Our discussion of poetry has been limited, and many people are apprehensive about the final exam. Most final exams require that you study intensely prior to the test; this final will require a different form of “study,” more akin to divergent, critical thinking than memorizing poetic terms or struggling to analyze obscure metaphors or symbols.
Preparation for your final in English 1102 needs to be done in advance; the writing can either be done in class, the day of the final OR in advance and turned in the day of the final. It must be a hard copy, not emailed. Length required: 2-3 pages for each part.
50 pts. - Part I: What does poetry look like? In The Poetry Toolkit by Mark Polonsky, the author tells a story about watching a football game with his father. After watching Terry Bradshaw’s passing attack on the football field, Polonsky’s father remarked: “That was poetry” (2). Polonsky goes on to say that what his father was doing, though unintentionally, was creating a comparison between what we think of as poetry and the passing ability of Terry Bradshaw, with both exhibiting grace, unpredictability and a kind of beauty.
Find and print an illustration that YOU feel is a metaphoric representation of poetry. It can be a famous (or not) painting, a photograph, or a drawing—again, a drawing or photograph that is well known or one you or a friend may have created. (Do NOT hand in original artwork; make a Xerox copy.) Print, copy, tape or glue your illustration to a cover sheet with the source either below it or on the back of the sheet—you can simply give the URL, if you want to, rather than the full bibliographic citation.
On the next page, write no more than a 2-3 page essay (at least 2 full pages), in MLA format, explaining WHY the illustration defines poetry to YOU. It does not have to define poetry as Polonsky does or as anyone else does, but it does have to be a real and legitimate reflection of your own definition of poetry.
50 pts. - Part II. What’s in a song? Find a contemporary song that has meaningful lyrics to you; you need NOT explain why the lyrics are meaningful. Place the lyrics on its own cover sheet, again with the source or the URL. Take the questions we’ve used in class to analyze poetry, answer those questions in relation to the song, and write a 2-3 page (at least 2 full pages) analysis based on those lyrics. The key to this essay if finding meaningful lyrics, lyrics that express a theme and that lend themselves to scrutiny. You’re looking for a song that SAYS something, that has some DEPTH, that appeals to the prefrontal cortex (the thinking brain), as well as the limbic area of the brain (or the emotional brain).
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
English 1102 Final info.
For your final exam in 1102, I plan to give you 3 poems that you have not previously seen (at least not in this class). Using the questions for poetry analysis, I'll ask you to write your thoughts, ideas, etc., directly on the hand-out of the poem you choose and to write an analysis from your notes and the poem.
1. That means you won't have to study for the final, since you will not have a poem you've studied in class.
2. You will need to do real thinking that day
3. You'll be expressing your ideas in an analysis--which is what English 1102 really is all about.
AND, YES - - you can do this, even if you hate poetry with every fiber of your being. The more you read poetry and think about it between now and then, the better prepared you will be for the final.
1. That means you won't have to study for the final, since you will not have a poem you've studied in class.
2. You will need to do real thinking that day
3. You'll be expressing your ideas in an analysis--which is what English 1102 really is all about.
AND, YES - - you can do this, even if you hate poetry with every fiber of your being. The more you read poetry and think about it between now and then, the better prepared you will be for the final.
Wild Geese by Mary Oliver
Wild Geese by Mary Oliver
You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about your despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting --
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.
NOTE: this poem can be divided into five sections; paraphrase each of the following sections:
lines 1-3; 4-5; 6-7; 8-13; 14-18
You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about your despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting --
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.
NOTE: this poem can be divided into five sections; paraphrase each of the following sections:
lines 1-3; 4-5; 6-7; 8-13; 14-18
Sunday, April 17, 2011
For Contemplation
-- written by Max Ehrmann in the 1920s --
Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
POEMS for Study
Not Waving But Drowning
By Stevie Smith
Nobody heard him, the dead man,
But still he lay moaning:
I was much further out than you thought
And not waving but drowning.
Poor chap, he always loved larking
And now he's dead
It must have been too cold for him his heart gave way,
They said.
Oh, no no no, it was too cold always
(Still the dead one lay moaning)
I was much too far out all my life
And not waving but drowning.
The Gift
by Li-Young Lee
To pull the metal splinter from my palm
my father recited a story in a low voice.
I watched his lovely face and not the blade.
Before the story ended, he'd removed
the iron sliver I thought I'd die from.
my father recited a story in a low voice.
I watched his lovely face and not the blade.
Before the story ended, he'd removed
the iron sliver I thought I'd die from.
I can't remember the tale,
but hear his voice still, a well
of dark water, a prayer.
And I recall his hands,
two measures of tenderness
he laid against my face,
the flames of discipline
he raised above my head.
but hear his voice still, a well
of dark water, a prayer.
