1. Are You Sure This is English?
Old English Poetry
Are You Sure This is English?

2. The First Poem in the English Language
People in the 500’s didn’t have TV, Internet, radio, etc. so their sources of entertainment were each other.
Meadhalls were common.
Christianity was well-established in the British Isles at this point a hundred years after Constantine, and it influenced their poetry heavily.
Show video of meadhall. Explain what mead is. Relate to Beowulf (If they take World Lit. Western their junior or senior year they will read Beowulf). Explain tradition of going around the table and sharing some sort of entertainment and then the legend of Caedmon.

3. Caedmon’s Hymn (In Old English rep.)

4. Translated Caedmon’s Hymn
Ask the students what they notice about the poem. Point out parallelism and how it was used by the Hebrews in writing the Old Testament. 85% of the Old Testament is written using this poetic structure. Give some examples on the next slide.

5. Parallelism Examples
"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” ~ Psalms 119:105
"When you are right you cannot be too radical; when you are wrong, you cannot be too conservative.”~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal.” ~ T.S. Eliot
"It is by logic we prove, but by intuition we discover.” ~ Leonardo da Vinci
After going through this slide, have students do Practice with Parallelism worksheet. Have them then analyze the poem, “The Flea” by John Donne for parallelism.

6. Figurative Language
When the text does not mean exactly what the words say.
Examples from “Caedmon’s Hymn”:
“the might of the architect”
“heaven as a roof”
Some types of figurative language common in poetry are similes, metaphors, and personification.
Have students do an activity in the literature textbook in groups as a contest to come up with the best of each for a prize. Do page 585 Exercise 1 together as a whole class. Exercise 3, 4, & 5 with partners or in groups of 3.

7. Alliteration Words begin with the same letters or sounds.
Examples from “Caedmon’s Hymn”:
herigean heofonrices
meotodes meahte and his modgeþanc
weorc wuldorfæder, swa he wundra gehwæs
heofon to hrofe, halig
middangeard moncynnes
firum foldan, frea
After going over this slide, analyze “Dewdrops” and “Sarah Cynthia . . .”, have students do a little contest with the tongue twisters. Then, as an extension, have students write their own tongue twisters or add to one of the tongue twisters already written. 5-word limit on a poster with an illustration.

8. Assonance
When words have the same vowel sound but different consonants.
Examples from “Caedmon’s Hymn”
firum foldan, frea ælmihtig
ece drihten, or onstealde.
weorc wuldorfæder, swa he wundra gehwæs
Nu sculon herigean heofonrices weard
meotodes meahte and his modgeþanc
After going through these examples, have students analyze “Early Moon” and “Eldorado”. I will create an activity for this element, but don’t have one yet. Might combine with consonance.

9. Consonance Examples from “Caedmon’s Hymn”.
meotodes meahte and his modgeþanc
weorc wuldorfæder, swa he wundra gehwæs
He ærest sceop eorðan bearnum
heofon to hrofe
Example poems for this element are “Daddy” by Sylvia Plath and “The Road that Has No End” by Joseph Burrows. Activity for both assonance and consonance combined will be to write five lines that would capture the sounds of fall.

10. Consonance

11. Imagery Using language in such a way to appeal to the five senses.
Sight - a full moon in a black sky
Sound - the chirp of crickets
Taste - the tang of a cold glass of lemonade
Touch - a warm breeze
Smell - freshly mowed grass
Activity: have students make a five senses chart and fill in the chart for their perfect Saturday. Afterward, share their answers and talk about the mood. Then, contrast orally with a Monday at school.