Poetry Unit Packet

Poetry Unit Packet
Attached are the activities for our
poetry unit.
DO NOT LOSE THIS PACKET!
It will not be reprinted for you.
Pages
Contents
1-4
Poetry Terminology Notes
5
Poetry Analysis From Books
6
Poetic Devices in Songs
(“Sky Full of Stars” “Roar”)
7-8
“The Gift” Li Young Li
9-10
“The Tropics of New York”
Claude McKay
11-12
“Standing Outside the Fire”
Garth Brooks and example
paragraph
13-14
“Mirror” Sylvia Plath
15-17
“My Father is a Simple Man”
Luis Omar Salinas
18
“Mama is a Sunrise”
Evelyn Tooley Hunt
19-22
Poetry Book Instructions and
Expectations
POETRY
A type of literature that expresses ideas,
feelings, or tells a story in a specific form
usually uses _____________ and
__________
Point of view is not always ______________!
POET
SPEAKER
• The poet is the
______________ of the
poem.
• The speaker of the
poem is the
___________ of the
poem.
POETRY FORM
• ____________ - the
appearance of the words
on the page
• ___________ - a group
of words together on one
line of the poem
• ___________- a group
of lines arranged
together
A word is dead
When it is said,
Some say.
I say it just
Begins to live
That day.
KINDS OF STANZAS
Couplet
=
Triplet (Tercet) =
Quatrain
=
Quintet
=
Sestet (Sextet) =
Septet
=
Octave
=
a ____ line stanza
a ____ line stanza
a four line stanza
a five line stanza
a six line stanza
a seven line stanza
an _____ line stanza
1
Poetry and Sound Effects…
Poetry is meant to be
____________________.
This is so that it can be
_______________, like a
performance.
Poetry uses SOUND
EFFECTS to create rhythm.
1. Rhyme (perfect, end,
internal, near)
2. Onomatopoeia
3. Alliteration
4. Assonance
5. Consonance
6. Refrain
Sound Effect #1: RHYME
• Words sound alike
because they share
the ______________
___________________
sounds.
• Note: A word always
rhymes with _______
Type: END RHYME
A word at the ________ of
one line rhymes with a word
at the _________________
line
Example
Hector the Collector
Collected bits of
_________*
Collected dolls with
broken heads
And rusty bells that would
not ________*
LAMP
STAMP
Share the short “a”
vowel sound
Share the combined
“mp” consonant
sound
Type: INTERNAL RHYME
A word __________ a line
rhymes with another word
on the ____________.
Once upon a midnight
________ while
pondered weak and
__________.
From “The Raven”
by Edgar Allan Poe
2
Type: NEAR RHYME
• a.k.a imperfect
rhyme, _______
rhyme
• The words share
__________ the
same vowel or
consonant sound
BUT ___________
ROSE
LOSE
Different vowel
sounds (long “o” and
“oo” sound)
Share the same
consonant sound
SAMPLE RHYME SCHEME
A rhyme scheme is a pattern of rhyme (usually
end rhyme, but not always).
“The Germ” by Ogden Nash
A mighty creature is the germ,
Though smaller than the pachyderm.
His customary dwelling place
Is deep within the human race.
His childish pride he often pleases
By giving people strange diseases.
Do you, my poppet, feel infirm?
You probably contain a germ.
Sound Effect #2:
ONOMATOPOEIA
Sound Effect #3
ALLITERATION
___________ sounds
Words that
repeated at the
_________________
____________ of words
the
sound they are naming
If Peter Piper picked a
_____
peck of pickled peppers,
how many pickled
peppers did Peter Piper
pick?
Name three more:
3
Sound Effect #5
ASSONANCE
Sound Effect #4
CONSONANCE
• Similar to alliteration
EXCEPT . . .
• The repeated
consonant sounds can
be________________
__________________
“silken, sad,
uncertain, rustling . . “
• Repeated ____________
sounds in a line or lines of
poetry.
• Often creates near rhyme.
