“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S.Eliot

A Reading As you listen to the poem, follow along in your book (995). Put stars by any lines that you like, even if you aren’t positive you understand their function or meaning in the text as a whole. Just listen, read along, and mark what you like. Before listening, read the epigraph – translation on 998 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLNsPhKlucY&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdn4BTmXOXw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTbBSb3A7Fg

What lines did you like? Talk with your classmates…share the lines you liked. Read over the poem again. Are there any others now? Write out the lines that you liked on large strips of paper….decorate as you wish. We will see how many different lines we can hang around the room. Just, at the end of the line, give credit to T.S. Eliot.

For Tomorrow Reread the poem. Consider listening to one of the readings as you read Then, read pages 999 through 1014. Next, respond to the following: 1. Outline the difficulties of poetry that Eliot, in the section “T.S. Eliot on Writing” (pages 1003-1005) presents. 2. Either annotate or write a summary of each of the 7 critical excerpts (pages 1006-1014) to prepare for discussion. (Note: “annotate” does not mean “underline sentences” – you may underline as you read, but also write your thinking in the margins. Don’t forget to read the information about Ezra Pound working to publish the poem and the reviews that were published upon the poem’s release…some are entertaining. Then, reread the poem. (Important step…don’t skip this)

Groups In your “face value” groups, discuss your readings and notes from last night. How do the reading contribute to/change/develop your understanding of the poem? And, discuss the ideas presented by the critics; what does your group think of them in relation to your own readings of the poem?

Free-write 1. Select a line from the text that resonates with you for some reason…it may be the one you originally selected or an entirely different one. 2. Write out the line at the top of your page, then free-write. What does the line make you think of? (It does not have to connect to the poem or the poem’s meaning) Does the line elicit an emotional reaction from you? If so, what is it? (anger, nostalgia, fear, joy, concern…) Why do you think this is? If you could change a word or two in the line that would personalize it for you, what would you change, and why? Have you heard the line before and it reminds you of something altogether different?

Creative Nonfiction Essay After free-writing on the line you have selected, examine what you have written for an idea to turn into a creative nonfiction piece. You can write a personal essay, a memoir, a cultural criticism… Whatever you write, it should stem from a line from the poem. The requirements: The line (attributed, of course) should be in the essay – and it cannot be the title of your essay. You should include a creative title. The essay should be a minimum of 3-typed pages, double-spaced. Include outside sources (primary or secondary) as necessary. Remember what you learned about structure and syntax and emotional appeals in AP Lang. & Comp. Your essay will be read/critiqued by your peers prior to being submitted in final form.

Some sub-genres of Creative Nonfiction Memoir: The memoir allows you to “unearth” a memory, as Jocelyn Bartkevicius commented, and to build the memory’s vivid sense of time and place. The memoir has a driving force as you move toward extrapolating universal truth from a memory. Cultural Criticism: The cultural criticism sheds insight into you as a member of society, allowing your voice to drive home a point you deem worthy of commentary and criticism. Your tone should enhance the reader’s ability to accurately know you better. Personal Essay: The personal essay is deliberately uncertain as it attempts to make meaning out of a problem or question or concern. The complexity of your mind will be present as you speculate, ruminate, contradict, struggle, weigh possibilities, research. …. As Philip Lopate said, “[I]n an essay, the track of a person’s thoughts struggling to achieve some understanding of a problem is the plot, is the adventure.” Remember the Segmented Esssay? Private made Public?

Creative Non-fiction Due Date for Reader’s Draft A “reader’s draft” is due on Wed. Oct. 3. You should bring to class 4 copies of your essay (you may print double-sided if you wish) for small group workshopping. At the start of your essay, include 3-4 questions you would like your reader to answer about the essay (consider effectiveness of structure, spots you had difficulty crafting…) The term “reader’s draft” comes from Stephen King’s book On Writing. This term is in reference to the version of his work that is ready for a reader to see – not the first draft, but the second or third…the draft he has revised and feels is ready for another to critique. I expect you to bring in such a draft. We will spend class days critiquing each other’s work, and your time, and the time of your peers, is better spent reading what you have invested time in writing and rewriting.

Creative Non-fiction Due Date for Final Draft The final draft of your essay is due no later than Thursday, Oct. 11. You should submit your essay to turnitin.com by 3:00 on that day. Make sure that you receive the confirmation message from turnitin to be sure that your essay has been properly submitted.