No warm-up. Instead, get out poetry packet (first page)

 Homework: Annotate “Those Winter Sundays”  Try to get at least one annotation for each line of poetry (at the very least, one for every two lines of poetry).  The next two weeks…

Literary Criticism 3.11 Evaluate the aesthetic qualities of style, including the impact of diction and figurative language on tone, mood, and theme, using the terminology of literary criticism. (Aesthetic approach)

Now, get out your berets and coffee... It’s time to start POETRY BOOT CAMP!  You already know some poetic techniques (i.e. diction, detail, imagery and tone), but here are some other things that are important to know about poetry…  Note: TAKE NOTES!

Poetry is literature that is characterized by unique word usage and power of expression. Traditional poetry is arranged in lines, with a regular rhythm and often a rhyme scheme. Nontraditional poetry may not have regular rhythm and rhyme, although is usually is set up in lines. The richness of its suggestions, the sounds of its words, and the strong feelings suggested by its line are often said to be what distinguishes poetry from other forms of literature. Poetry is difficult to define, but most people know when they read it.

 Lyrical: Often a theme of feelings or emotions; uses musical language (may/may not rhyme or use free verse)  Narrative: Tells a story  Dramatic: To be acted out

 Verse = a single line of poetry.  Stanza = a group of lines together.  There are different forms of the three main types of poetry, usually depending on how many lines are in a poem, or how the stanzas are arranged.  For example, based on the structure of the lines and stanzas, the poem could be classified as a sonnet, haiku, cinquain, ballad, couplet, quatrain, etc.

SPEAKER= the person or object whose voice is presented in the poem. Just like in a novel, the narrator is not the same as the author, the speaker of a poem is not always the same as the author.  Example: A tree, animal or inanimate object could be the speaker of a poem. The speaker could be 1 st person or 3 rd person.  Based on what the speaker says/does, try to infer the following:  What is the person doing?  What is the person’s gender, age, socioeconomic status ($), race, occupation, belief(s), etc.?  What circumstances are affecting the speaker’s life (i.e. death, poverty, abuse, forbidden love, etc.)

TONE TONE= the speaker’s emotions or feelings presented through the words in a poem. Example: Sorrow, joy, frustration or desire are all common tones in poetry After identifying tone, you must explain WHY you think this is the tone (i.e. what does the speaker say that makes you think he/she feels this way?) Example: “The speaker in the poem feels sorrow because he talks about the difficulty of living after his son has left for war.” Note: tone can shift throughout a poem.

MOOD MOOD= the feelings that the READER has after reading a poem Mood can range from euphoric, peaceful, sorrowful, confused, contemplative, livid, etc. Note: mood cannot be confused or that you feel nothing; if you feel this way, read the poem again!!! After identifying how you feel, explain WHY you feel like this? What was done/said in the poem to make you feel this way? (ex.: “I feel frustrated because…”)

THEME= the main statement or idea that the author wants the reader to get out of the poem.  Remember: a theme and a topic are different!  Topic: authority (NOT A THEME!)  Theme: Instead of listening to authority blindly, we should question what we believe about what we are told to do by authority.

 Let’s read “Those Winter Sundays” together.  Since you’ve annotated “Those Winter Sundays” on your own, I will now show you how I would annotate half of this poem.  Homework: Fill out the worksheet on the back.

 METAPHOR= Comparing two unalike things without using like or as.  Example: My love is a rose…  SIMILIE= A type of metaphor that compares two things using “like” or “as”.  Example: My love is like a rose…

 After you’ve identified a metaphor or simile in a poem, you want to explain WHY the author is making this comparison.  Example: if someone compared you to a dog in a poem, you wouldn’t just identify the metaphor and move on… you want to find out whether the metaphor means that you’re cute and cuddly or dirty and beastly.

SYMBOLISM=An object that represents an intangible feeling or idea. Example: Hearts symbolize love.  After you’ve found an object that represents something else, find out WHY you came to this conclusion and explain.

 IRONY= Expecting one thing when the opposite is actually what occurs.  Example: Every child at a birthday party starts to cry when the birthday clown arrives at the party to entertain.  After you’ve identified the irony, ask yourself, “is the author trying to prove a point here?”

LITERARY TERMS  IMAGERY: words and phrases that create vivid sensory experiences (i.e. sight, sound, touch, taste, smell) for the reader.  Example: The cool, white winter snow glistened on the crisp leaves of the tree.  Why do authors use imagery?  Imagery makes details clear and immediate to help the reader experience what the author is picturing in his/her mind.

 Read and annotate “Those Winter Sundays”. You don’t need to complete the worksheet on the back yet.