Personal Poetry Anthology
A poetry anthology is a collection of poems. Your anthology will be divided into two sections. Your task in section one is to find ten different poems by different poets. You must include a bibliography for your poems (not just a website but a full bibliographic MLA citation).
You may use any poems that are acceptable for school except the ones we have studied in class or have used as examples. You have two tasks in section two: Essay on Poems and Writing a Self-Portrait.
Make sure that your anthology is ready to turn in when you arrive to class. Please do not collate it in class- it should be ready to hand to me when you arrive. Anthologies will not be accepted after Thursday, September 30. You may, however, turn your anthologies in early.
Due Date: Thursday, September 30.
Order of Anthology:
1. Anthology Cover (5 points)- title of your collection, your name, teacher’s name, date, and an illustration.
2. Title Page (5 points)- title of the collection of poetry and a colorful illustration. The illustration should be hand-drawn (no clip art or art drawn on the computer). This is not the cover of your anthology! This is the first page of your anthology.
3. Table of Contents (10 points) – Poems are to be listed by title of the poem, author’s name, and poetic device the poem exemplifies. Do not forget to include Essay on Poems and Writing a Self-Portrait. Also, number each page in your anthology.
4. Preface (20 points)- explanation as to why you selected these poems. What made these poems catch your attention? Why are they memorable? Did you have a theme you were following? What feelings were evoked? What did you discover about yourself and poetry while collecting these poems? This must be at least ONE PAGE long (typed, double-spaced, 12 point font). Answer in narrative form, meaning that you must write in paragraphs.
5. Poems (20 points)- must consist of 10 poems; one poem per page. Poems must be at least 12 lines long in length. You may not use the same author twice.
6. Explanations (20 points) – write an explanation of what you think the poem is about. The explanation should be about 2-3 sentences long, and you should be able to support your idea(s). The explanations can be written on the same page as your poem.
7. Bibliography (10)
7. Writing a Self Portrait (30 points)
8. Essays on Poems (30 points)
Instructions for Section One
A. All poems must have been previously published, with the following exceptions:
- you may use one poem you have written yourself
- you may use one song lyric in the collection if it is
appropriate for school and you can cite your source (you
must be able to cite your source)
B. Your twelve poems must include examples of these poetic devices. A poem may include more than one poetic device, but cite only one device per poem. You must include the four types of poems as part of your twelve poems. Please identify the poem type or the poetic device in the upper right hand corner of the page.
Poetic Devices Types of Poems
· personification 1. a ballad
· simile 2. a sonnet
· metaphor 3. a free verse poem
· imagery 4. a poem with rhyme
· alliteration (show the rhyme scheme
· onomatopoeia as we practiced in class)
· hyperbole
· symbolism
Please underline examples of the poetic devices.
C. Poems must be neatly hand copied or typed. Number each page consecutively. (5 points)
D. Collection must be attractively bound in some fashion. It may not be stapled together- it may be in a notebook of some sort, it may be bound with a pretty ribbon, but please do not turn in a stapled bunch of paper or a bunch of paper that is paper-clipped together. Please have a cover (much like a book cover) with the title of the collection, your name, and an illustration. Do not use a clear, plastic cover with the slide blinder. Additionally, please do not use sheet protectors. (4 points)
E. Please have attractive hand-drawn illustrations. You must have at least two illustrations aside from your cover and title page. Extra credit consideration will be given to more than two neat and attractive illustrations. (10 points)
Instructions for Part Two
Writing a Self-Portrait/ I Celebrate Myself (30 points)
Directions: Read the following questions/statements and write your answers/responses. They should help you gather some images and figurative language about yourself.
1. What is your favorite color?
2. What is your greatest talent?
3. Name something you cannot do well.
4. What animal do you most resemble?
5. What is your favorite food?
6. What career do you plan to pursue?
7. Name a public figure you admire.
8. What automobile or other method of transportation is most like you?
9. About what do people most often tease you?
10. What is your favorite musical instrument?
11. What is your pet peeve?
12. What color are your eyes? your hair? your skin? Compare the colors to something else.
13. What is your favorite sport?
14. What do you fear?
15. Do you have any unique mannerisms?
16. What is your strongest character trait?
17. What specific words might be used to describe your walk?
18. What planet are you most like?
19. Create a new nickname for yourself.
Now, use the images and ideas from your responses to create a poem about yourself. You must incorporate at least fifteen of the nineteen ideas/images into your poem. Follow the steps below for your final copy of the poem.
1. After you have written the first draft of your poem, proofread it carefully for errors in spelling, usage, and grammar.
2. Ask someone you trust to proofread your poem.
3. When you are satisfied that your poem is error-free, you are ready to type your final copy. Make sure you proofread your typed copy.
4. Decorate your poem in ways that express some aspects of your personality. You may draw pictures, use photographs, cut pictures and/or words from magazines, or use computer-generated art. A border of some sort is always a good idea. Be sure that your final copy is colorful and attractive.
Essays on Poems (25 points)
All of the following poems are generally available in libraries or on the internet. Choose one, and use your knowledge of poetic techniques to analyze it. Develop a thesis statement to summarize your major points, and then write an essay explaining your insights. (You should write a minimum of three well-developed paragraphs). Some elements you might choose to discuss are: theme, symbolism, imagery, figurative language, and/or irony. Include a copy of the poem in front of your essay!
Author Title of Poem
Gwendolyn Brooks “The Bean Eaters”
“The Empty Woman”
“We Real Cool”
George Gordon, Lord Byron “She Walks in Beauty”
E.E. Cummings “the Cambridge ladies who live in furnished souls”
“in just—“
Paul Laurence Dunbar “We Wear the Mask”
Mari Evans “When in Rome”
Robert Frost “Acquainted with the Night”
“Fire and Ice”
A.E. Housman “The Lovliest of Trees”
“To an Athlete Dying Young”
Sylvia Plath “Blackberrying”
“Mirror”
Walt Whitman “I Hear America Singing”
Richard Wilbur “The Beautiful Changes”
William Wordsworth “My heart leaps up”
1