 Bellwork: Poem of the Week  Satire ◦ Applying the methods of satire to a fairy tale Homework: None

 Write a few sentences describing something you have realized or learned since you were a child. (For example, I have realized that even though my mom’s perpetual lateness used to drive me crazy, I am very prone to the same bad habit.)

 Sometimes a poet’s reconsideration of the past doesn’t involve a difficult life lesson. Sometimes reconsideration means measuring the distance between a childhood perspective and a new level of awareness that comes with adolescence.  Read the two following poems, both written by students, and mark at least one with the lines that you think are effective, because you can identify with the feelings or the ideas expressed in them.

Unlucky, by Michael Conley Carter How did all those nearsighted kids get so lucky? When I was little, I wanted glasses. Call me naïve, but I thought it’d be cool to own a sleek pair of glasses and a big, snapping case to protect them. Imagine: this small, sight-enhancing device could change my whole identity: a costume of smartness. I pictured my face in the mirror, a new me with a cool pair of glasses resting on my nose. Wow. I guess a few “Hey, four-eyes!” might have made me want to reconsider, but who says that anymore, anyway? And I knew all the lucky people wearing glasses would have told me I was crazy, that wearing glasses was the worst. But dreams of transformation still tempted me. Now I’ve outgrown my childish ideas. Why would I ever want glasses? With my twenty-twenty vision, I can finally see how lucky I am.

Family, by Anna Jaeger Each time we visited my aunt my mom told me the story of the photo: That’s your great-grandfather Julius and his mom, your great-great- grandmother. This photo was taken in Russia. They were so poor they had to rent shoes for this picture. I never thought much of it until now. In school I study people coming to America in hope of a better life. That is what they did. I stare hard into the picture: their faces stiff with fear, their eyes that resemble Adrienne’s, the mother, arms wrapped around her daughter’s frail body. I wonder: did they ever imagine that some of them wouldn’t survive? That the two boys would be forced to fend for themselves? Start a new life, alone, in a strange new world? I change the channel on my aunt’s wide screen television. I glance back at the photo. Before, all I saw were strangers in odd, old clothes. Now, I see my family.

 What did you believe or understand when you were little? As a poet, can you look back on your childhood fantasy life and measure the distance, as Michael did, or on your old and new perspectives, as Anna did?

 Consider a fairy tale that you know well. Describe the… ◦ characters ◦ setting ◦ conflict ◦ resolution

 How could you apply the techniques of satire to this fairy tale? ◦ exaggeration ◦ parody ◦ reversal ◦ incongruity  Satire has the overarching goal of commenting on or criticizing society (our society). What will be the underlying moral or lesson of your story? ◦ Example: focus on the role of the hero to comment on how unrealistic that character is.

 Identify 3-5 things from your story to focus on, such as details about character or characteristics of the plot.  Identify your satirical message.  Re-write a scene or a brief fairy tale in a satirical style (with a message!) Should be 2- 3 pages, double-spaced, 12-point font, Arial or Times New Roman.