As you read this poem, think about what you think about yourself as a writer.
The Writer
by Richard Wilbur
In her room at the prow of the house
Where light breaks, and the windows are tossed with linden,
My daughter is writing a story.
I pause in the stairwell, hearing
From her shut door a commotion of typewriter-keys
Like a chain hauled over a gunwale.
Young as she is, the stuff
Of her life is a great cargo, and some of it heavy:
I wish her a lucky passage.
But now it is she who pauses,
As if to reject my thought and its easy figure.
A stillness greatens, in which
The whole house seems to be thinking,
And then she is at it again with a bunched clamor
Of strokes, and again is silent.
I remember the dazed starling
Which was trapped in that very room, two years ago;
How we stole in, lifted a sash
And retreated, not to affright it;
And how for a helpless hour, through the crack of the door,
We watched the sleek, wild, dark
And iridescent creature
Batter against the brilliance, drop like a glove
To the hard floor, or the desk-top,
And wait then, humped and bloody,
For the wits to try it again; and how our spirits
Rose when, suddenly sure,
It lifted off from a chair-back,
Beating a smooth course for the right window
And clearing the sill of the world.
It is always a matter, my darling,
Of life or death, as I had forgotten. I wish
What I wished you before, but harder.
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Now, answer the following:
1. What are you best memories about writing?
2. What is the easiest thing about writing for you, and why?
3. What is the most difficult thing about your writing for you, and why?
4. What different kinds of writing do you do? Who reads your writing? Where is your writing published or shared with others?
5. What materials and/or equipment do you like to have on hand when you write? What are these items for? Why do you have them?
6. What steps do you follow when you write? Outline your writing process, using a simple, informal outline format.
7. Are you a procrastinator when it comes to writing? What do you try to avoid? What do you typically do instead?
8. What's the biggest influence on the way that you write? Why does it make a difference?
9. If someone else were observing you as a writer, what would they notice? What would they see or hear?
10. Overall, how would you describe yourself as a writer? What kind of writer are you, and why do you say so?
NOW, WRITE YOUR OWN POEM OF YOU AS A WRITER!!!
This is a site that you will use during our Lessons on Poetry. My goal is for you to enjoy and love writing poetry, so I have selected a few pieces for you to study, and then base your own poetry on. REMEMBER: FOLLOW THE "BLOG ARCHIVE" IN ORDER -- ALL BLOGS RUN WITH THE FIRST ASSIGNMENT AT THE BOTTOM, AND THEN PROCEED UPWARDS!
Friday, May 22, 2009
16. Cleriheu and Cinquain Poems
WRITE TWO MORE TYPE OF POEMS.
KEEP THE "THEME" AROUND "YOU".
THAT COULD BE YOUR LIFE NOW OR IN THE FUTURE.
Follow the steps to write a Cleriheu Poem:
1. Remember, the first and the second line rhyme and the third and the fourth line rhyme.
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________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
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2. Follow the steps to write a Cinquain Poem:
Line 1 (one word title)
Line 2 (2 words that describe the subject or title)
Line 2 (3 verbs related to the subject)
Line 4 (4 or 5 words that express your feelings about the subject)
KEEP THE "THEME" AROUND "YOU".
THAT COULD BE YOUR LIFE NOW OR IN THE FUTURE.
Follow the steps to write a Cleriheu Poem:
1. Remember, the first and the second line rhyme and the third and the fourth line rhyme.
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Follow the steps to write a Cinquain Poem:
Line 1 (one word title)
Line 2 (2 words that describe the subject or title)
Line 2 (3 verbs related to the subject)
Line 4 (4 or 5 words that express your feelings about the subject)
15. TAKE THE TEST - COPY & PASTE TO A WORD DOCUMENT, THEN PRINT, ANSWER, AND TURN IN YOUR TEST !!!!!
Name _____________________________ Date ___________________
The Hangman
by Maurice Ogden
Multiple Choice
1. After the sixth man was hanged, what did the townspeople do?
A. They hid in their homes.
B. They grew silent.
C. They offered to help the Hangman.
D. They ran the Hangman out of town.
2. What did the Hangman tell the speaker about the people who had been hanged?
A. They had done nothing wrong.
B. They deserved to die.
C. They had been murdered.
D. They were better off dead.
3. What did the townspeople discover the morning after the first man was hanged?
A. The body was still hanging from the gallows-tree.
B. The Hangman was gone.
C. The courthouse square was empty.
D. The gallows-tree was still in the courthouse square.
4. Why does the hangman say he hanged the first man?
A. to stretch a new rope
B. to try the strength of the gallows-beam
C. to ease the trap
D. to test the strength of the rope
5. How does the speaker describe himself at the end of the poem?
A. very tired
B. very sad
C. very scared
D. very alone
6. Why did no one speak about the first hanging?
A. out of indifference about what had happened
B. out of ignorance of what had happened
C. out of fear of the Hangman
D. out of respect for the Hangman
7. Who is the second man that was hanged?
A. an infidel
B. someone who was a friend of the Jew
C. someone who speaks out against the first hanging
D. a black man
8. What smells surrounded the Hangman when came to the town?
A. blood and dust
B. gold and blood
C. freshly cut wood
D. wood and flame
9. The fourth man that was hanged was:
A. a black man
B. a thief
C. a foreigner
D. a usurer
10. The third man that was hanged was:
A. a foreigner
B. a usurer and an infidel
C. a thief
D. a black man
11. The first man hanged was:
A. a usurer
B. black
C. a foreigner
D. an infidel
12. For whom did the Hangman say he had built the gallows?
A. for the one who deserved to die
B. for the one who had murdered without cause
C. for the one who served him best
D. for the one who was quick to judge
13. What kind of eyes did the Hangman have?
A. eyes of cold stone
B. eyes that were bloodshot
C. eyes of fiery flames
D. eyes of buckshot lead
14. What was the Hangman doing when the speaker came through the silent town?
A. singing a song
B. taking down the gallows
C. smiling and whistling
D. watching the speaker in silence
Short Answer Questions:
15. Explain how the Hangman has not tricked the speaker in the poem.
16. Why does the Hangman answer the question "Hangman, who is he/For whom you raised the gallows-tree?" with a riddle?
17. How does the attitude of the townspeople towards the Hangman change after the second hanging?
18. Explain the "hope" that the speaker in the poem feels when he realizes that he is the only one remaining in the town?
