it.

Your analysis will be a standard essay

Introduction w/ a thesis Body paragraphs w/ textual evidence (lines from the poem)

Poetry Unit

En 501 Conclusion

Things to consider in your analysis:

Poetic devices

Personification Alliteration Allusion Theme Imagery Simile

Metaphor Repetition Symbol Rhyme scheme Structure

Some Other Things to Consider

Personal reaction to the piece

Underlying meaning/Alternate meaning

Tone

Do you like the piece? Why?

Incorporating Quotes

o Include specific lines from the poem to support your analysis.

o Put the line in “ “ and where there is a line break in the poem, use a / to indicate that.

o Because this is an analysis about ONE POEM, make sure the poem title and poet name appear in the introduction. No other citation is necessary

o Be sure to remember the acronym I.C.E when incorporating quotes. Introduce – Cite – Explain

Diamonte date _________

Poetry Unit

En 501Structure

Line 1 = one noun

Line 2 = two adjectives

Line 3 = three verbs ending in –ing

Line 4 = four nouns

Line 5 = three different verbs ending in –ing

Line 6 = two adjectives (different than line 2)

Line 7 = one noun (different than line 1)

Content

This poem works best with a concept

Practice Use the lists provided to create a Diamonte

Activity Write 2 original Diamonte poems

Final copies need to be typed

Nouns Adjectives -ing verbs

Poetry Unit

En 501

Love PencilHate bikeBlessing birdRing heartBeauty ghostPen beePaper farmerThought sightSchool faithHomeVacationSnowCoffeeDogHatMoosePhoneBookBoredom

Beautiful fabulousFat colorfulBitter fluidSweet smartStinky sassySoft importantHarsh blandSparkly terribleBright simpleDark complexLavish peacefulSmall looseGiant aliveRigid jealousColossal mysteriousCute richcuddly vastPowerful clumsy

Growing yellingRunning watchingJumping waitingCrying planningLaughing partingSeeing workingBelieving stoppingWriting lyingLearning holdingSleeping meetingTasting sittingKeeping standingTalking livingListening helpingShining skiingGlowing lickingSmiling crawlingFrowning quivering

Rondeau date ________

Structure

15 lines: broken into 3 stanzas 5-4-6

Poetry Unit

En 5011. A (Refrain)

2. a

3. b

4. b

5. a

6. a

7. a

8. b

9. R

10.a

11.a

12.b

13.b

14.a

15.R

PRACTICEDirections: Label the following poem based on the above structure.

We Wear the MaskBy Paul Lawrence Dunbar

WE wear the mask that grins and lies,     It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes, —     This debt we pay to human guile;     With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,     And mouth with myriad subtleties.

    Why should the world be over-wise,     In counting all our tears and sighs?     Nay, let them only see us, while             We wear the mask.

    We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries     To thee from tortured souls arise.     We sing, but oh the clay is vile     Beneath our feet, and long the mile;     But let the world dream otherwise,             We wear the mask!

ACTIVITY Write an original Rondeau

Final copy should be typed

Villanelle date ________

Structure19 lines: 5 triplets (3 lines) & 1 quatrain (4 lines)

Poetry Unit

En 5011. A1

2. b

3. A2

4. a

5. b

6. A1

7. a

8. b

9. A2

10. a

11. b

12. A1

13. a

14. b

15. A2

16. a

17. b

18. A1

19. A2

A1 & A2 are REFRAINS

PRACTICEDirections: Label the following poem based on the above structure.

Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night by Dylan Thomas

Do not go gentle into that good night,Old age should burn and rave at close of day;Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,Because their words had forked no lightning theyDo not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how brightTheir frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sightBlind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.Do not go gentle into that good night.Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

ACTIVITY

Write an original Villanelle Final copy should be typed

Imitating PoetsImitating the poetry of famous authors can be a great way to practice writing poetry. In the novel, Love That Dog by Sharon Creech, a boy named Jack, who is the narrator of the story, imitates that famous poem by William Carlos Williams entitled "The Red Wheelbarrow."

