 Useful  Interesting  Memorable

Time for a new approach

 Going to highlight everything you can use to talk about the theme of a poem.  By the end of the class, you shall be able to discuss the theme of any poem in great detail.

Unseen Poetry 3

 1. A poet becomes obsessed with an emotional concept to the point where he or she must write it down.  2. A poet creates a device which shall reproduce this emotional concept in others.  3. A reader encounters the device and becomes aware of the concept. That concept is the theme of the poem.

 S.p.i.t.s.  S. – Subject Matter  P. – Purpose or Message  I. – Identify Emotion, Mood or Feeling  T. – Technique  S. – Summary

 What is the poem about?  What is the story, the setting, the event as you see it?  The title of a poem gives clues about the theme.

 A Room in the Past  Nettles  A Sentimental Moment

 Why did the poet write the poem?  Is the poet trying to tell you something or convince you of something?  The answer can be derived from the last line or stanza usually.

 “turning her back on the rest of us, forever”.  “My son would often feel sharp wounds again”.  “I sometimes start to reach for his hand”

 Is there a strong feeling in this poem?  How does it make the reader feel?  If you do not see a word you can associate with a feeling, look at the verbs and act them out.

 “A kitchen falling through time”  “Slashed in fury” or “feel sharp wounds again”  “He doesn’t know”

 Structure, Language, Imagery, Movement.  S.L.I.M.  How the poem looks, sounds, thinks and moves all reveal the theme.

 A Sentimental Moment  There are stanzas - There is order.  Language – what words or letters repeat  Image of the son – age.  No full stop at end of first stanza – confusion.

 What is the impact of the whole poem for you?  What do you think?

 Margaret Walker is an African-American poet. In this poem she celebrates experiences of the African Americans.  Two of the three poems you have done so far have had introductions such as this.

I want to write I want to write the songs of my people. I want to hear them singing melodies in the dark. I want to catch the last floating strains from their sob-torn throats I want to frame their dreams into words; their souls into notes. I want to catch their sunshine laughter in a bowl; fling dark hands to a darker sky and fill them full of stars then crush and mix such lights till they become a mirrored pool of brilliance in the dawn.

I want to write I want to write the songs of my people. I want to hear them singing melodies in the dark. I want to catch the last floating strains from their sob-torn throats I want to frame their dreams into words; their souls into notes. I want to catch their sunshine laughter in a bowl; fling dark hands to a darker sky and fill them full of stars then crush and mix such lights till they become a mirrored pool of brilliance in the dawn.

I want to write I want to write the songs of my people. I want to hear them singing melodies in the dark. I want to catch the last floating strains from their sob-torn throats I want to frame their dreams into words; their souls into notes. I want to catch their sunshine laughter in a bowl; fling dark hands to a darker sky and fill them full of stars then crush and mix such lights till they become a mirrored pool of brilliance in the dawn. - P.

I want to write I want to write the songs of my people. I want to hear them singing melodies in the dark. I want to catch the last floating strains from their sob-torn throats I want to frame their dreams into words; their souls into notes. I want to catch their sunshine laughter in a bowl; fling dark hands to a darker sky and fill them full of stars then crush and mix such lights till they become a mirrored pool of brilliance in the dawn. - P. sob-torn i.

I want to write I want to write the songs of my people. I want to hear them singing melodies in the dark. I want to catch the last floating strains from their sob-torn throats I want to frame their dreams into words; their souls into notes. I want to catch their sunshine laughter in a bowl; fling dark hands to a darker sky and fill them full of stars then crush and mix such lights till they become a mirrored pool of brilliance in the dawn. - P. sob-torn i. sunshine laughter

I want to write I want to write the songs of my people. I want to hear them singing melodies in the dark. I want to catch the last floating strains from their sob-torn throats I want to frame their dreams into words; their souls into notes. I want to catch their sunshine laughter in a bowl; fling dark hands to a darker sky and fill them full of stars then crush and mix such lights till they become a mirrored pool of brilliance in the dawn. - P. sob-torn i. sunshine laughter singing fill crush

I want to write I want to write the songs of my people. I want to hear them singing melodies in the dark. I want to catch the last floating strains from their sob-torn throats I want to frame their dreams into words; their souls into notes. I want to catch their sunshine laughter in a bowl; fling dark hands to a darker sky and fill them full of stars then crush and mix such lights till they become a mirrored pool of brilliance in the dawn. - P. sob-torn i. sunshine laughter singing fill crush T.

