English I ECHS C. Edge

2007-2008

Thematic Unit: Love
Poetry
“Daily” by Naomi Shihab Nye
Haiku poetry by Chora, Chiyo, Basho, and Issa
“My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke
“Combing” by Gladys Cardiff
“Harlem” by Langston Hughes

Reading Skills and Strategies: Poetry

n  Look for punctuation in the poem telling you where sentences begin and end.

n  Do not make a full stop at the end of a line if there is no period, comma, colon, semicolon, or dash there.

n  If a passage of a poem is difficult to understand, look for the subject, verb, and complement of each sentence.

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“Daily” by: Naomi Shihab Nye

Quickwrite, p. 494

Definitions:

n  Catalog poem –

n  The repetition of items in the list creates a rolling rhythm when the poem is read aloud.

Poetry Analysis of the Poem

n  What is the poem about?

n  Number of Stanzas?

n  Number of Lines per Stanza?

n  Speaker?

n  Rhyme Scheme?

n  Examples of repetition?

n  Examples of imagery?

n  Examples of symbolism?

Notes

n  The images in this poem come from the speaker’s everyday life.

n  She reveals her wonderment by giving each image a special role in her day and poem. Some of the simple things are compared to awe-inspiring concepts.

Assignments

n  Write a catalog poem or paragraph that lists images of things in your daily life that are miracles or make you happy to be alive.

Question #1, p. 498

n  When you think of images in the world that give you joy or that fill you with wonder, do you look at ordinary things, as Nye does? Talk over your responses to the poet’s source of wonder and joy.

Question #2, p. 498

n  What do Nye’s particular images tell you about her life and where she lives?

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Haiku Poetry by Miura Chora, Chiyo, Matsuo Basho, and Kobayashi Issa
Quickwrite, p. 499

Haiku poetry notes:

n  ______poetry form

n  ______syllables

n  Line one = ______syllables

n  Line two = ______syllables

n  Line three = ______syllables

n  Presents images of ______

n  Usually contains a ______word or symbol (kigo)

n  Presents a single moment of ______or ______(satori)

Poetry Analysis of the Poem

n  What is the poem about?

n  Number of Stanzas?

n  Number of Lines per Stanza?

n  Speaker?

n  Rhyme Scheme?

n  Examples of repetition?

n  Examples of imagery?

n  Examples of symbolism?

Assignments

Write two haiku poems: one about the weather and one about an animal of your choosing.

Question #1, p. 507 “Haiku”

n  All of these poems contain images of moments and miracles in nature. What image in the haiku did you find most striking, original, or powerful?

Question #2, p. 507 “Haiku”

n  One of the characteristics of a haiku is that it presents a moment of discovery or revelation. In your own words, describe the moment frozen in each of the haiku in this group of poems.

Question #3, p. 507 “Haiku”

n  In Chiyo’s haiku, the plant is a “morning glory.” How could these words also describe what the poet experienced at her morning encounter?

Question #7, p. 507 “Haiku”

n  Inside each of the haiku there is a person. Put yourself in each person’s shoes, one by one. Consider:

n  In the first haiku, do you wait for the toad to move, or do you poke it?

n  In the second haiku, do you ever use that bucket again?

n  In the third haiku, what do you think you were doing the minute before the frog jumped in?

n  In the fourth haiku, how long are you able to see the hills?

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“My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke
Quickwrite, p. 561

Define:

n  Rhyme –

n  Approximate rhyme –

n  Rhyme scheme –

Poetry Analysis of the Poem

n  What is the poem about?

n  Number of Stanzas?

n  Number of Lines per Stanza?

n  Speaker?

n  Rhyme Scheme?

n  Examples of repetition?

n  Examples of imagery?

n  Examples of symbolism?

Assignments

n  What kind of work does the father do? What evidence is there in the story?

p. 563, Question 1

n  How do you think the speaker feels about his father and the rough waltz?

p. 563, Question 2

n  How does the mother feel about the waltz? How would you explain her reaction?

p. 563, Question 3

n  How would you interpret line 3, “But I hung on like death”?

p. 563, Question 4

n  Death is a word that usually has connotations of loss and sadness. Which other words and images in the poem have negative connotations? Which have positive connotations? You could prepare your response by making a chart like the one below.

p. 563, Question 5

n  How would you express the poem’s message, or theme? (Hint: Does the poem say anything about love?)

p. 563, Question 6

n  The title promises music, and Roethke delivers a three-beat waltz rhythm and a regular rhyme scheme. Scan the poem to show its meter. What is the rhyme scheme? Read the poem aloud. Do you think it sounds happy or sad?

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“Combing” by Gladys Cardiff

Quickwrite, p. 566

Definitions:

n  Repetition –

n  Alliteration –

n  Assonance –

Poetry Analysis of the Poem

n  What is the poem about?

n  Number of Stanzas?

n  Number of Lines per Stanza?

n  Speaker?

n  Rhyme Scheme?

n  Examples of repetition?

n  Examples of imagery?

n  Examples of symbolism?

Assignments:

n  Find 2 examples of alliteration in this poem:

n  Find 2 examples of assonance in this poem:

n  Plaiting or braiding is the act of tying strands of hair together into one bigger strand. The bigger strand is obviously stronger than the individual hairs are. What do you think this symbolizes in this poem?

n  What other activity in the poem could be seen in a similar way?

Question 1, p. 568

n  What gifts are giving in “Combing”?

Question 4, p. 568

n  What do you think the poet means in “Combing” when she refers in the last line to women “plaiting the generations”?

Question 5, p. 568

n  What other things do family members do that tie or braid generations? What other gifts do parents give children?

Definitions:

n  Scansion –

n  Rhythm –

n  Meter –

n  Feet –

Common types of feet:

n  iamb –

n  Trochee –

n  Anapest –

n  Dactyl –

n  Spondee –

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“Harlem” by Langston Hughes

Quickwrite, p. 590

Poetry Analysis of the Poem

n  What is the poem about?

n  Number of Stanzas?

n  Number of Lines per Stanza?

n  Speaker?

n  Rhyme Scheme?

n  Examples of repetition?

n  Examples of imagery?

n  Examples of symbolism?

Definitions:

n  Tone –

n  Figure of speech –

n  Simile –

n  Metaphor –

Assignments:

n  What does Hughes compare a dream to?

n  How would you describe his tone?

Question 3, p. 596

n  The word deferred in line 1 of “Harlem” means “delayed,” “postponed,” What is the dream that is being postponed here?

Question 4, p. 596

n  What are the five similes that Hughes uses to restate the first question—that is , what does he compare a “dream deferred” to?

Question 5, p. 596

n  What final metaphor is implied with Hughes uses the word explode – what are we to understand that the dream might become? Why might a “dream” deferred one day explode?

Question 9, p. 596

n  “Harlem” was published in 1951. What conditions still exist that make this poem relevant to people’s lives today?