Introduction to poetry

1. Presented by Mr. Ochoa Introduction to poetry

2. Journal #1- • What are your experiences with poetry? What do you think of when you hear the term poetry? Which poets have you read before? Who are your favorite/least favorite poets? What do you hope to get out of this poetry unit? What do you want to learn? • Music: Imagine Dragons

3. Confidence and Poetry • Analogies • Piano • Fishing

4. Poems that Suck • Cliché Poems   • She said she'd love me 'til the end of time. Her promise wasn't worth a dime. I'm sleeping single in a double bed, because she was only playing with my head.  •  Scroll though any on-line website or go to any coffee house events, and you'll hear what sounds like the same poems:

5. The 4 horsemen of bad poetry • These 4 topics have been done before, to make them work, you must be new and original.  

6. The Love poem • "I love you more than anything I've known. And now my life will never be the same. Every day is heaven in your arms." 

7. The Breakup Poem • "You tore my heart with hands of fire, and ran me through the shredder of desire. Our life together was a song. I thought you loved me -- was I wrong" 

8. Teenage Angst Poem • "No one understands me. Death and skulls. I'm ugly and people hate me -- but I hate them and I don't care. My brain has pain. It cuts like a knife. End my life.” 

9. The Nature Poem • "The birds are cheering the rainbow sunset, The beautiful blue day And children dance on the grass." 

10. Advice • People can be stopped cold by shyness, by fear of failing, by low self-esteem. For many, to be a beginner is intolerable. • Write with honesty-get in touch with anger, grief, frustration, etc. • If you are afraid of someone thinking you are writing about yourself, write the poem in third person. • Give yourself permission to write poetry-and have fun doing it

11. Important to remember • Show emotions through physical action • “I” of the poem refers to the narrator and not necessarily to the author • You must have conflict and suspense • The poem can be told from a number of point of views. Which one works best for that specific poem?

12. Definitions and Examples • We can not talk about or analyze poetry unless we use a common language. • It is okay to say, “I don’t know why I like that poem, I just do.” We also want to be able to expand on that a bit when we are talking in an educational setting.

13. Definitions 1 and 2 • Diction-choice or use of words. • Ex. Using the term “wheels” instead of “automobile” or “car” • Image-appeals to senses. Clear picture is created in your head.

14. Definition 3 • Stanza-a division/paragraph within a poem consisting of breaks in lines. Think of it as a paragraph. • Ex. 1st stanza The first stanza Might consist of only Three lines 2nd stanza The second stanza Will only consist of two

15. Definitions 4 and 5 • Concrete language-describes observable people and places. • Ex.-Tape, France, your girlfriend. We can see all of these. • Abstract language-represents intangibles. We can’t touch these. • Ex.-beauty or truth.

16. Definitions 6 and 7 • Metaphor-direct comparison between two otherwise unlike objects. Uses is or are. • Ex. –The child is a snake. • Simile-Two different things are compares using like or as. • Ex.-The child is as slippery as a snake.

17. Definitions 8 and 9 • Cliché-overused or predictable expression. • Ex.-I had butterflies in my stomach • Personification-inanimate objects take on human qualities. • Ex.-Pencil flew out of my hand

18. Definitions 10 and 11 • Persona-voice or character representing the speaker. “I” does not always mean that the poet is the one speaking. • Onomatopoeia-words that imitate sounds they refer to. • Ex.-Buzz or Murmur

19. Definitions 12 • Anaphora-Repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of several lines. • Ex. • I love her more than I can say • I love her more than we can say • I lover her more than you can say

20. Definitions 13 and 14 • Hyperbole-a figure of speech in which exaggeration creates emphasis. • Ex.-This book weighs a ton. • End-stopped line-denoting a line of a verse with a period, comma or a semi colon. • Ex. • I lover her more than I can say. • I love the way she makes tea.

21. Definition 15 • Enjambed line-continuation of a line with no pause. • Ex.- The sentence continues to the next line. • I was walking • down the street • when I saw her.

22. Definitions 16 and 17 • Alliteration-repetition of same sounds in the beginning of words. • Ex.-She sells sea shells by the sea shore. • Assonance-repetition of similar vowel sounds. • Ex.-on a proud round cloud in white high night.

23. Definitions 18 and 19 • End straight-rhyme-regular rhyme • Ex. • The smelly cat • Held out a bat • And ran to the mat • Internal rhyme-rhyme that occurs within the same line. • Ex.-The cat held out a bat.

24. Anonymous Poem • Read and Analyze: “Sand Poem” by anonymous • This poem was written by an anonymous poet. • Let’s analyze the poem by using the definitions we just learned. No need to worry about loving or hating the poem, the poet will never know.

25. What is Anaphora • The term "anaphora" comes from the Greek for "a carrying up or back," and refers to a type of parallelism created when successive phrases or lines begin with the same words, often resembling a litany. • The repetition can be as simple as a single word or as long as an entire phrase. • As one of the world’s oldest poetic techniques, anaphora is used in much of the world’s religious and devotional poetry, including numerous Biblical Psalms. • Poets.org

26. Why Anaphora • Not only can anaphora create a driving rhythm by the recurrence of the same sound, it can also intensify the emotion of the poem. • Grief is deepened in Lord Alfred Tennyson's "Tears, Idle Tears" by the repetition of "the days that are no more" at the close of each stanza, in a variation of anaphora called epistrophe, where the echo comes at the end of the phrase instead of the start.

27. Poem #1-Anaphora • “Rock Out” by Anis Mojgani • Create a poem with a similar structure to Mojani’s poem. • Pay close attention to the anaphora in the poem.