Underline the examples of
ASSONANCE
“Slow the low gradual moan
came in the snowing.”
John Masefield
“Shall ever medicine thee to
that sweet sleep.”
- William Shakespeare
Sound Effect #6
Refrain
• A sound, word,
phrase or line
______________
regularly in a
poem.
• In a song, this is
the ___________
My prime of youth is but a frost of cares,
My feast of joy is but a dish of pain,
My crop of corn is but a field of tares,
And all my good is but vain hope of gain;
The day is past, and yet I saw no sun,
And now I live, and now my life is done.
My tale was heard and yet it was not told,
My fruit is fallen and yet my leaves are green,
My youth is spent and yet I am not old,
I saw the world and yet I was not seen;
My thread is cut and yet it is not spun,
And now I live, and now my life is done.
I sought my death and found it in my womb,
I looked for life and saw it was a shade,
I trod the earth and knew it was my tomb,
And now I die, and now I was but made:
My glass is full, and now my glass is run,
And now I live, and now my life is done.
What effect does the refrain have?
Other Poetic Devices/ Figurative Language
Simile:
Metaphor:
Implied Metaphor:
Personification:
Hyperbole:
4
Poetry Analysis : Poetic and Sound Devices
(“Grape Sherbet” / “I ask my Mother to Sing” / “Papa’s Waltz)
Group Work Directions:
1. Read the poem aloud at least 2 times through.
2. Discuss the following:
 Who is the speaker? Describe them.
 What is the “story” of the poem?
 How does the poem make you feel?
 What message is the author trying to communicate?
3. Find examples of the following (if possible) and mark them ON the poem (place the corresponding
letter next to the example with post-it)
a. Line
b. Stanza
c. Rhyme (identify as near, perfect, end, internal)
d. Alliteration
e. Assonance
f. Consonance
g. Onomatopoeia
h. Refrain
i. One type of figurative language
4. Choose three of the poetic devices that you found and explain how they affect the reader. Do they…
make you laugh? Make you read faster? Create rhythm? Influence mood/ tone? Make you slow down?
Peer Presentation notes:
Poem Title
Device
Quote
Explanation / Affect
“A Sky Full Of Stars” (Coldplay)
Cause you're a sky
Cause you're a sky full of stars
I'm going to give you my heart
Cause you're a sky, cause you're
A sky full of stars
And cause you light up the path
I don't care
Go on and tear me apart
I don't care if you do
Cause in a sky, cause in a sky full of stars
I think I saw you
Cause you're a sky, cause you're
A sky full of stars
I want to die in your arms
Cause you get lighter
the more it gets dark
I'm going to give you my heart
And I don't care
Go on and tear me apart
I don't care if you do
Cause in a sky, cause in a sky full of stars
I think I see you
I think I see you
You're a sky
You're a sky full of stars
Such a heavenly view
Such a heavenly view
“Roar”, Katy Perry
I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath
Scared to rock the boat and make a mess
So I sat quietly, agreed politely
I guess that I forgot I had a choice
I let you push me past the breaking point
I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything
You held me down, but I got up (hey!)
Already brushing off the dust
You hear my voice, your hear that sound
Like thunder, gonna shake the ground
You held me down, but I got up
Get ready 'cause I had enough
I see it all, I see it now
I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter
Dancing through the fire
'Cause I am a champion, and you're gonna hear me roar
Louder, louder than a lion
'Cause I am a champion, and you're gonna hear me roar!
You're gonna hear me roar!
Now I'm floating like a butterfly
Stinging like a bee I earned my stripes
I went from zero, to my own hero
Chorus 2X
1. What are 3 examples of figurative language in this
song and what is their EFFECT?
1. How is this song an example of an EXTENDED
metaphor?
2. What is the implied metaphor?
2. Explain the characteristics of the sky that the
woman also possesses.
3. Answer on a separate sheet of paper: How does the
speaker change/ develop in this poem? Which
literary devices are utilized to demonstrate this
change?
