1. THE AUTHOR TO HER BOOK Thou ill-form’d offspring of my feeble brain, Who after birth didst by my side remain, Till snatched from thence by friends, less wise than true, Who thee abroad, expos’d to publick view, Made thee in raggs, halting to th’ press to trudge, Where errors were not lessened (all may judg).

2. At thy return my blushing was not small, My rambling brat (in print) should mother call, I cast thee by as one unfit for light, Thy Visage was so irksome in my sight; Yet being mine own, at length affection would Thy blemishes amend, if so I could: I wash’d thy face, but more defects I saw, And rubbing off a spot, still made a flaw.

3. I stretched thy joynts to make thee even feet, Yet still thou run’st more hobling then is meet; In better dress to trim thee was my mind, But nought save home-spun Cloth, i’ th’ house I find. In this array ’mongst Vulgars mayst thou roam. In Criticks hands, beware thou dost not come; And take thy way where yet thou art not known, If for thy Father askt, say, thou hadst none: And for thy Mother, she alas is poor, Which caus’d her thus to send thee out of door.

4. AND NOW FOR THE ACTUAL PRESENTATION

5. THE DARING ONE: BY EDWIN MARKHAM POWERPOINT BY ZOE MICHELLE BRADSHAW

6. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Edwin Markham (1852-1940) Markham’s mother objected to her son’s interest in literature, but he still ended up being able to go to college using money he made through teaching and what his mother agreed to pay if he returned home after running away. After college, he taught for a while, eventually becoming superintendent of his district. His first marriage failed after he had an affair. His second marriage ended when his mother moved in, and his wife moved out. And died. His third marriage lasted. Markham actually wasn’t particularly cautious or shy, so this poem was probably written about one of his wives or someone else he knew.

7. STRUCTURE AND ORGANIZATION I would my soul were like the bird That dares the vastness undeterred. Look, where the bluebird on the bough Breaks into rapture even now! He sings, tip-top, the tossing elm As tho he would a world o’erwhelm. Indifferent to the void he rides Upon the wind’s eternal tides. He tosses gladly on the gale, For well he knows he can not fail— Knows if the bough breaks, still his wings Will bear him upward while he sings! The Daring One is a lyric poem organized into two stanzas, with an AABBCCDD rhyme scheme. The first stanza contains four rhyming pairs, and the second stanza contains two. The first stanza has eight lines, and the second has four. The rhyme scheme creates a rhythmic, lyrical feeling, and lets the reader float through to the end.

8. FORM AND IMAGERY I would my soul were like the bird That dares the vastness undeterred. A bird in flight, and a person laughing and flitting around from conversation to conversation

9. FORM AND IMAGERY Look, where the bluebird on the bough Breaks into rapture even now! A bluebird sitting in a tree, singing, a person laughing

10. FORM AND IMAGERY He sings, tip-top, the tossing elm As tho he would a world o’erwhelm. The same bluebird continuing to sing, even though the tree is shaking, almost like it’s the cause, so it feels perfectly safe and doesn’t care.

11. FORM AND IMAGERY Indifferent to the void he rides Upon the wind’s eternal tides. A bird in flight

12. FORM AND IMAGERY He tosses gladly on the gale, For well he knows he can not fail— A bird landing on a tree, fidgeting around a little to try and find that just-so spot.

13. FORM AND IMAGERY Knows if the bough breaks, still his wings Will bear him upward while he sings! A bluebird taking off while the branch beneath it falls away. It does make a sound when this happens, but it isn’t afraid.

14. FORM AND IMAGERY Throughout the whole poem, I personally picture a girl watching a group of girls. (Yes, I know that two of the people in this picture are guys. It was the best I could find.)

15. POETIC AND LITERARY TERMS End Rhyme- Each line rhymes with either the line directly before or directly after it. Examples: I would my soul were like the bird That dares the vastness undeterred. Knows if the bough breaks, still his wings Will bear him upward while he sings!

16. POETIC AND LITERARY TERMS Simile- When something is compared to something else by using, “like,” or, “as.” Markham uses this to describe his desire for a more carefree life, and describe the confidence of a bird. Examples: I would my soul were like the bird He sings, tip-top, the tossing elm As tho he would a world o’erwhelm.

17. POETIC AND LITERARY TERMS Alliteration- repetition of the same consonant sound Markham uses this to create rhythm. Examples: Bough breaks Tip-top, the tossing elm Bluebird on the bough Gladly on the gale

18. POETIC AND LITERARY TERMS Personification- When a non-human is given human characteristics Markham does this to emphasize the carefree nature of a bluebird. Examples: Indifferent to the void he rides For well he knows he cannot fail— Knows if the bow breaks, still his wings, Will bear him upward while he sings!

19. POETIC AND LITERARY TERMS Symbolism- Using something as a representation of something else. Markham uses the bluebird to symbolize a bubbly, vivacious person. Examples: I would my soul were like the bird That dares the vastness undeterred. (Outgoing person walking up and joining in a conversation) Indifferent to the void he rides Upon the wind’s eternal tides. (They don’t care what other people think.) He tosses gladly on the gale (They’re hanging out with everyone, fooling around in a completely unselfconscious way.)

20. SPEAKER The speaker appears to be watching a person or group of people, and envying them. He or she wishes that they could be more like them, carefree, cocky, and brave. The speaker is shy and cautious. May be an introvert

21. LITERAL MEANING The speaker wants to be more like a bird.

22. FIGURATIVE MEANING The speaker wishes that he or she were more willing to take chances, more carefree, braver, less cautious, and less afraid of a fall. Basically, they’re shy and cautious, and wish that they weren’t.

23. AUTHOR’S PURPOSE Markham was attempting to explain that while caution can be a good thing, after a while, one wishes that they could throw caution to the wind and try to fly without fearing falling.

24. THEME Caution isn’t a bad thing, but the freedom and courage that come from being carefree are enviable.

25. WEBSITES USED https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/edwin-markham http://www.poemhunter.com/edwin-markham/biography/

26. PICTURE CREDITS http://www.virginiabluebirds.org/ http://www.ihdwallpaperx.com/animal-birds/bird-hd-wallpaper/ http://www.audubonaction.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=26361.0&printer_friendly=1&pgwrap=n http://maxiscomments.com/2012/08/06/on-the-wings-of-love/ http://brucestambaugh.com/2011/09/ http://www.playbuzz.com/josieshadbolt10/introvert-or-extrovert https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRYQdAysLn8 zacatron94.deviantart.com www.unleashthefanboy.com ragerer.deviantart.com

27. PICTURE CREDITS www.pinterest.com lonerwolf.com