19. Describe the attitude of the Hangman when he first arrived in the town.
20. Describe how the gallows changes the longer the Hangman remains in the town.
21. Explain how the speaker in the poem faithfully served the Hangman.
22. Explain the reaction of the townspeople when the first man was hanged.
Poetic Techniques Short Answer Questions:
23. Find an example of personification in the poem.
24. Find an example of enjambment in the poem.
25. Find an example of a simile in the poem. Explain the comparison that is being made.
26. Discuss what the gallows symbolizes.
27. Find an example of end rhyme in the poem.
28. Find an example of slant rhyme in the poem.
29. Find an example of a metaphor in the poem. Explain the comparison that is being made.
30. Find an example of exact rhyme in the poem.
The Hangman
by Maurice Ogden
Multiple Choice
1. After the sixth man was hanged, what did the townspeople do?
A. They hid in their homes.
B. They grew silent.
C. They offered to help the Hangman.
D. They ran the Hangman out of town.
2. What did the Hangman tell the speaker about the people who had been hanged?
A. They had done nothing wrong.
B. They deserved to die.
C. They had been murdered.
D. They were better off dead.
3. What did the townspeople discover the morning after the first man was hanged?
A. The body was still hanging from the gallows-tree.
B. The Hangman was gone.
C. The courthouse square was empty.
D. The gallows-tree was still in the courthouse square.
4. Why does the hangman say he hanged the first man?
A. to stretch a new rope
B. to try the strength of the gallows-beam
C. to ease the trap
D. to test the strength of the rope
5. How does the speaker describe himself at the end of the poem?
A. very tired
B. very sad
C. very scared
D. very alone
6. Why did no one speak about the first hanging?
A. out of indifference about what had happened
B. out of ignorance of what had happened
C. out of fear of the Hangman
D. out of respect for the Hangman
7. Who is the second man that was hanged?
A. an infidel
B. someone who was a friend of the Jew
C. someone who speaks out against the first hanging
D. a black man
8. What smells surrounded the Hangman when came to the town?
A. blood and dust
B. gold and blood
C. freshly cut wood
D. wood and flame
9. The fourth man that was hanged was:
A. a black man
B. a thief
C. a foreigner
D. a usurer
10. The third man that was hanged was:
A. a foreigner
B. a usurer and an infidel
C. a thief
D. a black man
11. The first man hanged was:
A. a usurer
B. black
C. a foreigner
D. an infidel
12. For whom did the Hangman say he had built the gallows?
A. for the one who deserved to die
B. for the one who had murdered without cause
C. for the one who served him best
D. for the one who was quick to judge
13. What kind of eyes did the Hangman have?
A. eyes of cold stone
B. eyes that were bloodshot
C. eyes of fiery flames
D. eyes of buckshot lead
14. What was the Hangman doing when the speaker came through the silent town?
A. singing a song
B. taking down the gallows
C. smiling and whistling
D. watching the speaker in silence
Short Answer Questions:
15. Explain how the Hangman has not tricked the speaker in the poem.
16. Why does the Hangman answer the question "Hangman, who is he/For whom you raised the gallows-tree?" with a riddle?
17. How does the attitude of the townspeople towards the Hangman change after the second hanging?
18. Explain the "hope" that the speaker in the poem feels when he realizes that he is the only one remaining in the town?
19. Describe the attitude of the Hangman when he first arrived in the town.
20. Describe how the gallows changes the longer the Hangman remains in the town.
21. Explain how the speaker in the poem faithfully served the Hangman.
22. Explain the reaction of the townspeople when the first man was hanged.
Poetic Techniques Short Answer Questions:
23. Find an example of personification in the poem.
24. Find an example of enjambment in the poem.
25. Find an example of a simile in the poem. Explain the comparison that is being made.
26. Discuss what the gallows symbolizes.
27. Find an example of end rhyme in the poem.
28. Find an example of slant rhyme in the poem.
29. Find an example of a metaphor in the poem. Explain the comparison that is being made.
30. Find an example of exact rhyme in the poem.
14. The Hangman
The Hangman
by Maurice Ogden
Stanza 1
Into our town the Hangman came, smelling of gold and blood and flame. And he paced our bricks with a diffident air. And built his frame on the courthouse square.
The scaffold stood by the courthouse side, only as wide as the door was wide; a frame as tall, or little more, than the capping sill of the courthouse door.
And we wondered, whenever we had the time, who the criminal, what the crime, that Hangman judged with the yellow twist of knotted hemp in his busy fist.
And innocent though we were, with dread we passed those eyes of buckshot lead; till one cried: "Hangman, who is he for whom you raise the gallows-tree."
Then a twinkle grew in the buckshot eye, and he gave us a riddle instead of reply: "He who serves me best," said he, "Shall earn the rope on the gallows-tree."
And he stepped down, and laid his hand on a man who came from another land and we breathed again, for another's grief at the Hangman's hand was our relief.
And the gallows-frame on the courthouse lawn by tomorrow's sun would be struck and gone. So we gave him way, and no one spoke, out of respect for his hangman's cloak.
Stanza 2
The next day's sun looked mildly down on roof and street in our quiet town and, stark and black in the morning air, the gallows-tree on the courthouse square.
And the Hangman stood at his usual stand with the yellow hemp in his busy hand; with his buckshot eye and his jaw like a pike and his air so knowing and businesslike.
And we cried: "Hangman, have you not done, yesterday, with the alien one?" Then we fell silent, and stood amazed: "Oh, not for him was the gallows raised."
He laughed a laugh as he looked at us: "Did you think I'd gone to all this fuss to hang one man? That's a thing I do to stretch the rope when the rope is new."
Then one cried, "Murderer!" One cried, "Shame!" And into our midst the Hangman came to that man's place. "Do you hold," said he, "With him that was meant for the gallows-tree?"
And he laid his hand on that one's arm, and we shrank back in quick alarm, and we gave him way, and no one spoke out of fear of his hangman's cloak.
