Ode

1. Ode

2. Parallelism • The repetition of words, phrases, or sentence structures. • Parallelism adds rhythm and emotional impact to writing. “Jabberwocky” from Lewis Carroll “Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!” One, two! One, two! And through and through. • Parallelism creates a musical quality in the poem above.

3. Theme • A poem’s general meaning or main lesson, usually an insight about life. • The theme is not usually stated directly, you have to figure it out. In order to understand the theme of the poem, you have to look at the poem as a whole and the ways the different parts of the poem interact.

4. Theme Example • Explanation of Theme: • Literally, the “first green” of nature would not necessarily be the color “gold.” Instead, it could mean that the early stages of nature are valuable and precious. • “Her early leaf’s a flower” is also not literally true, but it suggests something delicate and beautiful. • The last line of this poem shows the true meaning of these metaphors: “Nothing gold can stay.” In other words, anything young, pure, and delicate cannot remain that way. “Nothing Gold Can Stay” --Robert Frost Nature’s first green is gold Her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf’s a flower; But only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay.

5. What is an ode? • A lyric poem of praise for something or someone. • The word “ode” comes from the Greek oide, meaning “song.” • An ode may be written for a particular occasion and is often formal in tone. • An ode might be a poem recognizing an important person, place, or thing. • Odes may be free form or follow a strict structure, based on the type of ode. • Three main types of odes

7. Types of Odes: Pindaric The William Wordsworth poem "Ode on Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood" is a very good example of an English language Pindaric ode. It begins: There was a time when meadow, grove, and stream, The earth, and every common sight To me did seem Apparelled in celestial light, The glory and the freshness of a dream. It is not now as it hath been of yore; -- Turn wheresoe'er I may, By night or day, The things which I have seen I now can see no more. • Pindaric Ode – Named for an ancient Greek poet, Pindar. – Three stanzas with irregular meter and rhyme scheme. – They were written for public performance about public subjects, like gods or celebrities.

8. Types of Odes: Horatian • Horatian Ode – Named for Roman poet, Horatio. – Written in 3 stanzas with irregular meter and rhyme scheme. – Usually less formal than Pindaric ode – Written about personal subjects for personal enjoyment. “Ode to the Confederate Dead” --Allen Tate Row after row with strict impunity The headstones yield their names to the element, The wind whirrs without recollection; In the riven troughs the splayed leaves Pile up, of nature the casual sacrament To the seasonal eternity of death; Then driven by the fierce scrutiny Of heaven to their election in the vast breath, They sough the rumour of mortality.

9. Types of Odes: Irregular “America” by Robert CreeleyAmerica, you ode for reality! Give back the people you took. Let the sun shine again on the four corners of the world you thought of first but do not own, or keep like a convenience. People are your own word, you invented that locus and term. Here, you said and say, is where we are. Give back what we are, these people you made, us, and nowhere but you to be. • Irregular Ode – Like the other odes, the irregular ode praises a person, event, or thing. – Not as strict with the form. No set rhyme scheme.

10. “Ode to a Houseplant” by Harry Mendez • Poem Analysis: • What makes this poem an ode? • Does this poem have any parallelism? • What is the theme of this poem? Last week you were in your prime, a dark green mass of leaf and vine. Your tendrils wound around the curtains and up the walls, and I made certain to follow advice from each book I read – I kept you watered, kept you fed, gave you only indirect light, played classical music for you each night. But soon your leaves yellowed and spotted, your stems turned brown and all your roots rotted. No matter what I do to help them thrive, I just can’t keep houseplants alive.

11. “Ode to the Energizer Bunny” by Matthew H. You power my houseYou power my stuffYou pink lovable ball of fluffYou never stopYou never stayYou beat that drum of yours all dayWho doesn’t want youYou double AAThere is no other battery for me

12. “Ode to a Pushpin” by Andrew K. My pushpin with its delicate transparency,How you dazzle me with your see through details.Like a lionfish in the water,You have a deadly edge but a beautiful body.Like a shimmering diamond in the moonlight,You light up the night and my life.Like a beautiful jewel,You are priceless, sitting on my desk.Ready to be pierced into cork,Like a bumble bee in distress.

13. Write your own ode • Must be 12 lines with a labeled rhyme scheme • May be any of the three types of odes • Most will choose to write an irregular ode • Must include parallelism {Make sure to highlight & label} • Must have an obvious theme • Must include • Imagery • assonance • consonance • Must have title “Ode to…” or “Ode on…” {Make sure to highlight & label}