Strange Love Poems

Shakespeare Gets Unconventional!

• “My Mistress’ Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun” p. 501

• Open separate power point presentation

Margaret Atwood: “You Fit Into Me” p. 526• This short poem works by upsetting the

reader’s conventional expectations.• What positive associations does Atwood expect

readers to have with the phrase “you fit into me”?

• This poem works in three parts, each unsettles the readers conventional expectations further:

• “like a hook into an eye” – AT FIRST refers to clothing clasp called “hook and eye clasp—most common on bras:

• The minimalism of the 3rd and 4th lines are meant to shock the reader• What is the outlook on love in this poem?

Metaphysical Poetry • The Metaphysical Poets were active during the

17th century (the 1600's). • They were, above all, concerned with

inventiveness and ingenuity of metaphor, (remember our discussion of "wit" from earlier) and they fully explored the implications of saying that two unlike things are the same. • This tends to make the metaphors and similes in

metaphysical poetry very striking and unusual. • John Donne and Andrew Marvell are two of the

most recognizable Metaphysical poets. • Check out Andrew Marvell’s love poem “To His Coy

Mistress”

"The Flea" by John Dunne p.672

• What is the argument that this poem makes? (and YES, it is a strange one…)

• How does the poet use the death of the flea to enhance that argument?

• How does this poem fit in with the definition of “metaphysical” poetry we just learned?

Extra Credit Writing Bonus: Write a “love poem” using as many "disgusting" words as you can.

Possible GROSS word list: • Wormy• Bloody• Oozing• Pimple• Puss• Snail• Slime• Mucus• Rust• Moldy• Rotting

“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”p. 674-677

• Discussed on a separate power point that you can download from the blog.

• T.S. Eliot writes VERY complex poetry—we could spend an entire class discussing JUST this poem. • Sadly, we don’t have the time. • BUT if you want to understand this poem better,

watch the power point!

Homework for Tuesday: How to Get Your Short Story Reading:“To Build a Fire” by Jack London• http://london.sonoma.edu/Writings/LostFace/fire.html

• Make sure you copy this address EXACTLY (with the capitals) or it won’t work!!

Homework for TuesdayTuesday, March 17—Topics: Themes Across Genres: Nature

Homework Due:1. Read Short Story: Jack London’s “To Build a Fire” http://

london.sonoma.edu/Writings/LostFace/fire.html2. Read introduction “Poems About Nature p. 629-630 3. Read 2 Poems: William Wordsworth “I wandered lonely as

a cloud” p.630, and William Stafford “Traveling through the Dark” p. 635

• Don’t forget! I gave you guys an extension on the essay, so you are turning that in on Tuesday as well. • That doesn’t mean you don’t need to read the short story or the

two poems!