And I recall his hands,
two measures of tenderness
he laid against my face,
the flames of discipline
he raised above my head.
Had you entered that afternoon
you would have thought you saw a man
planting something in a boy's palm,
a silver tear, a tiny flame.
Had you followed that boy
you would have arrived here,
where I bend over my wife's right hand.
you would have thought you saw a man
planting something in a boy's palm,
a silver tear, a tiny flame.
Had you followed that boy
you would have arrived here,
where I bend over my wife's right hand.
Look how I shave her thumbnail down
so carefully she feels no pain.
Watch as I lift the splinter out.
I was seven when my father
took my hand like this,
and I did not hold that shard
between my fingers and think,
Metal that will bury me,
christen it Little Assassin,
Ore Going Deep for My Heart.
And I did not lift up my wound and cry,
Death visited here!
I did what a child does
when he's given something to keep.
I kissed my father.
so carefully she feels no pain.
Watch as I lift the splinter out.
I was seven when my father
took my hand like this,
and I did not hold that shard
between my fingers and think,
Metal that will bury me,
christen it Little Assassin,
Ore Going Deep for My Heart.
And I did not lift up my wound and cry,
Death visited here!
I did what a child does
when he's given something to keep.
I kissed my father.
A man said to the universe by Stephen Crane
A man said to the universe:"Sir I exist!"
"However," replied the universe,
"The fact has not created in me
A sense of obligation."
Stone Dragon
By Sally Y. WeberIf fear rules you
it can stop you from living.
It lies in wait to ensnare you
To bind you fast in your tracks
Keeping you from your destiny,
whatever that may be.
It’s all in your imagination
the fear of failure.
How can you succeed
unless you go out and do!
That thing which
you are afraid of...
It is only false evidence
appearing real.
When fear entraps you
immobilizing you,
you’ve become a
great stone dragon,
with all your power
trapped inside.
Take that fright by the horns
and wrestle it down.
Grit your teeth
and show your gumption.
Break the mold!
Get out!
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Apply the Questions on the Worksheet to the poem by Mary Oliver below:
The Journey
One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice --
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
"Mend my life!"
each voice cried.
But you didn't stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations,
though their melancholy
was terrible.
It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.
But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do --
determined to save
the only life you could save.
One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice --
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
"Mend my life!"
each voice cried.
But you didn't stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations,
though their melancholy
was terrible.
It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.
But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do --
determined to save
the only life you could save.
~ Mary Oliver ~
Poetry Analysis Worksheet
Poetry Analysis Worksheet
Working through these questions will help you better understand a poem or a song used as poetry. We are NOT going to study the history of poetry or specific types of poems, and the poets we read will be relatively contemporary.
1. What does the title mean?
Take a look at the title and reflect on what it means. (You will need this for the introductory paragraph.)
2. Put it in your own words
Read the poem two or three times; make sure you take the time to read the poem aloud. You will see something different each time you read the poem. Write a brief paraphrase of the poem. Highlight or list some of the words (nouns, verbs, phrases) that are important to understanding the poem.
3.Now think about the meaning of the poem, not just the obvious meaning of each word but what they mean beyond the literal. Do these words suggest something else?
Answer these questions and provide evidence—lines, words, phrases from the poem--for your answers:
• Who is the speaker of the poem?
• What is he/she talking about?
• Why do you think the author wrote the poem?
• When is the poem happening and where is the poem happening—what is the context?
• What is the poet’s attitude or tone in the poem?
• How does the poem shift from person to person or between different times or places
Most poems tell us about a poet’s understanding of an experience so the beginning will be different then the end. The change or shift may be in feelings, language (slang to formal), or connotation (positive to negative). Explain how these shifts convey the poem’s message.
4. Poetic devices—we are looking at only the most common:
Identify different poetic devices and how they convey the poem’s message.
• Simile – comparison using like or as
• Metaphor – a direct comparison
• Personification – giving human qualities to nonhuman things
• Tone – what emotion does the speaker use as he talks
• Point of view – who is the telling the poem
• Imagery – creating pictures with words
• Alliteration – repeating the same letter
5. Theme
Identify the theme (central idea) of the poem. How does the theme convey the poem’s message?
6. Look at the title again
Now look at the title again. Do you now have a different interpretation of the title?
7. Begin writing your analysis
Start with the introductory paragraph. It should contain the title, the author, and an explanation of the writer’s position as well as the significance of the title. Include a brief overall statement of the meaning of the poem. This will lead you into the body of the analysis. In the body of the analysis, discuss how the poem was written, which poetic devices were used, the tone, the poet’s attitude, and the shift of the poem from the beginning to the poet’s ultimate understanding of the experience in the end. Add your interpretation of the poem.
Copyright 2009 IRA/NCTE. All rights reserved.
