Modern Poetry UnitMay 16 – 19, 2011

Discussion Leaders:

Following are assignments. This will be the order of progression so keep up with any daily adjustments. Note that there have been some changes. Everybody should be ready as of Tuesday in case we need to skip/move back a selection for some reason.

Poem/Poet / Section I / Section II
E.E. Cummings,
“anyone lived in a pretty how town”
p 692/694 / Nancy Savage & Amy Tizio / Danielle Lug & Lauren McElwain
“old age sticks” p 692/695 / Amanda Tedino / Alyson Jacobs
W.H. Auden, ‘The Unknown Citizen”
p 692/696 / Amanda Carpenter &
Lucy Lohrman / Jennifer Capone &
Kaila Hanley
Archibald Macleish, “ArsPoetica”
p 708/712 / Jen Dume / Gina Carlino
The Harlem Renaissance p838
Langston Hughes “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” p 841 / Alex Haracz & Mary LaRiviere / Julia Boylan & Nicole Czajka
“Harlem” “Mother & Son” WEB. / Meg Vreeland & Maria Southard / Mackenzie Pabst &
EviLivitsanos
Carl Sandburg p768, “Chicago” / Gloria Siclari & Mary Grace Orlando / McKenna Paulson &
Jennie Miller
Robert Frost p802, “The Mending Wall” p 806-807 / Laura Ciano & Jenna Rodriguez / Stephanie Hitscherich & Michelle DePinho
“Out, Out” p 808-809 / Julia GetsosMarlies Gaul / Mary Curry & TarynHeiser
“The Gift Outright” p 812 / Tiffany Weisbecker & Anya Paluch / Stephanie Schulz & Alex Rubino
Robert Lowell p912, “Hawthorne” / Mary Tabatneck

Your task:

  1. Introduce your poet with a few key points. If you are doing a second or third poem by this poet, indicate how the poem is indicative of the poet’s style/identity.
  2. Read the poem convincingly. You should have rehearsed this so that you observe the punctuation and expression required.
  3. Indicate the overall theme and point out key phrases and lines that support this theme.
  4. Indicate the overriding poetic devices that contribute to the poem’s effectiveness.
  5. Unfortunately, we are on a tight schedule to gain acquaintance with the poets and poems. Therefore, limit your discussion to 8 to 10 minutes. We will dedicate Tuesday B day(60 minutes) and Friday D day (60min/45 min) – Section I might spill over to Monday E day. However, we will begin The Crucible on Monday.If you have any slides, save them onto a flashdrive which you will use with my computer. If you have handouts, either bring 18 copies or leave them under my door at the beginning of the day and I will make the copies.
  6. This is a double-graded “homework” assignment based on how succinctly you cover #s 1 – 4.