I want to write I want to write the songs of my people. I want to hear them singing melodies in the dark. I want to catch the last floating strains from their sob-torn throats I want to frame their dreams into words; their souls into notes. I want to catch their sunshine laughter in a bowl; fling dark hands to a darker sky and fill them full of stars then crush and mix such lights till they become a mirrored pool of brilliance in the dawn. - P. sob-torn i. sunshine laughter singing fill crush T. stars strains Songs such sky souls

I want to write I want to write the songs of my people. I want to hear them singing melodies in the dark. I want to catch the last floating strains from their sob-torn throats I want to frame their dreams into words; their souls into notes. I want to catch their sunshine laughter in a bowl; fling dark hands to a darker sky and fill them full of stars then crush and mix such lights till they become a mirrored pool of brilliance in the dawn. - P. sob-torn i. sunshine laughter singing fill crush T. stars Dark hands to a darker sky catch the last floating strains Songs such sky souls frame their dreams into words throats

a mirrored pool of brilliance in the dawn. - P. sob-torn i. sunshine laughter singing fill crush stars Dark hands to a darker sky strains Songs such souls catch the last floating strains frame their dreams into words throats

a mirrored pool of brilliance in the dawn. - Purpose sob-torn i. sunshine laughter singing fillcrush stars singing Songssuchsouls catch the last floating strains frame their dreams into words Two stanza – order, sense, structure identify emotions Techniques sob-torn throats Dark hands to a darker sky

 Your opinion is always important. A quick summary of the poem and its effect on you is always welcome.

 The poet Rosita Boland reflects on the tragedy of the war-torn region in our world

 Subject Matter  Purpose or Message  Identify Emotion, Mood or Feeling  Technique  Summary

In Bosnia, there are landmines Decorated with butterflies And left on the grassy pathways Of rural villages. The children come, quivering down Familiar lanes & fields. Hands outstretched, they reach triumphant For these bright, elusive insects - Themselves becoming wingéd in the act; Gaudy and ephemeral. (Gaudy – loud or noisy) (Ephemeral –lasts a short amount of time) (hint – landmine)

In Bosnia, there are landmines Decorated with butterflies And left on the grassy pathways Of rural villages. The children come, quivering down Familiar lanes & fields. Hands outstretched, they reach triumphant For these bright, elusive insects - Themselves becoming wingéd in the act; Gaudy and ephemeral. (Gaudy – loud or noisy) (Ephemeral –lasts a short amount of time) (hint – landmine) Butterflies – S landmines Decorated with butterflies quivering Outstretchedtriumphant Bright, elusive insects Becoming wingéd in the act Gaudy and ephemeral – P i i T T T T T left i

 Subject Matter  Purpose or Message  Identify Emotion, Mood or Feeling  Technique  Summary

 Subject Matter – Butterflies – link to the rest  Purpose or Message  Identify Emotion, Mood or Feeling  Technique  Summary

 Subject Matter – Butterflies – link to the rest  Purpose or Message - Becoming wingéd in the act, Gaudy and ephemeral  Identify Emotion, Mood or Feeling  Technique  Summary

 Subject Matter – Butterflies – link to the rest  Purpose or Message - Becoming wingéd in the act, Gaudy and ephemeral  Identify Emotion, Mood or Feeling - quivering  Technique –  Summary –

 Subject Matter – Butterflies – link to the rest  Purpose or Message - Becoming wingéd in the act, Gaudy and ephemeral  Identify Emotion, Mood or Feeling - quivering  Technique – image of landmine and wings  Summary –

 Subject Matter – Butterflies – link to the rest  Purpose or Message - Becoming wingéd in the act, Gaudy and ephemeral  Identify Emotion, Mood or Feeling - quivering  Technique – image of landmine and wings  Summary – landmines kill children

Yesterday I knew no lullaby But you have taught me overnight to order This song, which takes from your final cry Its tune, from your unreasoned end its reason; Its rhythm from the discord of your murder, Its motive from the fact you cannot listen. We who should have known how to instruct With rhymes for your waking, rhythms for your sleep Names for the animals you took to bed, Tales to distract, legends to protect, Later an idiom for you to keep And living, learn, must learn from you, dead. To make our broken images rebuild Themselves around your limbs, your broken Image, find for your sake whose life our idle Talk has cost, a new language. Child Of our time, our times have robbed your cradle. Sleep in a world your final sleep has woken.

Discuss the theme of the poem. Use s.p.i.t.s.