ReadWriteThink materials may be reproduced for educational purposes.
Working through these questions will help you better understand a poem or a song used as poetry. We are NOT going to study the history of poetry or specific types of poems, and the poets we read will be relatively contemporary.
1. What does the title mean?
Take a look at the title and reflect on what it means. (You will need this for the introductory paragraph.)
2. Put it in your own words
Read the poem two or three times; make sure you take the time to read the poem aloud. You will see something different each time you read the poem. Write a brief paraphrase of the poem. Highlight or list some of the words (nouns, verbs, phrases) that are important to understanding the poem.
3.Now think about the meaning of the poem, not just the obvious meaning of each word but what they mean beyond the literal. Do these words suggest something else?
Answer these questions and provide evidence—lines, words, phrases from the poem--for your answers:
• Who is the speaker of the poem?
• What is he/she talking about?
• Why do you think the author wrote the poem?
• When is the poem happening and where is the poem happening—what is the context?
• What is the poet’s attitude or tone in the poem?
• How does the poem shift from person to person or between different times or places
Most poems tell us about a poet’s understanding of an experience so the beginning will be different then the end. The change or shift may be in feelings, language (slang to formal), or connotation (positive to negative). Explain how these shifts convey the poem’s message.
4. Poetic devices—we are looking at only the most common:
Identify different poetic devices and how they convey the poem’s message.
• Simile – comparison using like or as
• Metaphor – a direct comparison
• Personification – giving human qualities to nonhuman things
• Tone – what emotion does the speaker use as he talks
• Point of view – who is the telling the poem
• Imagery – creating pictures with words
• Alliteration – repeating the same letter
5. Theme
Identify the theme (central idea) of the poem. How does the theme convey the poem’s message?
6. Look at the title again
Now look at the title again. Do you now have a different interpretation of the title?
7. Begin writing your analysis
Start with the introductory paragraph. It should contain the title, the author, and an explanation of the writer’s position as well as the significance of the title. Include a brief overall statement of the meaning of the poem. This will lead you into the body of the analysis. In the body of the analysis, discuss how the poem was written, which poetic devices were used, the tone, the poet’s attitude, and the shift of the poem from the beginning to the poet’s ultimate understanding of the experience in the end. Add your interpretation of the poem.
Copyright 2009 IRA/NCTE. All rights reserved.
ReadWriteThink materials may be reproduced for educational purposes.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
THE THINGS THEY CARRIED - Essay Topics
The Things They Carried - length: approximately 800 words. (About 3 pages, 12 pt. font, MLA format)
1. The Importance of Storytelling to the Men of Alpha Company.
Storytelling is vital to all of the characters in Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried. What stories are told by Mitch Sanders, Rat Kiley, Jimmy Cross, Tim O’Brien (the soldier/character)? What benefit comes to each man from telling stories? In what way are these men “saved” by their stories? Who is the one man who is unable to tell stories? What happens to him? What does this suggest about the power of storytelling?
2. Guilt as a Motivating Factor in the Lives of the Men of Alpha Company.
How does guilt enter the lives of Jimmy Cross, Tim O’Brien, Norman Bowker, Rat Kiley, Dave Jensen, Curt Lemon? Why is shame or guilt so difficult? In what way does guilt compel each man to make emotional, rather than logical decisions? How does storytelling help relieve some of the guilt?
3. The Things They Carried as a Metaphor of Life. Discuss the concept of war as a metaphor for life; that is, in what way is all life a war? How are they comparable? How do the female characters remind the reader that this is a novel about facing the struggles and obstacles of life? What happens to innocence? Which episodes from the novel best illustrate human nature and stress which are a part of all human life and not just war?
4. “Truth” in The Things They CarriedThe Greek philosopher and playwright Aeschylus said, “In war, truth is the first casualty.” Tim O’Brien’s novel, The Things They Carried is very much concerned with the truth of war. How does O’Brien distinguish between the “happening-truth” and the “story-truth”? Which is more important? Why? How does storytelling—the use of fiction—allow for a greater sense of truth than factual reporting might? What are the pervading truths of this novel? (Support with textual evidence.)
5. Paradox in The Things They Carried
How can a "war novel" NOT be about war? How can fiction be more "real" and more "truthful" than actual fact? At the end of "To Tell a True War Story" th enarrator suggests that people don't listen to the deeper meaning or the importance of stories and that often the story teller must spin a new yarn to convey the truth. Identify and explain the most profound paradoxes: O'Brien's situation at the conclusion of "On the Rainy River," the relationship between Lee Strunk and Dave Jensen; Azar's innocent cruelty, and the paradox of beauty and war, of life and death, to the narrator in "How to Tell a True War Story." What is O'Brien's point in using these paradoxes? In what way is trutgh itself, at least in O'Brien's work, an ironic paradox?
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