A Poetry Lesson

1. A Poetry Lesson

2. “Icannot go to school today,” Said little Peggy Ann McKay. “I have the measles and the mumps, A gash, a rash and purple bumps.

3. My mouth is wet, my throat is dry, I’m going blind in my right eye. My tonsils are as big as rocks, I’ve counted sixteen chicken pox And there’s one more— that’s seventeen, And don’t you think my face looks green?

4. My leg is cut—my eyes are blue— It might be instamatic flu. I cough and sneeze and gasp and choke, I’m sure that my left leg is broke— My hip hurts when I move my chin, My belly button’s caving in,

5. My back is wrenched, my ankle’s sprained, My ‘pendix pains each time it rains. My nose is cold, my toes are numb. I have a sliver in my thumb. My neck is stiff, my voice is weak, I hardly whisper when I speak. My tongue is filling up my mouth, I think my hair is falling out. My elbow’s bent, my spine ain’t straight, My temperature is one-o-eight.

6. What’s that? What’s that you say? You say today is. . .Saturday? My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear, There is a hole inside my ear. I have a hangnail, and my heart is—what? G’bye, I’m going out to play!” “Sick” by Shel Silverstein, from Where the Sidewalk Ends

7. The Ode • Old form of poetry • Invented by Pindar • Greece, 500 BC • Celebrated Athletic victories (like Olympics)

8. Pablo Neruda (1904-1976) Chilean Poet Ode Praised ordinary things: onions, apples, ironing, laziness, a spoon

9. Me trajo Maru Moriun parde calcetinesque tejió con sus manosde pastora, dos calcetines suavescomo liebres. En ellosmetí los piescomo en dos estuchestejidoscon hebras delcrepúsculoy pellejo de ovejas. Maru Mori brought mea pairof socksknitted with her ownshepherd’s hands,two socks soft as rabbits.I slippedmy feet into themas ifinto jewel caseswovenwith threads ofduskand sheep’s wool. Oda a los calcetines Ode to My Socksby Pablo Neruda,Margaret Sayers Peden translation

10. Violentos calcetines, mis pies fuerondos pescadosde lana, dos largos tiburonesde azul ultramarineatravesadospor una trenza de oro, dos gigantescos mirios,dos cañones:mis piesfueron honoradosde este modo por estoscelestialscalcetines. Audacious socks,my feet becametwo woolen fish, two long sharksof lapis blueshotwith a golden thread,two mammoth blackbirds,two cannons:thus honoredweremyfeet by these celestialsocks.

11. Sin embargoresistíla tentación agudade guardarioscomo los colegialespreservan las luciérnagas,como los eruditoscoleccionandocumentos sagrados, Nonetheless,I resistedthe strong temptationto save themthe way schoolboysbottlefireflies,the way scholarshoardsacred documents, Eran tan hermososque por primera vezmis pies me parecieroninaceptablescomo dos decrépitosbomberos, bomberos, indignosde aquel fuegobordado,de aquellos luminososcalcetines. They wereso beautifulthat for the first timemy feet seemedunacceptable to me,two tired old fire fighters, not worthyof the woven fire,of those luminous socks.

12. I resistedthe wild impulse to place themin a cageof goldand daily feed them thembirdseedand rosy melon flesh. Like explorerswho in the forestsurrender a rareand tender deerto the spitand eat itwith remorse,I stuck outmy feetand pulled onthe handsomesocks,and then my shoes. resistíel impulse furiosode ponerlosen una jaulade oroy darles cada díaalpistey pulpa de melon Rosado. Como descubridoresque en la selvaentregan el rarísimovenado verdeal asadory se lo comencon remordimiento,estirélos piesy me enfundélos belloscalcetinesy luego los zapatos.

13. Y es éstala moral de mi oda:dos veces es bellezala bellezay lo que es bueno es doblementebuenocuado se trata de dos calcetinesde lanaen el invierno. So this isthe moral of my ode:twice beautifulis beautyand what is good is doublygoodwhen it is a case of twowoolen socksin wintertime. What makes Neruda’s poem work?

14. What were some of your favorite words in the poem? What were the images in the poem? What are some examples of sensory details?

15. Writing your own Ode • Make a list of ordinary objects that you might praise in an ode. • Choose one that you feel strongly about. • What does your object look like? Smell like? Sound like? Remind you of?

16. More suggestions • Describe the subject inside and out. • Exaggerate its admirable qualities until it seems to become central to human existence. • Tap all five senses. • Use metaphors and similes. • Keep the lines short. • Use strong language that packs a punch.

17. Oregon 8th Grade LA Benchmarks • Identify significant literary devices, such as simile, metaphor, personification, symbolism, dialect, and irony which define a writer’s style. • Evaluated how well literary elements contribute to the overall effectiveness of a selection. • Create compositions that engage the reader… • Use descriptive language that clarifies and enhances ideas by establishing tone and mood through figurative language, sensory images and comparisons.