Life Poem Pastiche Poem – due: March 23 by Midnight (netschool) In the classic essay “Self Reliance” (P.370) by Ralph Waldo Emerson, as well as the poem “A Psalm of Life” (P.344) by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, both authors emphasize independence and living a bold, worthy life. After re-visiting these readings, you will write your own 12 line Pastiche poem (it must rhyme) declaring the worthiness of life and which expresses your personal motto of life. Should be visually appealing. Take pride in your performance, and craft an ELITE final product. (Test Grade)

How to Write a Pastiche Poem: A pastiche poem is one that imitates the style of another famous poem. A pastiche imitates the style, form and sometimes the subject matter of the original poem just like a parody. However, unlike a parody, a pastiche is not written to mock or satirize the original poem. Instead, a pastiche is written as an homage. It is also an exercise that writers can use to hone their craft by learning about style and technique from another writer.

Study the Style Before you can write a poem imitating another poem, you need to understand what makes the original distinct. To do this, you need to study the style of the poem. Determine if the poem falls into a particular literary style, such as Romanticism or Modernism. If so, this will determine the content of your pastiche. For example, Romantic poems emphasized subjectivity and feeling, and they used nature as a backdrop or symbol of expression. You would need to adhere to those same characteristics in your pastiche.

Determine the Form While some poems are written in free verse, a great many more adhere to a particular form. You will need to determine the form of the poem that you want to imitate before you can write your pastiche. Some examples include sonnets, ballads, epics and elegies. When you write your pastiche, you will need to adhere to the characteristics of the form. For example, an English sonnet has three quatrains and ends with a rhyming couplet. The pattern for the rhymes in an English sonnet is abab cdcd efef gg. When writing a pastiche of an English sonnet, you would need to use this same rhyming pattern and form.

Choose Something to Change Of course, you can't copy everything about a poem. That would be transcription, not writing. You will have to choose something to change about the poem to write your pastiche. Some possibilities include the setting, the characters, the plot, the point of view or the dialogue. Of course, if you change one of these elements, it can change other elements. For example, if you changed Annabel Lee to a dog named Cannibal Flea, that would probably change the whole plot of the famous poem by Edgar Allen Poe -- or maybe not. You can choose as many elements as you want to change. The key is to stick to the style, form and conventions of the poem.

Advance the Poem The key to writing a pastiche is not just to imitate. The practice is supposed to help you learn more about your own writing and make it better. Therefore, you should also find a way to advance the poem. Maybe you create a contrast that reveals an irony about the characters, or you use a point of view that creates new understanding of the subject matter. You don't necessarily have to try to create a new masterpiece, but you should aim to create something new.

Rubric Content Language 1-2 Level Content Language   1-2 (0-50) Poem lacks imagination and sensitivity. The poem does not demonstrate awareness of author’s intentions and techniques. Poem has no cultural or personal understanding. Poem’s vocabulary often inappropriate for the style and topic/theme. Very frequent errors* often hinder communication. Little attempt to use original poem’s register and language. 3-4 (60-69) Poem shows limited imagination and sensitivity. Poem demonstrates limited awareness and use of author’s intentions and techniques. Poem has some cultural or personal understanding. Poem’s vocabulary sometimes inappropriate for the style and topic/theme. Regular errors* hinder communication. Attempt to use original poem’s register and language. 5-6 (70-79) Poem shows sufficient imagination and sensitivity. Poem demonstrates some awareness and use of author’s intentions and techniques. Poem is set in student’s culture and shows good personal understanding. Poem’s vocabulary usually appropriate for the style and topic/theme. Some errors* sometimes hinder communication. Often uses original poem’s register and language. 7-8 (80-89) Poem shows good imagination and sensitivity. Poem demonstrates good appreciation and use of author’s intentions and techniques. Culture is a key element in the poem and shows personal understanding. Poem’s vocabulary appropriate for the style and topic/theme. Occasional errors* rarely hinder communication. Consistently uses original poem’s register and language. 9-10 (90-100) Poem shows a high degree of imagination and sensitivity. Poem demonstrates sophisticated analysis and use of author’s intentions and techniques. Unique insight is shown in the handling of culture within the poem. Poem’s vocabulary always appropriate for the style and topic/theme. Very infrequent errors*. Original poem’s register and language mastered. Rubric

Must Include: abab rhyme scheme Include references to nature and being an individual. 12 lines/ 3 stanzas with 4 lines each

ABAB Last word of 1st and 3rd lines rhyme and the last word of the 2nd and 4th lines rhyme Example: My dog ate my cat I was so sad I got my bat The dog was mad