Name: ______________________________________ The Gift by Li‐Young Lee To pull the metal splinter from my palm my father recited a story in a low voice. I watched his lovely face and not the blade. Before the story ended, he'd removed the iron sliver I thought I'd die from. I can't remember the tale, but hear his voice still, a well of dark water, a prayer. And I recall his hands, two measures of tenderness he laid against my face, the flames of discipline he raised above my head. Had you entered that afternoon you would have thought you saw a man planting something in a boy's palm, a silver tear, a tiny flame. Had you followed that boy you would have arrived here, where I bend over my wife's right hand. Look how I shave her thumbnail down so carefully she feels no pain. Watch as I lift the splinter out. I was seven when my father took my hand like this, and I did not hold that shard between my fingers and think, Metal that will bury me, christen it Little Assassin, Ore Going Deep for My Heart. And I did not lift up my wound and cry, Death visited here! I did what a child does when he's given something to keep. I kissed my father. Discussion/ reflection: 1. Who is the speaker? What do we know about him? (Use specific evidence) 2. How does the speaker change/ develop during the story? What influenced this change? (consider his perspective of the splinter) 3. How would you categorize this poem? Why? 4. Where in the poem does the author use hyperbole? What if the effect of this device? 5. Where does the author use repetition of sounds? What effect does this have on the reading of the poem? 6. Using the same tone as the author, write 4 more lines onto the end of the poem. Below, explain your choices. 1. Read and annotate for comprehension Name: The Tropics of New York
(Claude McKay, 1889 – 1948)
Bananas ripe and green, and ginger root
Cocoa in pods and alligator pears,
And tangerines and mangoes and grape fruit,
Fit for the highest prize at parish fairs,
Sat in the window, bringing memories
of fruit-trees laden by low-singing rills,
And dewy dawns, and mystical skies
In benediction over nun-like hills.
My eyes grow dim, and I could no more gaze;
A wave of longing through my body swept,
And, hungry for the old, familiar ways
I turned aside and bowed my head and wept.
2. Find examples of the following and explain their EFFECT. McCay uses repetition in the lines, “_________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________” in order to … McCay uses rhyme in the line, “_____________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________” in order to … McCay uses inverted sentence patters in lines, “ _______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________” In order to … 3. Create a poetic device mini poster (cannot use metaphor/simile/personification) Device Name: Picture from the poem: “Quote” using the device: Explanation: What is the purpose of this device? How does it influence the poem? “Standing Outside the Fire” Garth Brooks
We call them cool
Those hearts that have no scars to show
The ones that never do let go
And risk the tables being turned
We call them fools
Who have to dance within the flame
Who chance the sorrow and the shame
That always comes with getting burned
But you've got to be tough when consumed by desire
'Cause it's not enough just to stand outside the fire
We call them strong
Those who can face this world alone
Who seem to get by on their own
Those who will never take the fall
We call them weak
Who are unable to resist
The slightest chance love might exist
And for that forsake it all
They're so hell-bent on giving ,walking a wire
Convinced it's not living if you stand outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Life is not tried, it is merely survived
If you're standing outside the fire
There's this love that is burning
Deep in my soul
Constantly yearning to get out of control
Wanting to fly higher and higher
I can't abide
Standing outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Life is not tried, it is merely survived
If you're standing outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Life is not tried, it is merely survived
If you're standing outside the fire
Example Paragraph Structure
Use this outline to help you create an analytical paragraph about the use of a particular poetic device in the song. Please
use this as a guide, but make it your own. These are just transitions to help you remember what comes “next”.
Notice the structure:
Topic Sentence: States the device and its PURPOSE in the song
Embedded Evidence: Recaps song/ reiterates the particular device.
Analysis: What is being communicated? How does the device “work” within the poem?
Embedded Evidence: reiterates device
Analysis: How is this example similar to/ different from the previous? Is it “working” in the same way?