That night we saw with dread surprise the Hangman's scaffold had grown in size. Fed by the blood beneath the chute the gallows-tree had taken root;
Now as wide, or a little more, than the steps that led to the courthouse door, as tall as the writing, or nearly as tall, halfway up on the courthouse wall.
Stanza 3
The third he took — we had all heard tell — was a usurer and infidel, And: "What," said the Hangman, "have you to do with the gallows-bound, and he a Jew?"
And we cried out: "Is this one he who has served you well and faithfully?" The Hangman smiled: "It's a clever scheme to try the strength of the gallows-beam."
The fourth man's dark, accusing song had scratched out comfort hard and long; and "What concern," he gave us back, "Have you for the doomed - the doomed and black?"
The fifth.The sixth. And we cried again: "Hangman, Hangman, is this the man?" "It's a trick," he said, "that we hangmen know for easing the trap when the trap springs slow."
And so we ceased, and asked no more, as the Hangman tallied his bloody score; and sun by sun, and night by night, the gallows grew to monstrous height.
The wings of the scaffold opened wide till they covered the square from side to side; and the monster cross-beam, looking down, cast its shadow across the town.
Stanza 4
Then through the town the Hangman came and called in the empty streets my name - and I looked at the gallows soaring tall and thought: "There is no one left at all for hanging, and so he calls to me to help pull down the gallows-tree." And I went out with right good hope to the Hangman's tree and the Hangman's rope.
He smiled at me as I came down to the courthouse square through the silent town, and supple and stretched in his busy hand was the yellow twist of the hempen strand.
And he whistled his tune as he tried the trap and it sprang down with a ready snap— and then with a smile of awful command he laid his hand upon my hand.
"You tricked me, Hangman!" I shouted then. "That your scaffold was built for other men. And I no henchman of yours," I cried, "You lied to me, Hangman, foully lied!"
Then a twinkle grew in his buckshot eye: "Lied to you? Tricked you?" he said, "Not I. For I answered straight and I told you true: The scaffold was raised for none but you.
"For who has served me more faithfully than you with your coward's hope?" said he, "And where are the others that might have stood side by your side in the common good?"
"Dead," I whispered; and amiably "Murdered," the Hangman corrected me; "First the alien, then the Jew... I did no more than you let me do."
Beneath the beam that blocked the sky, none had stood so alone as I - and the Hangman strapped me, and no voice there cried "Stay" for me in the empty square.
by Maurice Ogden
Stanza 1
Into our town the Hangman came, smelling of gold and blood and flame. And he paced our bricks with a diffident air. And built his frame on the courthouse square.
The scaffold stood by the courthouse side, only as wide as the door was wide; a frame as tall, or little more, than the capping sill of the courthouse door.
And we wondered, whenever we had the time, who the criminal, what the crime, that Hangman judged with the yellow twist of knotted hemp in his busy fist.
And innocent though we were, with dread we passed those eyes of buckshot lead; till one cried: "Hangman, who is he for whom you raise the gallows-tree."
Then a twinkle grew in the buckshot eye, and he gave us a riddle instead of reply: "He who serves me best," said he, "Shall earn the rope on the gallows-tree."
And he stepped down, and laid his hand on a man who came from another land and we breathed again, for another's grief at the Hangman's hand was our relief.
And the gallows-frame on the courthouse lawn by tomorrow's sun would be struck and gone. So we gave him way, and no one spoke, out of respect for his hangman's cloak.
Stanza 2
The next day's sun looked mildly down on roof and street in our quiet town and, stark and black in the morning air, the gallows-tree on the courthouse square.
And the Hangman stood at his usual stand with the yellow hemp in his busy hand; with his buckshot eye and his jaw like a pike and his air so knowing and businesslike.
And we cried: "Hangman, have you not done, yesterday, with the alien one?" Then we fell silent, and stood amazed: "Oh, not for him was the gallows raised."
He laughed a laugh as he looked at us: "Did you think I'd gone to all this fuss to hang one man? That's a thing I do to stretch the rope when the rope is new."
Then one cried, "Murderer!" One cried, "Shame!" And into our midst the Hangman came to that man's place. "Do you hold," said he, "With him that was meant for the gallows-tree?"
And he laid his hand on that one's arm, and we shrank back in quick alarm, and we gave him way, and no one spoke out of fear of his hangman's cloak.
That night we saw with dread surprise the Hangman's scaffold had grown in size. Fed by the blood beneath the chute the gallows-tree had taken root;
Now as wide, or a little more, than the steps that led to the courthouse door, as tall as the writing, or nearly as tall, halfway up on the courthouse wall.
Stanza 3
The third he took — we had all heard tell — was a usurer and infidel, And: "What," said the Hangman, "have you to do with the gallows-bound, and he a Jew?"
And we cried out: "Is this one he who has served you well and faithfully?" The Hangman smiled: "It's a clever scheme to try the strength of the gallows-beam."
The fourth man's dark, accusing song had scratched out comfort hard and long; and "What concern," he gave us back, "Have you for the doomed - the doomed and black?"
The fifth.The sixth. And we cried again: "Hangman, Hangman, is this the man?" "It's a trick," he said, "that we hangmen know for easing the trap when the trap springs slow."
And so we ceased, and asked no more, as the Hangman tallied his bloody score; and sun by sun, and night by night, the gallows grew to monstrous height.
The wings of the scaffold opened wide till they covered the square from side to side; and the monster cross-beam, looking down, cast its shadow across the town.
Stanza 4
Then through the town the Hangman came and called in the empty streets my name - and I looked at the gallows soaring tall and thought: "There is no one left at all for hanging, and so he calls to me to help pull down the gallows-tree." And I went out with right good hope to the Hangman's tree and the Hangman's rope.
He smiled at me as I came down to the courthouse square through the silent town, and supple and stretched in his busy hand was the yellow twist of the hempen strand.
And he whistled his tune as he tried the trap and it sprang down with a ready snap— and then with a smile of awful command he laid his hand upon my hand.
"You tricked me, Hangman!" I shouted then. "That your scaffold was built for other men. And I no henchman of yours," I cried, "You lied to me, Hangman, foully lied!"
Then a twinkle grew in his buckshot eye: "Lied to you? Tricked you?" he said, "Not I. For I answered straight and I told you true: The scaffold was raised for none but you.
