Poetry Project!
Taking a focused look at
poetry through discussion and interpretation
In the next couple of weeks, we will be focusing
in-class discussions on poetry, mostly from the Sound and Sense book. Following much of the same procedure as
we did for short stories, you will divide into small groups whose goal is to
read, discuss, analyze and compare as many poems as the time allotted will
allow. Each night, you will assign
yourselves poetry to read. While
reading, each member of your group will write three focused Òdiscussion
questionsÓ about each poem. These
questions, compiled in a single file ‡ la the Workshop Summary, will be turned
in at the unitÕs end.
Twice (or three times, if the
group so chooses) during the project, groups will decide to dispense with
specifically assigned poetry and instead each member will discover, on their
own, using the internet or any text other than Sound and Sense, one poem that they believe reflects any of the elements of poetry or
styles of poetry that they have been discussing in their groups. Instead of focus questions, each
student will spend a bit of time researching the author of the poem and finding
information about the genre, era, philosophical school, style, technique, etc.
of the poet. Bring that material,
along with enough copies of the poem, to your groupÕs discussion the next day.
Material from this research will be appended to the file you will turn in at unitÕs end.
(Of course, there are options. It wouldnÕt
be me if there werenÕt
options of some kind.) J
Fantasia (n.) a free composition structured according to
the composerÕs fancy; a medley of familiar themes, with variations and
interludes
This, by a landslide, is my favorite
option. It gives you the
opportunity to explore the poem imagistically, to feel the poem as well as
understand it. HereÕs how to do
it:
á
Select
a poem of moderate length or a couple of shorter ones that relate thematically
á
Read
it several times; interpret it for yourself. Research it online if you
desire. What are its themes? What emotions do you feel reading
it? Why did it speak to you?
á
Find
a piece of music (instrumental, not vocal) that is similar in mood or matches
your ideas about this poem. (If you happen to be musical, you might even
compose and/or play your own.)
o
Speak
the piece over the music with any appropriate pauses, rhythm changes, etc.
¤
Does
it work?
¤
Does
it alter the mood of the piece in a major way?
¤
Are
you satisfied that youÕve found the right music? Keep looking if you are in
doubt.
¤
DonÕt
be afraid to combine a few bars from here or there if you need to effect a mood
change you canÕt find in any single piece of music that you know; just try to
make any recording transitions as smooth as possible.
á
Find
a way to illustrate your fantasia.
o
Slides,
videos, computer animation, photo collages, sculpture, light effects, painting,
or basically anything else you can think of would work here.
á
Now
put the music, the poem(s), and the illustration together.
o
You
will read the piece, of course, either live or on tape.
o
The
key to a successful presentation is timing, and the key to timing is practice: bring
all three elements together into a logical, smoothly running program and
practice it at home so you can present it effectively.
á
Finally:
Explain the components of your fantasia me and to the class.
o
First,
include a typed exploration of the imagery and music you selected and why it
you selected it.
o
How
does this reflect an interpretation of your poem(s)?
o
Informally
discuss this with the class and hand in the formal version to me.
For an explanation of the technology used in
Marie BuckÕs sample shown in class, click here.
This one is not as much fun but can be a good
alternative if the right side of your brain is tapped out.
á
Select
five or more poems by a single poet or five or more poems on a similar theme.
á
Write
a carefully constructed essay of at least five pages in which you explore
interpretations of these poems and compare them to each other.
á
If
you use a single poet, you may also research his or her style if youÕd like and
bring that into the project.
HereÕs one for the truly left-brained:
á
Research
one of the poets in the Sound
and Sense
book.
á
In
a well-rehearsed, carefully presented speech or a PowerPoint presentation,
discuss how that poetÕs life or times might have affected his or her poetry.
á
You
must include at least three full poems in your presentation.
And hereÕs one for the technically accomplished:
á
Select
a poem and interpret it as in the Fantasia.
á
Create
a series of web pages that illustrate and explore the meanings, images,
background, and structure of the poem through links to other pages you create.
á
Add
music if you wish, though this is not required.
á
Be
sure to include a link to a bibliography page for sources you used as well as a
link to a discussion of why you made the choices you made.
á
For
an example of something similar with ÒLost in the Funhouse,Ó click here.
How MarieÕs Fantasia was
made:
Basically,
if you donÕt know how to do it, have someone show you!
1. Find the pictures off the internet and save them to a
disk or CD
2. Put them into a title program such as Title Deko
3. Format them to the right size to they wonÕt stretch as
much
4. Put them into Adobe Premiere 4
5. Put on a filter so they donÕt flicker
6. Record audio with a video camera
7. Change the levels for balance.