POETRY SPLASH

Observations about poetry In pairs, you will be assigned a quotation. Ask yourselves: what does this person mean? Do you agree with this assessment? How does this relate to what you know about poetry? ―A poem begins in delight and ends in wisdom. – Robert Frost ―Poetry is above all a concentration of the power of language, which is the power of our ultimate relationship to everything in the universe. – Adrienne Rich ―Poetry…is…a speaking picture, with this end: to teach and delight. – Sir Philip Sydney ―…the best words in the best order – Samuel Taylor Coleridge ―Poetry is emotion put into measure. The emotion must come by nature, but the measure can be acquired by art. – Thomas Hardy ―Poetry is the most direct and simple means of expressing oneself in word. – Northrup Frye ―Poetry is the doorway to the soul. – Floria ―Poetry is the silent voice that is heard everywhere inside of us… – Unknown ―Poetry is the universal language… – William Hazlitt ―Poetry is like making a joke. If you get one word wrong at the end of a joke, you've lost the whole thing. – William Stanley Merwin ―Words written in verse may speak volumes when those spoken do not. – Caressia Combs ―Poetry is either something that lives like fire inside you— like music to the musician or Marxism to the Communist— or else it is nothing… – F. Scott Fitzgerald ―Poetry is as precise a thing as geometry. – Gustave Flaubert

In this unit we will… Work together to understand: We will: Types of poems Poetic devices used Poetic Subjects Self-expression We will: Look at poems and songs Create journal entries Write a quiz Finish with a project: writing poetry!

Our questions for this unit. A REVIEW

Poetry anticipation guide Fill out “A” or “D” on the sheet. We will discuss as a class

A poem… Symbols * This word or line is cool Eating Poetry  Mark Strand I Eating Poetry Ink runs from the corners of my mouth. There is no happiness like mine. I have been eating poetry. The librarian does not believe what she sees. Her eyes are sad and she walks with her hands in her dress. The poems are gone. The light is dim. The dogs are on the basement stairs and coming up. Their eyeballs roll, their blond legs burn like brush. The poor librarian begins to stamp her feet and weep. She does not understand. When I get on my knees and lick her hand, she screams. I am a new man, I snarl at her and bark, I romp with joy in the bookish dark A poem… Symbols * This word or line is cool ! This is something important ? I don’t get it: I don’t understand this line or phrase

Class discussion What did you like about the poem? How did the poem make you feel? Which words or phrase did you like? What words or phrases need clarification? What surprised you? What do you think the poem is about? What might this poem be saying? How can we define poetry?

Now your turn… Read through the poems on the sheet adding the symbols like we did with this poem Choose a favourite poem to dissect further

Let’s look again Now we are going to complete the template on the back of your sheet What I read What I think What I wonder The poet has eaten poems I don’t think he really has “eaten” them I wonder why the librarian would be upset? The dogs are on the basement stairs This is a little scary I wonder what it means to introduce dogs? I lick her hand Did he turn into a dog? I wonder what is real and what is meant to be shocking?