"For who has served me more faithfully than you with your coward's hope?" said he, "And where are the others that might have stood side by your side in the common good?"
"Dead," I whispered; and amiably "Murdered," the Hangman corrected me; "First the alien, then the Jew... I did no more than you let me do."
Beneath the beam that blocked the sky, none had stood so alone as I - and the Hangman strapped me, and no voice there cried "Stay" for me in the empty square.
13. TAKE THE TEST - COPY & PASTE TO A WORD DOCUMENT, THEN PRINT, ANSWER, AND TURN IN YOUR TEST !!!!!
Name _____________________________ Date ___________________
Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout
by Shel Silverstein
Multiple Choice
1. What word best describes Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout?
A. afraid
B. funny
C. stubborn
D. smart
2. What would Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout's daddy do?
A. scream and shout
B. not let her watch television
C. send her to her room
D. take away her allowance
3. How far did the garbage spread?
A. from New York to the Golden Gate
B. across the yard to New York
C. from New York to the Delaware Bridge
D. across the bridge to New York
4. What did the garbage finally touch?
A. the sky
B. the sidewalk
C. the ceiling
D. the sun
5. Most of the garbage was:
A. weeds, dirt, and leaves
B. rotten food
C. broken toys
D. old clothes
6. What happened to Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout?
A. She quit school.
B. She ran away.
C. She moved out of her house.
D. She met an awful fate.
7. What did Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout's friends do?
A. They made fun of Sarah.
B. They wouldn't come over to play.
C. They helped Sarah take the garbage away.
D. They pushed Sarah into the pile of garbage.
8. What are two kinds of fruits that were rotting?
A. plums and oranges
B. bananas and tangerines
C. bananas and apples
D. apples and oranges
9. Which of the following did not happen?
A. The garbage piled up to the ceiling.
B. The garbage spilled out the back door.
C. The garbage broke the walls.
D. The garbage cracked the windows.
10. What did the neighbors do?
A. They carried signs and protested in front of the house.
B. They moved away.
C. They offered to take the garbage away.
D. They called the police.
Short Answer Questions:
11. Using the garbage as a guide, what do you think Sarah had for breakfast? For lunch? For dinner?
12. What things would Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout do?
13. Describe the relationship Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout had with her parents.
14. Describe what was happening inside Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout's house.
15. Is Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout someone you would like to have as a friend? Why or why not?
Poetic Techniques Short Answer Questions:
16. Find an example of internal rhyme in the poem.
17. Find an example of slant rhyme in the poem.
18. Find examples of images that appeal to the senses of sight and smell.
19. Find an example of onomatopoeia in the poem.
20. Find an example of end rhyme in the poem.
21. Find an example of alliteration in the poem.
22. What word is used to show that meat is rotten and smells?
23. Find an example of exaggeration in the poem.
24. Find an example of exact rhyme in the poem.
Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout
by Shel Silverstein
Multiple Choice
1. What word best describes Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout?
A. afraid
B. funny
C. stubborn
D. smart
2. What would Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout's daddy do?
A. scream and shout
B. not let her watch television
C. send her to her room
D. take away her allowance
3. How far did the garbage spread?
A. from New York to the Golden Gate
B. across the yard to New York
C. from New York to the Delaware Bridge
D. across the bridge to New York
4. What did the garbage finally touch?
A. the sky
B. the sidewalk
C. the ceiling
D. the sun
5. Most of the garbage was:
A. weeds, dirt, and leaves
B. rotten food
C. broken toys
D. old clothes
6. What happened to Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout?
A. She quit school.
B. She ran away.
C. She moved out of her house.
D. She met an awful fate.
7. What did Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout's friends do?
A. They made fun of Sarah.
B. They wouldn't come over to play.
C. They helped Sarah take the garbage away.
D. They pushed Sarah into the pile of garbage.
8. What are two kinds of fruits that were rotting?
A. plums and oranges
B. bananas and tangerines
C. bananas and apples
D. apples and oranges
9. Which of the following did not happen?
A. The garbage piled up to the ceiling.
B. The garbage spilled out the back door.
C. The garbage broke the walls.
D. The garbage cracked the windows.
10. What did the neighbors do?
A. They carried signs and protested in front of the house.
B. They moved away.
C. They offered to take the garbage away.
D. They called the police.
Short Answer Questions:
11. Using the garbage as a guide, what do you think Sarah had for breakfast? For lunch? For dinner?
12. What things would Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout do?
13. Describe the relationship Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout had with her parents.
14. Describe what was happening inside Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout's house.
15. Is Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout someone you would like to have as a friend? Why or why not?
Poetic Techniques Short Answer Questions:
16. Find an example of internal rhyme in the poem.
17. Find an example of slant rhyme in the poem.
18. Find examples of images that appeal to the senses of sight and smell.
19. Find an example of onomatopoeia in the poem.
20. Find an example of end rhyme in the poem.
21. Find an example of alliteration in the poem.
22. What word is used to show that meat is rotten and smells?
23. Find an example of exaggeration in the poem.
24. Find an example of exact rhyme in the poem.
12. Fun Poetry
READ THIS FUN POEM, AND THEN WRITE ONE OF YOUR OWN.
Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout
by Shel Silverstein
Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout
Would not take the garbage out.
She'd wash the dishes and scrub the pans
Cook the yams and spice the hams,
And though her parents would scream and shout,
She simply would not take the garbage out.
And so it piled up to the ceiling:
Coffee grounds, potato peelings,
Brown bananas and rotten peas,
Chunks of sour cottage cheese.
It filled the can, it covered the floor,
It cracked the windows and blocked the door,
With bacon rinds and chicken bones,
Drippy ends of ice cream cones,
Prune pits, peach pits, orange peels,
Gloppy glumps of cold oatmeal,
Pizza crusts and withered greens,
Soggy beans, and tangerines,
Crusts of black-burned buttered toast,
Grisly bits of beefy roast.
The garbage rolled on down the halls,
It raised the roof, it broke the walls,
I mean, greasy napkins, cookie crumbs,
Blobs of gooey bubble gum,
Cellophane from old bologna,
Rubbery, blubbery macaroni,
Peanut butter, caked and dry,
Curdled milk, and crusts of pie,
Rotting melons, dried-up mustard,
Eggshells mixed with lemon custard,
Cold French fries and rancid meat,
Yellow lumps of Cream of Wheat.