Connect: Effectiveness of the device
Garth Brooks utilizes ___________________ in his song “Standing Outside the Fire” in order to
____________________________. The song is about _____________________________________________________
____________________________. Once example of his use of ______________________ is in line ________________
when the lyrics read, “_______________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________.”
In this line, Brooks is _______________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________.
His use of _______________________ works to ________________________________________________________.
This influences our understanding of the song because _____________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________.
Brooks also uses __________________ in the line, “ ______________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________” (
).
This line is similar to/ different from the last example of __________________ because ___________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________.
Overall, Brooks’ use of __________________________ in his song is effective because___________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________.
Name: _____________________________
Mirror
Sylvia Plath
I am silver and exact. I have no preconceptions.
Whatever I see I swallow immediately
Just as it is, unmisted by love or dislike.
I am not cruel, only truthful -The eye of a little god, four-cornered.
Most of the time I meditate on the opposite wall.
It is pink, with speckles. I have looked at it so long
I think it is part of my heart. But it flickers.
Faces and darkness separate us over and over.
Now I am a lake. A woman bends over me,
Searching my reaches for what she really is.
Then she turns to those liars, the candles or the moon.
I see her back, and reflect it faithfully.
She rewards me with tears and an agitation of hands.
I am important to her. She comes and goes.
Each morning it is her face that replaces the darkness.
In me she has drowned a young girl, and in me an old woman
Rises toward her day after day, like a terrible fish.
Discussion and reflection: please take notes
1.
Why do you think Plath switched the perspective from a mirror to a lake?
2.
Would this poem read differently if it had been written by a man? What about if a man was visiting the
lake?
3.
How old do you think the woman in the poem is?
4.
Growing older is scary in this poem. When you think of yourself aging, is it scary like that "terrible fish"?
5.
Choose ONE of the following themes and explain HOW and WHERE Sylvia addresses these ideas in her
poem: Appearance, Femininity (womanhood), Time, Transformation
TIEAC: Analyze the use of personification in Sylvia Plath’s poem Mirrors.
What does she choose to write the poem from the mirror’s perspective? What affect does this have on
the poem? How would it be different if she had written ABOUT a mirror instead of FROM the mirror?
Name: ____________________________
I.
Read and Annotate
My Father is a Simple Man
By Luis Omar Salinas
I walk to town with my father
to buy a newspaper. He walks slower
than I do so I must slow up.
The street is filled with children.
We argue about the price
of pomegranates. I convince
him it is the fruit of scholars.
He has taken me on this journey
and it's been lifelong.
He's sure I'll be healthy
so long as I eat more oranges,
and tells me the orange
has seeds and so is perpetual;
and we too will come back
like the orange trees.
I ask him what he thinks
about death and he says
he will gladly face it when
it comes but won't jump
out in front of a car.
I'd gladly give my life
for this man with a sixth
grade education, whose kindness
and patience are true. . .
The truth of it is, he's the scholar,
and when the bitter-hard reality
comes at me like a punishing
evil stranger, I can always
remember that here was a man
who was a worker and provider,
who learned the simple facts
in life and lived by them,
who held no pretense,
And when he leaves without
benefit of fanfare or applause
I shall have learned what little
there is about greatness.
Vocabulary
Scholar: a learned
person, a student who
hold high degrees
Journey: traveling, trip
Perpetual: lasting
eternity, continuing
Pretense: pretending,
false show
Fanfare or applause:
spectacular show,
clapping praise
Name: ____________________________
II. Discussion and Reflection:
1. Why does the author make multiple references to his father’s age?
2. When the narrator speaks about his father’s perception of oranges, why does the father mention
the seeds?
3. In line 25, the speaker calls his father a “scholar”. What type of scholar is he? What does the
speaker mean when he calls his father this?
4. What is the meaning of the last two lines of the poem, “I shall have learned what little/ there is
about greatness”?
III.
Prompt: What does the speaker learn from his father?