28. Ideas • Freedom is… • I look to a day when… • I refuse to accept the view that… • If we are to go forward… • In the end, we will remember… • It is not enough to say… • Peace is… • Chaos is… • I remember…

29. Notes for Poem #2-Old Memories • Poetry can be used as therapy • Poetry can also be liberating • Read and Analyze: “The Tooth Fairy” by Dorianne Laux

30. Recovering Memories (Notes for Poem #2)-Journal #2-1/23 • Directions: Jot down a response (3 or more lines) for each memory that comes to you as you answer the following questions so that you will have an abbreviated record of the incidents you recalled. If you’re lacking ideas, simply skip one of the prompts. • 1. Recall a pleasant time in the past. • 2. Recall a building in which you once lived. • 3. Recall a secret you once had/still have. • 4. Recall a special/memorable person from your childhood. • 5. Recall an incident that filled you with dread. • 6. Recall something dangerous you did when you were young. • 7. Recall something sinful or bad you did as a child. • 8. Recall something that happened during a vacation. • 9. Recall something that happened in a classroom or schoolyard. • 10. Recall something that happened many years ago near a body of water (lake, pool, river, kiddie pool, etc.). • 11. Recall your first romantic infatuation. • 12. Recall something funny that made you laugh. • Artist of the Day: The Head and the Heart

31. Taking Notes for the First PoemNotes for Poem #2 • Choose one of those incidents • Choose one that calls up strong emotions and which might have had consequences for your emotional life, but also one that has a story that would be interesting to tell • Close your eyes and replay the “film” • Jot down all of the five senses you remember • Ask yourself why you remember this and what was the impact of this moment

32. Poem #2-Childhood Memory • Write your poem in a manner that makes the reader continually want to know what happens next • Put the incident in one scene • Start with action rather than background information • Get the reader to feel an emotion-grief, happiness, triumph, etc. • Use the 5 senses • Do not use end-rhyme • Do not exceed 40 lines

33. Little Poems in Prose (Notes for Poem #3) • Poems written in prose do not have breaks in the middle of the sentence • These poems go from one of the page to the other end, as if we are writing a paragraph

34. Journal #3: 1/24-6th Sense Write a scene about one of the following prompts: A man balancing a plate on his head The purple lollipop Moldy Oranges Use the 5 senses and the 5 W’s Be descriptive as possible Artist of the Day: Andrew Belle

35. Poem #3-6th Sense Create a poem based on the 6th Sense card that you have been given.

36. Poem #4-Prose Poem • Poetry can reveal a deeper story • Poetry does not have to have rhyme • Poetry uses action to move the story along and build conflict and tension • Think of it not as a short short story but a poem written in prose • “The Gift I Never Got” by Vincent Draper

37. Prose MemoriesJournal #4-1/28/13 • Recall an incident from your past that filled you with sadness • Recall an incident in which you felt betrayed • Recall an incident that ended in great disappointment • Recall an incident in which you felt humiliated • Recall an incident in which you felt love for someone • Recall an incident that was joyful • Artist: Lauryn Hill

38. Poem #4-Prose Poem • Choose one of the memories you thought and wrote about • Write down what you recall of the memory • Other side of your brain: Write down a “film replay of what you remember” • Create the prose poem

39. Journal #5-Character Create a character that consists of the following… Create a character with a desire Give that character two contrasting traits What is question that you have about your character? Give the character obstacles/Conflicts that will stop them from reaching their desire Describe his/her background: family, home life, etc. Artist: Keane

40. Poem #8-Character Poem Create a poem based upon the character you received from someone else. The poem does not need to include everything that was written on the sheet. The poem should include emotions and imagery. Revisit the poem: “Medusa”

41. Poem #5-Object Poem (Notes) • Prose poems can be descriptive • A series of continuous pictures • Use comparisons such as similes and metaphors • Use an epiphany • Epiphany-there is a revelation, either for the reader, the narrator, or a character-or some combination of the three. In its larger connotation it implies that the world is momentarily beatified, made sacred or marvelous, seen with a suddenly enlarged vision. • “Considering the Accordion” by Al Zolynas • “Thoughts of a Father” by Anonymous

42. Your Poem #5-The Object Poem • Write a poem in the manner of “Considering the Accordion” • Find an object with a special significance • Touch the object, feel it, notice specific things about it that you had never taken not of before • Jot down 5 comparisons, things that the object looks or feels like or in some way resembles • Jot down 3-4 phrases about what the object means to you • Try to include an epiphany

43. Haikus • Haiku poetry must be written in three lines consisting of 5-7-5 syllables.  

44. Basho 1.  An old pond! A frog jumps in- The sound of water. 2.  The first soft snow! Enough to bend the leaves Of the jonquil low. 3.  No one travels Along this way but I, This autumn evening. 4.  In all the rains of May there is one thing not hidden - the bridge at Seta Bay. 5.  Clouds appear and bring to men a chance to rest from looking at the moon.

45. Unsung Heroes Poem • “Hips for the Hop”

46. Imagery • Picture Poem • Based upon 4 Images in a packet • Or use National Geographic photos • http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/photo-contest/2011/entries/gallery/places-week-8/?source=photomaindl_ngpc2011#/5

47. Newspaper Poem • Write a poem based upon a newspaper article.

48. Word Group Poems • See: wordgroupsforcompetition.docx • Discuss various ways to arrange poems. • Choose four words and create (3) poems out of it.

49. Utopia Poem (Pre-Reading) • What is a utopia? • Is a utopia possible in today’s society? • What is your idea of a utopia?

50. Poem #9-Utopia Poem • Read “Zip-Lines” by Tim Stafford • How can this zip-line city be classified as a Utopia? • Do you see any ways that the zip-lines would have a negative effect? • Would your city be better off with a zip-line transit system? Why or why not?