At last the garbage reached so high
That finally it touched the sky,
And none of her friends would come to play,
And all of her neighbors moved away;
And finally, Sarah Cynthia Stout
Said, "Okay, I'll take the garbage out!"
But then, of course it was too late,
The garbage reached across the state,
From New York to the Golden Gate;
And there in the garbage she did hate
Poor Sarah met an awful fate
That I cannot right now relate
Because the hour is much too late
But children, remember Sarah Stout,
And always take the garbage out.
Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout
by Shel Silverstein
Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout
Would not take the garbage out.
She'd wash the dishes and scrub the pans
Cook the yams and spice the hams,
And though her parents would scream and shout,
She simply would not take the garbage out.
And so it piled up to the ceiling:
Coffee grounds, potato peelings,
Brown bananas and rotten peas,
Chunks of sour cottage cheese.
It filled the can, it covered the floor,
It cracked the windows and blocked the door,
With bacon rinds and chicken bones,
Drippy ends of ice cream cones,
Prune pits, peach pits, orange peels,
Gloppy glumps of cold oatmeal,
Pizza crusts and withered greens,
Soggy beans, and tangerines,
Crusts of black-burned buttered toast,
Grisly bits of beefy roast.
The garbage rolled on down the halls,
It raised the roof, it broke the walls,
I mean, greasy napkins, cookie crumbs,
Blobs of gooey bubble gum,
Cellophane from old bologna,
Rubbery, blubbery macaroni,
Peanut butter, caked and dry,
Curdled milk, and crusts of pie,
Rotting melons, dried-up mustard,
Eggshells mixed with lemon custard,
Cold French fries and rancid meat,
Yellow lumps of Cream of Wheat.
At last the garbage reached so high
That finally it touched the sky,
And none of her friends would come to play,
And all of her neighbors moved away;
And finally, Sarah Cynthia Stout
Said, "Okay, I'll take the garbage out!"
But then, of course it was too late,
The garbage reached across the state,
From New York to the Golden Gate;
And there in the garbage she did hate
Poor Sarah met an awful fate
That I cannot right now relate
Because the hour is much too late
But children, remember Sarah Stout,
And always take the garbage out.
11. ANOTHER APOLOGY POEM
Now let's work through a new apology poem. In this one, the apology will come first. You will see that you can mix up the rules as long as you cover all three of them.
6 What am I sorry for that might make a good poem? I haven't been naughty lately. I may have to make something up! Lots of kids like balloons. Let's pretend that I popped my friend's balloon. She is mad at me, and I will have to say that I'm sorry. I will have to confess what I did, and I will have to tell her why it happened.
7
Just So You Know (this is my title)
I am very sorry
I didn't mean to pop
your long red balloon
it would have made
a fun balloon hat
if only I had not
given it one last
twist
8 If you compare this poem to the first one, you will see that no other rules apply. The poem does not need a certain number of lines. It does not have to rhyme. The apology is in the first part instead of the last part. In my poem, I really am sorry for what I did. The plum-eater does not seem to be sorry at all.
9 Now it is your turn. You will write a poem. The topic will be fall leaves. Why would you say you're sorry to fall leaves? Maybe you regret something you did to some of them. Maybe you feel bad about the way they drop off trees. The choice is yours.
Topic: Fall Leaves
Title:
Confess: Tell what you are sorry for.
Apologize: Choose one of the four apologies from the beginning, or make up your own.
Explain: Tell why you are sorry. Explain what happened.
10 Now you need to put these ideas into the form of a poem. Each line will be short. Do not use commas or periods. You may change the wording to make your poem look or sound better. You may apologize at the beginning, middle, or end. Be creative, and have fun!
Copyright © 2009 edHelper
6 What am I sorry for that might make a good poem? I haven't been naughty lately. I may have to make something up! Lots of kids like balloons. Let's pretend that I popped my friend's balloon. She is mad at me, and I will have to say that I'm sorry. I will have to confess what I did, and I will have to tell her why it happened.
7
Just So You Know (this is my title)
I am very sorry
I didn't mean to pop
your long red balloon
it would have made
a fun balloon hat
if only I had not
given it one last
twist
8 If you compare this poem to the first one, you will see that no other rules apply. The poem does not need a certain number of lines. It does not have to rhyme. The apology is in the first part instead of the last part. In my poem, I really am sorry for what I did. The plum-eater does not seem to be sorry at all.
9 Now it is your turn. You will write a poem. The topic will be fall leaves. Why would you say you're sorry to fall leaves? Maybe you regret something you did to some of them. Maybe you feel bad about the way they drop off trees. The choice is yours.
Topic: Fall Leaves
Title:
Confess: Tell what you are sorry for.
Apologize: Choose one of the four apologies from the beginning, or make up your own.
Explain: Tell why you are sorry. Explain what happened.
10 Now you need to put these ideas into the form of a poem. Each line will be short. Do not use commas or periods. You may change the wording to make your poem look or sound better. You may apologize at the beginning, middle, or end. Be creative, and have fun!
Copyright © 2009 edHelper
10. APOLOGY POEM
WRITE YOUR OWN APOLOGY POEM (YOU MIGHT WANT TO KEEP IT IN CASE YOU EVER NEED TO USE IT!!! )
Apology Poetry
By Brenda B. Covert
1 How can I apologize? Let me count the ways.
1. I'm sorry.
2. I apologize.
3. I was wrong.
4. Please forgive me.
2 Another way to say I'm sorry is to write a poem about it. That's what William Carlos Williams did. He was a poet during the early and mid-1900's. His poem called "This Is Just to Say" sounds as if it might have been a note, from a man to his wife, stuck on a refrigerator door.
This Is Just to Say
I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox
and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast
Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold
3 A poem is an apology poem if it follows these three rules:
1. The writer confesses what he or she did.
2. The writer offers an apology.
3. The writer explains why it happened.
Apology Poetry
By Brenda B. Covert
1 How can I apologize? Let me count the ways.
1. I'm sorry.
2. I apologize.
3. I was wrong.
4. Please forgive me.
2 Another way to say I'm sorry is to write a poem about it. That's what William Carlos Williams did. He was a poet during the early and mid-1900's. His poem called "This Is Just to Say" sounds as if it might have been a note, from a man to his wife, stuck on a refrigerator door.
