Poetry Journals: You are to select poems as directed by your teacher- from your class anthology, from the works of a particular writer, or from any book of poetry.
Poetry Assignments: Use the poems you have copied for the assignments that follow: 1. Select a poem that has given you greater insight into your life or the world around you, and explain why this poem has affected you. 2. Imagine that you are the editor of a literature anthology and that you must choose three poems that are related in some way. Review the poems you have been reading and choose three that are somehow connected to each other. Explain this relationship, giving clear reasons for your choices. Be sure that your reader knows what unites the three poems and how the poems relate to each other. 3. It can be said that poetry is alive and kicking in America.
Many records, films, advertisements, posters, and dances are
conscious efforts at poetry. Some of these efforts are more successful
than others, but all of them provide proof that poetry is not
confined to the printed pages of textbooks. 4. Many of the poems you have been reading can be contrasted or compared with each other. Choose two poems which demonstrate either similarities or differences in some way and show how they compare or contrast in a clear, supported paragraph. (You may choose two poems which have both similarities and differences. If so, be sure to discuss both aspects.) 5. Choose the poem which you think best demonstrates "poetic" language. Justify your choice in a paragraph which makes specific references to the poem and its exact use of poetic language. 6. Using a separate sheet of paper, write a one-sentence summary of theme or message for every poem in your poetry journal. Be sure to include the title of the poem in your sentence. Do not merely retell what happens in the poem. Tell what the poem MEANS. Make a conscious effort to vary your sentence structure, paying particular attention to sentence openings and punctuation. 7. Choose at least two poems, basing your choice upon the importance of the title to a full understanding of the poem. Explain your choices carefully in a thoroughly supported paragraph. 8. Select one of the poems in your poetry journal to expand to a full-size poster. Obviously, you should select a poem which will fit on a poster and which lends itself to illustration. 9. Create a "hodge-podge" poem by piecing together words, phrases, and lines from the poems in your poetry journal to create an original poem. 10. Make up an essay test on the poems in your poetry journal. This test should include one "thought question" for each poem. Write your test items on index cards, clearly labelling each card with the title and author of the poem. 11. Why study poetry? Write your response in a fully developed essay of at least five paragraphs. Include a thesis sentence and a topic sentence for each developing paragraph. Be careful to start with a catchy opening and to end with a clincher. 12. Pick one poem in your poetry journal to present to your classmates. Your presentation should include the following:
13. Make up your own assignment and submit it to your teacher for approval. Once the assignment is approved, write it neatly on an index card, turn the card in, and do the assignment. |