Poetic Structure and Technique Modern Usage

History Refresher Biography of Hamilton

Helpful Information While Hamilton was married to Elizabeth Schuyler, he engaged in an affair with Maria Reynolds who played to Hamilton’s sympathy for orphaned children by telling him her husband had left her and her daughter to fend for themselves. It turned out to be a plot of extortion designed to gather extensive amounts of money from Hamilton. The affair (and extortion) was later revealed and although Hamilton admitted his misdoings, it was a large detriment to his political career. Elizabeth’s sister, Angelica also loved Alexander. The feeling was mutual; however, rumors of an affair have not been substantiated.

Hamilton An American Musical Inspired by the 2004 biography Alexander Hamilton by historian Ron Chernow Music, lyrics, and book by Lin-Manuel Miranda Off Broadway debut – February 2015 Moved to Broadway in August 2015 In 2016, nominated for 16 Tony Awards – won 11, including Best Musical 2016 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama

Lin-Manuel Miranda American actor, composer, rapper and writer. He has won a Pulitzer Prize, two Grammys, an Emmy, a MacArthur "Genius" Award, and three Tony awards, among others. Attended Wesleyan University and earned a degree in Theatre Studies Primary songwriter for Moana. Click photo for video of Miranda on Colbert.

Poetic Terms Accent Assonance Alliteration Consonance Onomatopoeia Cacophony Euphony

Assonance/Consonance/Dissonance Assonance – the repetition at close intervals of the vowel sounds of accented syllables or important words Hat – ran – amber; vein-made Consonance – the repetition at close intervals of the final consonant sounds of accented syllables or important words Book – plaque – thicker

Euphony/Cacophony Euphony – a pleasant-sounding choice and arrangement of sounds “Swift Camilla skims” Cacophony (similar to Dissonance) – a harsh, discordant, unpleasant-sounding choice and arrangement of sounds “Ajax strives some rock’s vast weight to throw”

Poetic Terms Perfect End Rhyme Multisyllabic Rhymes Internal Rhyme Rhyme Weaving Imperfect Rhyme WSJ Website http://graphics.wsj.com/hamilton/

“My Shot” Context: Hamilton impresses several other young revolutionaries with his verbal skills, speaking about his hopes for the future, his disillusionment with the British, and his desire to be remembered, even if it means dying. Annotation Listen to “My Shot” and follow along with your copy of the lyrics. Make annotations as you notice poetic elements. Let’s take a look at a complete annotation of this song.

Your turn! The class will be split into two groups: Half of the class will be working with “Satisfied” Context: It is the wedding of Elizabeth (Eliza) Schuyler and Alexander Hamilton and her sister, Angelica is flashing back to the night she introduced them to one another. The other half will be working with “Cabinet Battle #1” Context: The cabinet meeting in which Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson argue is portrayed as a rap battle, with each man receiving time to argue and state his individual economic plan to the president. Your task is to annotate the lyrics similar to the example of “My Shot” Look for poetic techniques, sound devices, allusions, etc.

Pulling it all together In your Reader’s Journal, craft a thesis statement in response to the following prompt (choose ONE of the three songs): How are literary and poetic techniques used to impact the audience and convey an overall message? Once you have your thesis statement, list at least 3 examples from the song that prove your argument. Remember: 1=Luck, 2=Coincidence, 3=Proof