This Is Just to Say
I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox
and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast
Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold
3 A poem is an apology poem if it follows these three rules:
1. The writer confesses what he or she did.
2. The writer offers an apology.
3. The writer explains why it happened.
9. TAKE THE TEST - COPY & PASTE TO A WORD DOCUMENT, THEN PRINT, ANSWER, AND TURN IN YOUR TEST !!!!!
Name _____________________________
Date _____________________________
Ex-Basketball Player
by John Updike
Multiple Choice:
1. What record does Flick still hold?
a. school
b. state
c. county
d. city
2. What does Flick do as a gag?
a. plays pinball
b. flicks cigar butts
c. stands among the idiot pumps
d. dribbles an inner tube
3. According to the speaker, what is it that Flick never learned?
a. a trade
b. a dunk shot
c. a lesson
d. the fast break
4. Which of the following is not something that Flick does at his job?
a. washes cars
b. checks oil
c. changes tires
d. sells gas
5. What high school team did Flick play for?
a. the Wizards
b. the Wildcats
c. the Mustangs
d. the Wolves
6. Where does Flick Webb work?
a. Mae's luncheonette
b. Berth's Garage
c. Pearl Avenue Pizza
d. Colonel McComsky Plaza
7. What are "idiot pumps"?
a. rubber hoses
b. gas pumps
c. tire pumps
d. inner tubes
8. Which of the following does Flick not do in his spare time?
a. smoke thin cigars
b. flirt with Mae
c. drink lemon phosphates
d. play pinball
Short Answer Questions:
9. Describe the town where Flick lives. How does the town feel about heroes? Cite details from the poem in your description.
10. Discuss how Flick's life has changed since high school.
11. Write a character sketch of Flick. Cite details from the poem in your description.
12. What is the speaker's attitude towards Flick? Cite details from the poem to support your answer.
13. Does the poet present Flick more as a hero or a tragic figure? Cite details to support your answer.
14. Who is responsible for Flick's present situation? Cite details to support your answer.
Poetic Techniques Short Answer Questions:
15. Find an example of alliteration in the poem.
16. Explain how "tiers" in the final stanza could be a pun.
17. Find an example of a simile in the poem. Explain the comparison that is being made.
18. Discuss how stanza three in the poem presents Flick in a different light. Why do you think the poet reveals that information in the middle stanza of the poem?
19. Find an example of enjambment in the poem.
20. Find an example of a metaphor in the poem. Explain the comparison that is being made.
21. Find an example of personification in the poem.
22. Identify several examples of colloquial speech in the poem, and explain how this type of speech contributes to the voice of the speaker and the tone of the poem.
Date _____________________________
Ex-Basketball Player
by John Updike
Multiple Choice:
1. What record does Flick still hold?
a. school
b. state
c. county
d. city
2. What does Flick do as a gag?
a. plays pinball
b. flicks cigar butts
c. stands among the idiot pumps
d. dribbles an inner tube
3. According to the speaker, what is it that Flick never learned?
a. a trade
b. a dunk shot
c. a lesson
d. the fast break
4. Which of the following is not something that Flick does at his job?
a. washes cars
b. checks oil
c. changes tires
d. sells gas
5. What high school team did Flick play for?
a. the Wizards
b. the Wildcats
c. the Mustangs
d. the Wolves
6. Where does Flick Webb work?
a. Mae's luncheonette
b. Berth's Garage
c. Pearl Avenue Pizza
d. Colonel McComsky Plaza
7. What are "idiot pumps"?
a. rubber hoses
b. gas pumps
c. tire pumps
d. inner tubes
8. Which of the following does Flick not do in his spare time?
a. smoke thin cigars
b. flirt with Mae
c. drink lemon phosphates
d. play pinball
Short Answer Questions:
9. Describe the town where Flick lives. How does the town feel about heroes? Cite details from the poem in your description.
10. Discuss how Flick's life has changed since high school.
11. Write a character sketch of Flick. Cite details from the poem in your description.
12. What is the speaker's attitude towards Flick? Cite details from the poem to support your answer.
13. Does the poet present Flick more as a hero or a tragic figure? Cite details to support your answer.
14. Who is responsible for Flick's present situation? Cite details to support your answer.
Poetic Techniques Short Answer Questions:
15. Find an example of alliteration in the poem.
16. Explain how "tiers" in the final stanza could be a pun.
17. Find an example of a simile in the poem. Explain the comparison that is being made.
18. Discuss how stanza three in the poem presents Flick in a different light. Why do you think the poet reveals that information in the middle stanza of the poem?
19. Find an example of enjambment in the poem.
20. Find an example of a metaphor in the poem. Explain the comparison that is being made.
21. Find an example of personification in the poem.
22. Identify several examples of colloquial speech in the poem, and explain how this type of speech contributes to the voice of the speaker and the tone of the poem.
8. WRITING ASSIGNMENT - A POEM TO YOURSELF
I. Using the material generated from your questions after reading EX-BASKETBALL PLAYER - write a poem about yourself -- the person you are and the life you lead in FIVE YEARS.
Be sure to include what you look like, what you feel, etc. Try to show how this future self compares and contrasts with the self you are today. Also, remember the following:
YOU MAY CHOOSE ANY POETIC STYLE YOU LIKE THAT YOU FEEL BESTS REFLECTS THE IDEAS YOU WANT TO WRITE ABOUT.
YOU MUST WRITE ABOUT YOURSELF IN THIRD PERSON. REFER TO YOURSELF BY NAME AND BY THE PRONOUN HE OR SHE.
II. Now, listen! Prepare two copies of your poem. One I will grade and you will share with the class, and the other will be sealed in an envelope and mailed to you in five years. Do do this, get an envelope and think of two possible addresses where the letter may reach you in five years. Collect anything else you would like to include in your letter to yourself.
Be sure to include what you look like, what you feel, etc. Try to show how this future self compares and contrasts with the self you are today. Also, remember the following:
YOU MAY CHOOSE ANY POETIC STYLE YOU LIKE THAT YOU FEEL BESTS REFLECTS THE IDEAS YOU WANT TO WRITE ABOUT.
