Can you write a poem? You have ten minutes!!! Ok…let’s hear ‘em!

What is Poetry? Write down what you believe poetry is. Be prepared to share with the class!

Definition po·et·ry ˈpōətrē/ noun noun: poetry; plural noun: poetries literary work in which special intensity is given to the expression of feelings and ideas by the use of distinctive style and rhythm; poems collectively or as a genre of literature.

Sonnets Traditionally, the sonnet is a fourteen-line poem written in iambic pentameter, which employ one of several rhyme schemes and adhere to a tightly structured thematic organization. Two sonnet forms provide the models from which all other sonnets are formed: the Petrarchan and the Shakespearean.

Petrarchan Sonnet a sonnet form popularized by Petrarch, consisting of an octave with the rhyme scheme abbaabba and of a sestet with one of several rhyme schemes, as cdecde or cdcdcd.

Shakespearean Sonnet the sonnet form used by Shakespeare, composed of three quatrains and a terminal couplet in iambic pentameter with the rhyme pattern abab cdcd efef gg. Also called Elizabethan sonnet, English sonnet.

Holy Sonnets: Death, be not proud By John Donne Death, be not proud, though some have called thee Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so; For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me. From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be, Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow, And soonest our best men with thee do go, Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery. Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men, And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell, And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then? One short sleep past, we wake eternally And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.

Holy Sonnets: Death, be not proud By John Donne In your own words, explain some of the reasons Donne gives for why Death should not be proud. This poem is an apostrophe to Death. Explain what an apostrophe is, and explain why you think Donne would speak directly to Death.

“Sonnet CXXX” (“Sonnet 130”) by William Shakespeare My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; Coral is far more red than her lips' red; If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head. I have seen roses damask'd, red and white, But no such roses see I in her cheeks; And in some perfumes is there more delight Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. I love to hear her speak, yet well I know That music hath a far more pleasing sound; I grant I never saw a goddess go; My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:    And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare    As any she belied with false compare.

“Sonnet CXXX” (“Sonnet 130”) by William Shakespeare Do you think Shakespeare is insulting his girlfriend in this poem? Why or why not? Do you think that it is significant that Shakespeare is not saying these things directly to his girlfriend (e.g. – “Your eyes are nothing like the sun…”)? Why or why not?