LA and Literature: Friday, February 22, 2019 Handouts: * Ode to Mi Gato Homework: * Read AR book & record progress * Use this weekend to make major progress in AR reading Assignments Due: * Poetry Project, due BOC—with a paper clip

Today’s Goal: Examine three different types of lyrical poetry. Outcomes: Describe the distinctive features of lyrical poetry. Name three types of lyrical poetry. Describe the distinctive features of each of these poetic forms: Sonnet, elegy, ode. Identify these three types of lyrical poetry: Sonnet, elegy, ode. Analyze a sonnet, an elegy, and an ode to determine the meaning of each poem.

Starter #1: Today we are going to look at a major sub-genre within the poetry genre. It’s called “lyrical poetry.” Without looking at your notes, can you recall what we mean by “lyrical poetry”?   Lyrical poetry is a poetic form that expresses the poet’s thoughts and feelings. It’s usually brief and often sounds musical because of the carefully crafted number of beats per line and the sounds of the words it uses. In fact, “lyrics” is the term we use to describe the words for songs: Many songs that you and I love began as poems. Lyrical poetry is rich in its use of imagery, similes, and metaphors. Listen closely to some of the all-time most popular songs on the radio and you will discover loads of these poetic devices.

Starter #2: There are many types of lyrical poetry. Poetry is a genre of literature, lyrical poetry is a sub-genre of poetry, and lyrical poetry can be further divided into categories (more sub-genres). The three categories (or sub-genres) of lyrical poetry that we will look at today are sonnets, elegies, and odes.

Starter #3: What’s a sonnet? A sonnet is a 14-line poem. One of the most popular types of sonnets (popular for hundreds of years) is the Italian sonnet (“Petrarchan Sonnet”), which has a fixed rhyme scheme and a beat pattern called “iambic pentameter.” In general, a sonnet can have one or more stanzas. The Italian sonnet follows this rhyme scheme: First, an octet (8 lines) using the rhyme scheme ABBA ABBA It continues with a sestet (6 lines) CDE CDE or CD CD CD   I’m going to show you a famous sonnet—my personal favorite—and I’ll let you tell me which rhyme scheme pattern it is using in the last six lines. I’ll show this to you on a PDF so you can see it better: How Do I Love Thee, by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Starter #4: Another type of lyrical poem is an “elegy.” What’s an elegy? An elegy is a sad, thoughtful poem that laments the death of a person or a group. This poetic form goes back thousands of years. It began as an ancient Greek metrical form of poetry (written in meter) in response to the death of a person or a group.   The word “elegy” sounds like another word you might be familiar with, the word “eulogy,” which comes to us from the Greek language. Does anyone know what a “eulogy” is? When you attend a funeral, you hear at least one person deliver a eulogy. In a funeral Mass, that person would be the priest and one or more other persons (usually family members). They tell the audience about the person who has passed away. It’s a tribute to that person, recalling his/her life.

Starter #5: A traditional elegy usually has three phases, and those phases mirror the stages of grief we experience in a loss: * First, a lament, expressing grief and sorrow for the loss of the individual or people * Second, praise and admiration, lifting up the good in that person * Third, consolation and solace—giving comfort to those who mourn   We’re going to examine two elegies. The first is a famous one, written by Walt Whitman, to eulogize the death of President Abraham Lincoln. The second was written by someone in Kentucky, to mourn the tragic loss of lives when a plane crashed in take-off at the Bluegrass Airport in Lexington. We’ll use PDFs to help you see these better. . . . O Captain Edited Version In Memory, Flight 5191

Starter #6: The third sub-genre of lyrical poetry we want to examine today is called an “ode.” What’s an “ode”?   An “ode” also comes to us from ancient, classical Greek culture. The term “ode” comes from the Greek word aeidein, which means “to sing or chant.” An ode is a form of lyrical poetry that’s designed to honor someone or something you admire or appreciate or love. It can also be a formal way of addressing a thing, an event, or a person who is not present or is no longer alive. We have a great example of an ode that you will enjoy. Let’s use a PDF to examine it. You also have a copy as one of your handouts. “Ode to Mi Gato,” by Gary Soto

Starter #7: If time permits, we will continue examining poems from our poetry booklet. Please turn to the “Meanings of Poems” activity sheet.