YOU MUST WRITE ABOUT YOURSELF IN THIRD PERSON. REFER TO YOURSELF BY NAME AND BY THE PRONOUN HE OR SHE.
II. Now, listen! Prepare two copies of your poem. One I will grade and you will share with the class, and the other will be sealed in an envelope and mailed to you in five years. Do do this, get an envelope and think of two possible addresses where the letter may reach you in five years. Collect anything else you would like to include in your letter to yourself.
7. READ THIS POEM and ANSWER THE QUESTIONS BELOW
Ex-Basketball Player
by John Updike
Pearl Avenue runs past the high-school lot,
Bends with the trolley tracks, and stops, cut off
Before it has a chance to go two blocks,
At Colonel McComsky Plaza. Berth’s Garage
Is on the corner facing west, and there,
Most days, you'll find Flick Webb, who helps Berth out.
Flick stands tall among the idiot pumps—
Five on a side, the old bubble-head style,
Their rubber elbows hanging loose and low.
One’s nostrils are two S’s, and his eyes
An E and O. And one is squat, without
A head at all—more of a football type.
Once Flick played for the high-school team, the Wizards.
He was good: in fact, the best. In ’46
He bucketed three hundred ninety points,
A county record still. The ball loved Flick.
I saw him rack up thirty-eight or forty
In one home game. His hands were like wild birds.
He never learned a trade, he just sells gas,
Checks oil, and changes flats. Once in a while,
As a gag, he dribbles an inner tube,
But most of us remember anyway.
His hands are fine and nervous on the lug wrench.
It makes no difference to the lug wrench, though.
Off work, he hangs around Mae’s Luncheonette.
Grease-gray and kind of coiled, he plays pinball,
Smokes those thin cigars, nurses lemon phosphates.
Flick seldom says a word to Mae, just nods
Beyond her face toward bright applauding tiers
Of Necco Wafers, Nibs, and Juju Beads.
WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN FIVE YEARS?
NAME AND DESCRIBE A SPECIFIC PLACE.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH YOUR LIFE IN FIVE YEARS? HOW DO YOU SEE YOURSELF SPENDING YOUR TIME 9 TO 5 EVERY DAY?
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST PHYSICAL CHANGE IN YOU FROM YOU HIGH SCHOOL SELF? IN OTHER WORDS, AT YOUR HIGH SCHOOL REUNION, WHAT WILL PEOPLE NOTICE FIRST ABOUT YOU?
WHAT IS YOUR GENERAL ATTITUDE TOWARD LIFE? ARE YOU HAPPY? DEPRESSED? CONFUSED? DISSATISFIED?
WHAT DO YOU MISS MOST ABOUT YOUR HIGH SCHOOL SELF AND/OR YOUR HIGH SCHOOL LIFE?
by John Updike
Pearl Avenue runs past the high-school lot,
Bends with the trolley tracks, and stops, cut off
Before it has a chance to go two blocks,
At Colonel McComsky Plaza. Berth’s Garage
Is on the corner facing west, and there,
Most days, you'll find Flick Webb, who helps Berth out.
Flick stands tall among the idiot pumps—
Five on a side, the old bubble-head style,
Their rubber elbows hanging loose and low.
One’s nostrils are two S’s, and his eyes
An E and O. And one is squat, without
A head at all—more of a football type.
Once Flick played for the high-school team, the Wizards.
He was good: in fact, the best. In ’46
He bucketed three hundred ninety points,
A county record still. The ball loved Flick.
I saw him rack up thirty-eight or forty
In one home game. His hands were like wild birds.
He never learned a trade, he just sells gas,
Checks oil, and changes flats. Once in a while,
As a gag, he dribbles an inner tube,
But most of us remember anyway.
His hands are fine and nervous on the lug wrench.
It makes no difference to the lug wrench, though.
Off work, he hangs around Mae’s Luncheonette.
Grease-gray and kind of coiled, he plays pinball,
Smokes those thin cigars, nurses lemon phosphates.
Flick seldom says a word to Mae, just nods
Beyond her face toward bright applauding tiers
Of Necco Wafers, Nibs, and Juju Beads.
WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN FIVE YEARS?
NAME AND DESCRIBE A SPECIFIC PLACE.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH YOUR LIFE IN FIVE YEARS? HOW DO YOU SEE YOURSELF SPENDING YOUR TIME 9 TO 5 EVERY DAY?
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST PHYSICAL CHANGE IN YOU FROM YOU HIGH SCHOOL SELF? IN OTHER WORDS, AT YOUR HIGH SCHOOL REUNION, WHAT WILL PEOPLE NOTICE FIRST ABOUT YOU?
WHAT IS YOUR GENERAL ATTITUDE TOWARD LIFE? ARE YOU HAPPY? DEPRESSED? CONFUSED? DISSATISFIED?
WHAT DO YOU MISS MOST ABOUT YOUR HIGH SCHOOL SELF AND/OR YOUR HIGH SCHOOL LIFE?
6. TAKE THE TEST - COPY & PASTE TO A WORD DOCUMENT, THEN PRINT, ANSWER, AND TURN IN YOUR TEST !!!!!
Name _____________________________
Date ______________________________
Wishing
by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Multiple Choice
1. What does the author mean by the phrase, "Set a watch upon your actions"?
a. Always make sure your watch says the correct time.
b. Always act like you know what time it is.
c. Always act in the right way, no matter what.
2. According to the author, how can you make the world happy?
a. plant more trees
b. be kind to everyone
c. join the army
3. Which of the following is the best summary of stanza two?
a. The world will never be wiser.
b. Knowledge is not important.
c. If you want to teach someone something, you must learn about it first.
4. What is the "sphere you occupy"?
a. a ball you are bouncing on
b. the place where you live
c. a globe
Short Answer Questions:
5. The theme of a poem is the lesson the author wishes to teach the reader. What is the theme of this poem? Give evidence from the poem to support your answer.
Poetic Techniques Short Answer Questions:
6. Why does the author begin each stanza with a question?
7. Find a metaphor in the third stanza. What two things is the author comparing?
Date ______________________________
Wishing
by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Multiple Choice
1. What does the author mean by the phrase, "Set a watch upon your actions"?
a. Always make sure your watch says the correct time.
b. Always act like you know what time it is.
c. Always act in the right way, no matter what.
