Line Breaks and White Space Day 15

today How do poetic forms and structures affect meaning? Goals Focus questions To add to students’ growing understanding and appreciation of structure in poems by examining line breaks and white space To further examine how poetry is different from prose How do poetic forms and structures affect meaning?

What the difference between Poetry and Prose?

Poetry Prose *Meant to be heard *Can be read out loud, but mostly meant to be read *Uses line breaks: To follow a rhythm To emphasize an idea *Tackle a variety of themes *There may be poems in prose and prose that contain poetic elements * *There are no line breaks; sentences run to the margins *Traditionally, 1st letter of every line capitalized, but modern not so much *1st letter of each sentence is capitalized *Shape of poems vary with form and author’s indent. * Usually looks like a large block of words *There’s a strong focus on telling a narrative, real or imagined, and evoking a connection with characters *Usually a strong focus on imagery, figurative language, or evoking emotion

One way of defining Poetry If we define poetry in comparison to prose, a good definition would be: Poetry is not prose broken into lines. It uses the negative space of silence, yet demands to be heard.

Write as a poem? Poetry is not prose broken into lines. It uses the negative space of silence, yet demands to be heard.

Poetry is not prose broken into lines Poetry is not prose broken into lines. It uses the negative space of silence, yet demands to be heard.

Poetry is not prose broken into lines Poetry is not prose broken into lines. It uses the negative space of silence, yet demands to be heard.

Poetry is not prose broken into lines Poetry is not prose broken into lines. It uses the negative space of silence, yet demands to be heard.

Poetry is not prose broken into lines Poetry is not prose broken into lines. It uses the negative space of silence, yet demands to be heard.

What does this prove? This, I believe, is what nonpoets fail to recognize about poetry. There are no universal rules for placing line breaks and white space. The “right” way lies in the poet’s heart— the intended meaning or effect—but notice, it is definitely not accidental.

So why do we use them? Line breaks and white space help readers know how to read a poem out loud and inside their heads.  It helps us recognize where the silence is in the poem, which is just as important as what is being said. Wait, what?

In the art world= negative space What do you see in these pictures?

So what… When something is left out in poetry, it is just as important as what is put into the poem When there are spaces within and around the poem, and/or line breaks, we need to pay close attention to why and what that does to the poem Think/Remember: We Real Cool

Strategies for line breaks: breaks at natural pauses breaks at most important words breaks to emphasize meaning or surprise readers

Questions to ask yourself when looking at form: How is the author using line breaks and white space?  Do the repeating lines all look alike?  Does one word or one line stand all by itself?  Do lines go down the page in a certain way?  Why do you think the poet did this? What does the spacing visually on the page have to do with the theme or conveying emotion? 

Compare and Contrast Look at “Foul Shot” in the prose form: Foul Shot by Edwin A. Hoey With two 60’s stuck on the scoreboard and two seconds hanging on the clock, the solemn boy in the center of eyes, squeezed by silence, seeks out the line with his feet, soothes his hands along his uniform, gently drums the ball against the floor, then measures the waiting net, raises the ball on his right hand, balances it with his left, calms it with fingertips, breathes, crouches, waits, and then through a stretching of stillness, nudges it upward. The ball slides up and out, lands, leans, wobbles, wavers, hesitates, plays it coy until every face begs with unsounding screams and then and then and then, right before ROAR-UP, dives down and through.

Groups and Independently: Group: Reread the prose version of “Foul Shots” and have someone reread the poem version. Group: Observe how the reading changes based on the spaces provided in the poem. Group: Read “The Base Stealer” and answer the questions (you can do this as a group). Independently: Read one of the poems on the desk and answer the questions on the back of the Day 15 packet. Independently: write a free verse or prose poem titled: “How to Read a Poem”. Reflect on all the things you have learned in this unit and provide guidance for someone who is new to reading poetry. (think Introduction to Poetry by Billy Collins)

Groups and Independently: Group: Read “The Base Stealer” and answer the questions (you can do this as a group). Independently: Pick a number 1-6 and answer the questions on the back of the Day 15 packet. Independently: write a free verse or prose poem titled: “How to Read a Poem”. Reflect on all the things you have learned in this unit and provide guidance for someone who is new to reading poetry. (think Introduction to Poetry by Billy Collins)