In small groups, create a mini- poster that states your
1. TPR:
2. Evidence:
3. All four types of analysis
TPR
EVIDENCE
ANALYSIS
1 conclusions/ inferences
2 differentiate
3 literary devices
4 illustrate
“My Father Was a Simple Man,” Critical Thinking and Analysis
TPR:
EVIDENCE:
ANALYSIS:
Conclusions and Inferences:
Identify and Analyze Literary Devices:
Differentiate:
Illustrate:
Name: ____________________________
I. Read and Annotate:
"Mama Is a Sunrise"
by Evelyn Tooley Hunt
When she comes slip-footing through the door,
she kindles us
like lump coal lighted,
and we wake up glowing.
She puts a spark even in Papa's eyes
and turns out all our darkness.
When she comes sweet-talking in the room,
she warms us
like grits and gravy,
and we rise up shining.
Even at nighttime Mama is a sunrise
that promises tomorrow and tomorrow.
II. Answer questions on a separate sheet of paper.
1. In your own words, what is the poet remembering about her mother?
2. What is one simile from the pome that stood out to you? Why?
3. How do you think that the speaker FEELS about her mother? Why?
III. Figurative Language Poster :
1. Choose an example of figurative language.
2. Draw an image to exemplify the figurative idea.
3. Write a statement (3-5 sentences) of analysis.
Min:
1 sentence to explain the figurative idea
1 sentence to explain the IMPACT of the language.
1 sentence to explain the CONNECTION of the language to the theme of the
poem.
Poetry Book
With your adopted poet, create a book with the following requirements
Project Objectives:
 To review poetic devices and their uses
 To read poetry that you are interested in
 To learn about a specific poet
 To create a BOOK that includes the annotation and analysis of 4 poems by a SINGLE author.
Book Requirements:
Front Cover:
Title of the ‘Book’
Picture of the Author
Name
Date
Period
Back Cover:
Autobiographical information about author, written by YOU.
This means doing research and using quotes/ sources.
Page 1: Table of Contents will list all entries; please include for EACH entry
title of poem
poetic topic (focus)
page number
Page 2: Poem #1, annotated with an analysis of AUTHOR PURPOSE
Page 3-5: Poems #2-4, annotated with an analysis of poetic devices (your choice from below)
Poetic Devices: For pages 3-5 you must choose from different columns
Rhyme scheme
Quatrain
Couplet
Repetition
Line
Stanza
Refrain
Symbolism
Personification
Simile
Metaphor
Hyperbole
Understatement
Imagery
Alliteration
Assonance
Consonance
Allusion
Ambiguity
Idiom
Onomatopoeia
End rhyme
Near rhyme
Rhyme
Internal rhyme
DAY ONE: Read through 3-5 different authors and record notes below. Use this space to decide on your poet.
Author / Poem titles
+ (what you liked)
-
(what you did not like)
DAY TWO: Author Biography (knowing background information on your author will GREATLY impact your analysis of
their poems. Please gather at least the following information in you poet.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Paragraph one:
o
o
o
What is their name?
When/where were they born?
What are some relevant highlights from their child hood leading up to becoming a poet (personal life).
Paragraph two:
o
What is credited as a major influence in their becoming a poet or in their poetry? (Explain this with more
detail).
Paragraph three:
o
o
o
What works are they famous for?
Have they received any awards or accolades?
Are they still writing today?
Bottom of page:
o
o
TWO SOURCES
FULL WORKS CITED at the bottom of the page (not just the website but two MLA works cited entries)
DAY THREE-FIVE (approx.): Gather, annotate and analyze poems of your choice. Don’t forget to address one poetic
device per column on the first page of instructions.
DAY SIX: The day you turn in your book, you will present your book to 3-4 peers and your teacher.
Presentation expectations:
You will present the following to a group of 3 of your peers: 10-12 minutes
(2 Min) Author, what you learned about them and how their life influences their poetry
(3 Min) Read a poem to your classmates and explain your analysis of the poem
(3 Min) Explain the use of poetic devices in the poem you read and the effect of the device.