Poetry Unit

En 501The Red Wheelbarrowby William Carlos Williams

so much dependsupon

a red wheelbarrow

glazed with rainwater

beside the whitechickens.

Imitation

so much dependsupon

a blue car

splattered with mud

speeding down theroad

As the reader will find out later, an important event occurs in Jack's life related to the blue car, and so Jack's imitation of the Williams' poem works well for style as well as content.

Assignment Directions: Using teacher provided pieces, find 3 poems that you like and write an imitation of each. The poem should be at least 8-10 lines in length. If the original poem that you choose to imitate is longer than this, you may choose to imitate just a few stanzas instead. The poem you create should reflect your poet's style, including the following:

the form or type of poem, whether sonnet, ballad, narrative, lyric, free verse, or other

specific words and phrases that create sensory images

sound elements of poetry that contribute to meaning (i.e. rhyme, rhyme scheme, rhythm, alliteration, assonance, consonance, meter, etc.)

use of poetic or literary devices such as repetition, imagery, dialogue, point of view, allusion, parallelism, juxtaposition, etc.

the use of other figurative language (i.e., similes, metaphors, personification, hyperbole)

Some imitations are done in a humorous way; as with other literature, these are called parodies. If you wish, your imitation may be a parody, rather than a serious imitation. (See back for example of a poem imitation that is a parody based on Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “The Raven.”)

Your imitations should be typed and you should the title of the original poem (the one you are imitating) with your own original imitation.

Excerpt from “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe:

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,

Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.`'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, `tapping at my

Poetry Unit

En 501chamber door -Only this, and nothing more.'

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.Eagerly I wished the morrow; - vainly I had sought to borrowFrom my books surcease of sorrow - sorrow for the lost Lenore -For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named Lenore Nameless here for evermore.

And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtainThrilled me - filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating`'Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door -Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door; -This it is, and nothing more,'

Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,`Sir,' said I, `or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,That I scarce was sure I heard you' - here I opened wide the door; -Darkness there, and nothing more.

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream beforeBut the silence was unbroken, and the darkness gave no token,

And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, `Lenore!'This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, `Lenore!'Merely this and nothing more.

“A School Day” (Parody of Poe’s “Raven”)

Once upon a school day rottenCame some bullies and they were plot'nTo mop my head across the bathroom floorA mop mop mopping across the bathroom floorOnly this and nothing more

When all of a sudden there came a rappingA tap tap tapping on the bathroom doorOnly my head and nothing more

I started to scream to show my displeasurebut they wanted to open my head like some kind of treasureand spill the contents across the bathroom floor.Only this and nothing more

Oh won't these bullies please let me beI promise I'll give them all of my moneyand after they wiped me across the bathroom floorthey took this and nothing more.

So they just quit the beating right out of the blueI guess it was because school's out it's five after twobut they dismissed it as if they were now boredonly this and nothing more

Copyright: Penman

Poetry Unit

En 501

Centodate ________

Structure

A “patchwork” poem that takes lines or phrases from many different poems from the same poet and combines them into a new piece.

Content

The content of these types of poems varies and is driven by the pieces that you select to “sew” back together

Practice Using the Sonia Sanchez poems provided, create a 5-10 line Cento.

Activity Write TWO Centos a minimum of 20 lines each

Choose from the following

Langston Hughes poems

e.e.cummings poems

Rita Dove poems

Walt Whitman Poems

Final copies must be typed

Poetry Unit

En 501

Free Formdate ________

Structure

Divided into stanzas

Has a pleasant rhythm & flow

Content

Varies

Activity Write a free form poem about each of the following topics:

Bullying (the act, the feeling associated with, combating it)

One of the seasons

A person

A part of the life cycle (birth, childhood, young adulthood, adulthood, elder years, death)

A tragic or comedic event

A mundane activity

Final copies should be typed