1. Poetry
Wednesday, February 10, 2016

2. Why study poetry?
Every year students study poetry and obviously there must be an excellent reason for this!
In your binder write down 5 to 8 reasons why we study poetry in school. (3 to 5 minutes)
As we discuss add to your list.

3. Why study poetry?
From poetry we can learn about expression. Poets put their personal thoughts on a page as a way of expressing sadness, anger, fear, frustration, or happiness. It is a creative outlet which allows people to be themselves; from their heart and soul.

4. Why study poetry?
Poetry can also aid students in developing critical thinking and reading skills. By studying such terms as metaphor and imagery, students can explore the English language in more depth. It is not enough to accept a piece of writing at face value. One must read into the language that is used to get at the real meaning. For instance, it is important to consider point of view, perspective and personal bias before deciding on the meaning of a piece of writing. Critical reading allows students to see the truth in writing; what a person is really saying.

5. Why study poetry?
Poetry is also a great reference point for examining different cultures or time periods. We can read about the experiences of African Americans who live in 1960s Harlem or the turmoil the Jewish people suffered at the hands of the Nazis. We see traditions in the form of Haiku poetry from Japan, and witty humour through Irish limericks. Poetry shows us triumph and tragedy, stories of survival, and lost love. All this in a couple of lines!

6. Poetry The purpose of studying poetry in school:
1) Exposure to a different form of writing
2) Analysis and critical thinking skills
3) Vocabulary building
4) Historical Reference
5) Torture
During the course of this unit we will be looking at different poems and learning how to analysis them and deciding what kind of poetry you enjoy. There will be two major assignments and on-going homework assignments during this unit.
The major assignments will include an oral presentation and an in-class poetry analysis.

7. What is poetry?
Under your notes on Why study poetry? Write a definition of poetry. (3 to 5 minutes)
Add to your notes as we disucss

8. What is Poetry? Poetry is…
There are as many definitions of poetry as there are poets. Wordsworth defined poetry as "the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings;" Emily Dickinson said, "If I read a book and it makes my body so cold no fire ever can warm me, I know that is poetry;" and Dylan Thomas defined poetry this way: "Poetry is what makes me laugh or cry or yawn, what makes my toenails twinkle, what makes me want to do this or that or nothing."

9. What is Poetry?
Poetry is a lot of things to a lot of people. So what is poetry? Perhaps we can render a definition of poetry by looking at its form and its purpose: One of the most definable characteristics of the poetic form is economy* of language. Poets are miserly and unrelentingly critical in the way they dole out words to a page. Carefully selecting words for conciseness and clarity is standard, even for writers of prose*, but poets go well beyond this, considering a word's emotive qualities, its musical value, its spacing, and yes, even its spatial relationship to the page. A poet seemingly pulls significance from thin air.
*thrifty management; frugality in the expenditure or consumption of money, materials, etc.
*an act or means of thrifty saving; a saving: He achieved a small economy by walking to work instead of taking a bus.
*prose is 1. the ordinary form of spoken or written language, without metrical structure, as distinguished from poetry or verse

10. Definitions of Poetry
An expression of power and sensitivity in written form
A reflection of the world of yesterday and today
A compression of thought and feeling
An experiment of language
A song intended to be read aloud, heard, savoured, and enjoyed
Freedom…to exercise poetic license and take liberties not allowed in ordinary writing
An economy of words

11. What is Poetry? (a poem)
A poem may appear to mean very different things
to different readers, and all of these meanings
may be different from what the author thought he
meant. For instance, the author may have been
writing some peculiar personal experience, which
he saw quite unrelated to anything outside; yet
for the reader the poem may become the expression
of a general situation, as well as of some
private experience of his own. The reader's
interpretation may differ from the author's and
be equally valid-- it may even be better.
There may be much more in a poem than the author was
aware of. The different interpretations may all
be partial formulations of one thing; the
ambiguities may be due to the fact that the poem
means more, not less, than ordinary speech can communicate.
T.S. Eliot

12. What is a poet? (a poem)
A poet is somebody who feels, and who expresses
his feelings through words.
This may sound easy. It isn't.
A lot of people think or believe or know they
feel -- but that's thinking or believing or
knowing; not feeling. and poetry is feeling --
not knowing or believing or thinking.
Almost anybody can learn to think or believe
or know, but not a single human being can be
taught to feel. Why? Because whenever you think
or you believe or you know, you're a lot of other
people; but the moment you feel, you're
NOBODY-BUT-YOURSELF.
e.e. cummings

13. Biographical Poem Line 1: First name only
A Bio Poem
Poetry is all about expressing yourself with a very few, but carefully, selected words. You will be selecting a few words to write a biographical poem. This poem should capture who you are in 10 lines.
Line 1: First name only
Line 2: Four traits that describe you
Line 3: Sibling of …..(or son/daughter of…)
Line 4: Lover of ….(3 ideas)
Line 5: Who feels…..(3 items)
Line 6: Who needs…(3 items)
Line 7: Who gives….(3items)
Line 8: Who fears…(3 items)
Line 9: Would like to see….(3 items)
Line 10: Resident of (city/province/neighborhood)

14. Bio Poem Example Robert Honest, happy, content, and established
Brother of Lawrence, James and Elaine,
Lover of the freshness of spring, the laughter of Paula, and the beauty of a garden
Who feels joy when traveling, loneliness in the dark, and happiness in a warm school room
Who needs sunshine, rain, and privacy
Who gives friendship, encouragement, and smiles
Who fears pain, hunger, and the end of a good book
Who would like contentment for all people, laughter in people’s lives, and more appreciation for literature
Resident of Winnipeg

15. Ms. Stanley
Line 1: Jenna
Line 2: Content, Organized, Supportive, and Positive
Line 3: Sister of Adam, Daughter of Maxine and Reid, and wife of Duane
Line 4: Lover of Chocolate, Laughter, Naps, Sunshine and Coffee
Line 5: Who feels joy when I am with family, accomplished when a student truly “gets” something, and annoyed when the house is messy
Line 6: Who needs delicious food, friends and family and vacations
Line 7: Who gives time to family and students,
Line 8: Who fears the death of a loved one, failure, and the apocalypse!
Line 9: Would like to see equality for all people, a cure for cancer, and a cleaner planet
Line 10: Proud Resident of Nova Scotia

16. Remember…
Select your words carefully. You only have 10 lines to express who you are!
This is due tomorrow in a rough draft.