(2 Min) Briefly high light the other poems that you read, and what you learned from the poems
(1-2 Min) Recommendation: Who should read these poems? What did you like about the poems?
Where they what you expected?
On the day of the presentation (date TBD), you MUST turn in with your book an OUTLINE of your presentation
that addresses the points above. This is just an outline (bullet points) of what you will say in your presentation
to your peers. This is to demonstrate your preparation for the presentation and WILL be part of your
presentation grade.
Oral Presentation Rubric : Poetry Books
CATEGORY
4-A
3- B
2- C
1- D (or F for no credit)
Comprehension
Student is able to accurately
present information and answer
almost all questions posed by
classmates about the their poet
and poems
Student is able to
accurately present most
information and can
answer most questions
posed by classmates.
Accuracy of Poetic
Devices
Presenter is able to accurately
explain example, uses, and
effects of specific poetic
devices with confidence and
reason
Presenter is able to
Presenter is able to identify
accurately explain
devices but not their uses/
example, uses and effects effects
but relies on notes
Presenter is incorrect in their
identification and/or evaluation of
the use of literary devices within
the poetry
Evidence of
Reading
Participation
Student’s presentation clearly
reflects time spent reading and
working to understand the
poems. Presentation
references the text specifically.
Student’s presentation
reflects reading and
thoughtful consideration of
the text. Presentation
references the text.
Student presents basic plot
of the book but does not
reflect a deeper
consideration of the text.
Student’s presentation does not
reflect comprehension and deep
thinking of the text.
Clarity of
Presentation with
Proper Posture and
Eye Contact
Stands up straight, looks
relaxed and confident.
Establishes eye contact with
everyone in the room during
the presentation. Speaks
clearly and distinctly all (10095%) the time, and
mispronounces no words.
Stands up straight and
establishes eye contact
with everyone in the room
during the presentation.
Speaks clearly and
distinctly all (100-95%) the
time, but mispronounces
one word.
Sometimes stands up
straight and establishes eye
contact. Speaks clearly and
distinctly most ( 94-85%) of
the time. Mispronounces no
more than one word.
Slouches and/or does not look at
people during the presentation.
Often mumbles or can not be
understood OR mispronounces
more than one word.
Preparedness
Student is completely prepared Student seems pretty
and has obviously rehearsed.
prepared but might have
needed a couple more
rehearsals.
The student is somewhat
prepared, but it is clear that
rehearsal was lacking.
Student does not seem at all
prepared to present.
Student is able to present
some information accurately
but only answer a few
questions posed by
classmates about the topic.
Student present inaccurate
information and is unable to
accurately answer questions
posed by classmates about the
topic.
EXAMPLE PAGE FOR POETRY BOOK
(ANOTATED!)
Dream Deferred
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
Like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore-And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over-like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
(Highlight/ underline the ANALYSIS below…)
Repetition
In his poem, Langston Hughes utilizes repetition to reiterate the importance of the
question he poses in his opening lines. He asks his audience, “What happens to a dream
deferred?”(1) and then shows us that he is not being rhetorical by providing numerous
figurative answers. He offers up the possibility of it stinking like rotten meat, sagging like a
heavy load, or even exploding. With each possibility he repeats the phrase “Does it,”
reforming his possible answers into continued questions. He demonstrates that there is not
one simple answer to the question in the first line. The plethora of possibilities and the
repetition of “Does it” provides a context for the reader to personally connect with the
rhetorical device. He also uses the repetition of the phrase “Does it” all by itself in the final line
of the poem to draw our attention here. Each other use of the phrase in the poem is followed
by different possibilities and so, as a reader, we anticipate this pattern to continue. He
doesn’t, in this final stanza, keep his momentum moving forward as we expect so when we get
to the word explode we are left suspended in our reading of the poem, just like the ashes and
noise of an explosion hang for a second in the air. The repetition affords us this expectation
and pushes our focus to this last stanza which may be, in my opinion, Langston Hughes’s final
answer.