Group Project and Final Paper

We began by discussing the final paper (see handout).  Then, group members reported out on their assigned poem ("We Wear the Mask," "Harlem," "The Weary Blues," and "Lift Every Voice and Sing").  Tomorrow, given that it's Halloween, we'll have a little fun with Edgar Allan Poe.  Don't forget your Halloween haiku (optional). 

The Public Life

We began by reviewing Monday's quiz, noting the correlation between attendance and academic success. (Of those who were here both Wednesday and Thursday, 4 of 6 scored 44+ on the 45 point quiz. The average for those students missing one or both days was 27/45.) An extra credit assignment related to the quiz was distributed, due Friday.

Then, we talked (in a general sense) about the final group project and paper. Each person was asked to submit 3-5 ideas for the final project. From those, the following list was generated:

Poems Related to Relationships (Love/Marriage, Parent-Child, )
Performance Poetry/Poetry Slams
Nature Poetry
Women’s Rights/Feminist Poetry
Elegies
Music/Song Lyrics (Queen, Blue October)
Poems of the Harlem Renaissance (Jazz poetry)
Poems related to Civil Rights
Holiday poems (Halloween, etc.)

Wednesday, students will be asked to select their top three choices, and groups will be assigned by the end of the week, taking into consideration both topic and partner preferences.

During the last 15 minutes, we discussed general categories of poetry related to "The Public Life." Per Vendler, these included poems that commemorate communal celebration (the 4th of July), poems concerned with a crucial single public event (the bombing of an Alabama church in 1963), and poems written about "the state of common life, shared by some population in a certain time and place" (9). Then, in groups of 2-4, students analyzed groups within this tradition including Dunbar's "We Wear the Mask," Hughes' "Harlem," Hughes' "The Weary Blues," and Johnson's "Lift Every Voice and Sing." Students will continue work on their Six Steps for Analyzing a Poem (courtesy of Marcie Sims) tomorrow, reporting out during the latter portion of class.

Quiz & Rhyme

Today, we spent the first part of class taking a quiz. (This quiz may not be made up without a documented excuse.) Then, we discussed rhyme schemes, perfect rhymes, and imperfect or slant rhymes. For the last 15 minutes of class, we looked at some excerpts from poems, identifying how rhyme had been used in them.

Tomorrow, we'll begin thinking about poetry in "The Public Life" (See pages 8-11 in Vendler), and also begin thinking about the final group projects and individual papers.

Quiz Monday Oct. 27

For Monday, in a given poem, be able to:

1. Mark stressed and unstressed syllables
2. Identify the number of feet per line (tetrameter, pentameter, etc.)
3. Identify the pattern of those feet (iambic, trochaic, etc.)
4. Indicate whether the meter is rising or falling.

Also know the terms on the handout.

Don't worry about rhyme; we'll get to rhyme schemes after the quiz.

Friday Assignment (No class)

In lieu of class on Friday, go to http://discussbirches.blogspot.com/ and post a response to 2 of the 4 discussion questions. You may also reply to one of your peer's posts.

Rhythm

Today, we delved into the technical side of poetry. We talked a little about the history of the poetic tradition and then reviewed the following terms:

Counted line - lines have a regular number of beats
Free verse - lines have an irregular number of beats

Tercet – a stanza of three lines
Quatrain – a stanza of four lines
Cinquain – a stanza of five lines
Sestet – a stanza of six lines
Couplet – a pair of rhyming lines (often within one of these stanza forms)

We also learned to "scan" poetry, which involves identifying stressed and unstressed syllables. A stressed syllable is represented by an accent (/) and an unstressed syllable is represented by a breve (˘).

Once the stressed and unstressed syllables have been determined, we can identify how many "feet" a particular line has, and whether those feet are rising or falling (or, more specifically, whether those feet are iambic, anapestic, trochaic or dactylic).

The number of feet gives the line its name and indicates how wide the line is:

One beat or stress per line - monometer
Two beats per line - dimeter
Three beats per line - trimeter
Four beats per line - tetrameter
Five beats per line - pentameter
Six beats per line - hexameter
Seven beats per line - heptameter
Eight beats per line - octameter (See Vendler 661)

We practiced scanning on "To My Dear and Loving Husband" and will look at additional poems tomorrow, as this definitely takes some practice!

Reminder: Journals due Friday, Oct.17 -- or Wednesday

Journal entries are listed on the right. If you want to hold onto them to complete the mid-term, submit them on Wednesday. (No class Monday for In-Service Day.)