POETRY ANALYSIS “Sonnet on Love XIII” “Meciendo/Rocking” “Analysis of Baseball” “Slam, Dunk, & Hook”

“Analysis of Baseball” You will find the poem on pg. 649 This poem was written by May Swenson, who lived from 1919-1989. Swenson enjoyed a distinguished career, eventually becoming the Chancellor of The Academy of American Poets in 1980. She served in this position until her death in 1989. Please read the poem independently. When you are finish, answer the questions on the following slide to the best of your ability. “Analysis of Baseball”

In no more than three sentences, paraphrase the poem. Who is the speaker (persona) in the poem? How would you describe him or her? What is the speaker’s tone? Which words reveal this tone? What words have unusual or special meanings? Are any words or phrases repeated? If so, why? What images does the poet use? How do the images relate to one another?

What figures of speech are used What figures of speech are used? How do they contribute to the tone and meaning of the poem? Are there any symbols? What do they mean? What is the theme (the central idea) of this poem? State it in a single sentence. How important is the role of sound effects, such as rhyme and rhythm? How do they affect tone and meaning? How important is the contribution of form, such as rhyme scheme and line arrangement? How does form influence the overall effect of the poem?

“Slam, Dunk, & Hook” You will find the poem on pg. 660. This poem was written by Yusef Komunyakaa, who was born in 1947. Mr. Komunyakaa grew up in Louisiana, and had the unique career experience of reporting for a military newspaper during the Vietnam War. We will read this poem together. “Slam, Dunk, & Hook”

“Meciendo/Rocking” You will find the poem on pg. 624. You will notice this poem is written in Spanish, and translated to English. This poem was written by Gabriela Mistral, who lived from 1889-1957. Gabriel Mistral is the author’s pen name. Her real name is Lucila Godoy y Alcayaga. She grew up in Chile, and formed this name from two of her favorite poets. Mistral was award the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1945. “Meciendo/Rocking”

“Sonnet on Love XIII” You will find this poem on pg. 622 This poem was written by Jean de Sponde, a French Renaissance poet. He lived from 1557-1595 (only 38 years old!). They called him a renaissance man, because he was also known to have dabbled in chemistry. He served on the court of King Henry IV of France. This poem has been translated from French to English by David R. Slavitt. “Sonnet on Love XIII”