2. According to the author, how can you make the world happy?
a. plant more trees
b. be kind to everyone
c. join the army
3. Which of the following is the best summary of stanza two?
a. The world will never be wiser.
b. Knowledge is not important.
c. If you want to teach someone something, you must learn about it first.
4. What is the "sphere you occupy"?
a. a ball you are bouncing on
b. the place where you live
c. a globe
Short Answer Questions:
5. The theme of a poem is the lesson the author wishes to teach the reader. What is the theme of this poem? Give evidence from the poem to support your answer.
Poetic Techniques Short Answer Questions:
6. Why does the author begin each stanza with a question?
7. Find a metaphor in the third stanza. What two things is the author comparing?
5. Wishing Poetry
1. READ THIS POEM.
2. WRITE A WISH POEM OF YOUR OWN!!!
Wishing
By: Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Do you wish the world were better?
Let me tell you what to do.
Set a watch upon your actions,
Keep them always straight and true.
Rid your mind of selfish motives,
Let your thoughts be clean and high.
You can make a little Eden
Of the sphere you occupy.
Do you wish the world were wiser?
Well, suppose you make a start
By accumulating wisdom
In the scrapbook of your heart.
Do not waste one page on folly;
Live to learn, and learn to live.
If you want to give men knowledge
You must get it ere you give.
Do you wish the world were happy?
Then remember day by day
Just to scatter seeds of kindness
as you pass along the way:
For the pleasures of many
May be oft times traced to one,
As the hand that plants an acorn
Shelters armies from the sun.
2. WRITE A WISH POEM OF YOUR OWN!!!
Wishing
By: Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Do you wish the world were better?
Let me tell you what to do.
Set a watch upon your actions,
Keep them always straight and true.
Rid your mind of selfish motives,
Let your thoughts be clean and high.
You can make a little Eden
Of the sphere you occupy.
Do you wish the world were wiser?
Well, suppose you make a start
By accumulating wisdom
In the scrapbook of your heart.
Do not waste one page on folly;
Live to learn, and learn to live.
If you want to give men knowledge
You must get it ere you give.
Do you wish the world were happy?
Then remember day by day
Just to scatter seeds of kindness
as you pass along the way:
For the pleasures of many
May be oft times traced to one,
As the hand that plants an acorn
Shelters armies from the sun.
4. Life Poetry
Life Poetry
By Brenda B. Covert
1 Today we're going to learn to write poetry that celebrates your life. You are alive today; that makes you a survivor! During times of struggle, whether it be personal problems or perhaps a national attack, you can remember that you are a survivor. You are worth celebrating.
2 I call this poetry, “Life Poetry.” It is also called “catalog or list poetry.” It's easy to write. There is no rhyme or rhythm involved unless you want to use them! The only rule for “Life Poetry” is that you are honest.
3 To begin, get a clean sheet of paper. You are going to be making short lists under six headings. After you have completed the lists, I'll explain how to turn them into a life poem.
4 Think of the room in your home where you spend most of your time. List four to six nouns that relate to that room, without naming the room! You can include verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. For example, if I were to make a list for my kitchen, I might write this: sink cluttered with dishes, the aroma of peach butter, corn flakes scattered everywhere, fluffy cat looking for a treat, child proudly making a sandwich. Those things are not always there, but they represent that room of my house! Notice that I didn't write complete sentences in my list. Make your first list. Be creative!
5 The focus of the next heading is a little larger. While the first list was about a room, this heading covers your home and yard or play area, the places where you primarily live. Think not only about objects in these places, but also activities and emotions that are common there. Are there any sounds or smells that are familiar to your home and play area? Choose around six thoughts for your list.
6 The third list is about your community. By community I mean the country, small town, or big city where you live, local places you have visited, and things like that. Are there any attractions where you live? This list should include things with which you are familiar; you shouldn't have to research your community. Then move on to your state, which may require research. Without naming your community, list clues that a person could use to guess your area. What makes your areadi fferent from other areas? What makes it special?
7 The fourth list is about your country. Without writing the words “America” or “USA," or "China," or "Korea," - write down some of the most famous landmarks, such as the Statue of Liberty or the Great Wall, and your feelings about your country and its people. Think about how we help each other during times of crisis. Remember the courage of our police officers, our firefighters, our military, and even our ordinary citizens who risk their lives to protect us and keep us safe!
8 Now we'll switch gears and focus on your heritage. Think about your ancestors as well as your living relatives. Did they come from other lands? What types of work have they done? Don't list them all, but choose the ones that stand out in your mind. How do you feel about your heritage? This list will show others the path that leads to you.
9 Your last list will be about your vision for the future, not only your future, but your family's future, and also your country's future. Are you optimistic about the future? Are you pessimistic? Do you have hopes and dreams? List all of that here. This list may include some things you enjoy now, such as music, food, sports, and so on. Again, you don't need complete sentences.
10 Now we'll take these lists and shape them into poetry. The hard part is over. Have fun with your life poem!
11 Each list will become a separate stanza. Your first stanza is about a room. On a clean sheet of paper, write “My Life Poem” across the top with your name underneath. Then skip a line and write “I am from,” followed by items from your list. Dress them up if necessary. Ends with the words “I am from home,” and briefly describe your feelings about it. Here is an example of the first stanza, written by a friend of mine. Can you guess which room she is describing?
12
My Life Poem
by Katie Foth
I am from cotton steaming hot beneath an iron,
From soapsuds and aprons stuffed with Aunt Esther's letters,
From fragrant loaves cooling on the brown bread board
And warm apple pies and fresh blueberry muffins.
I am from home—tidy and cheery, ringing oft with hearty laughs.
13 Your second stanza should follow the same pattern as the first, beginning with the words, “I am from,” and listing thoughts about your home and play area. Each line should begin with the word “From” or “And.”
14 Follow that with stanzas for your community and state, and for your country–still beginning each stanza with the words, “I am from.”
15 Your fifth stanza will reveal your heritage. Don't worry about making it seem good. While most of us have someone in our lineage that makes us proud, most people also have a “black sheep” in their family–one or more relatives or ancestors whose character and behavior was less than ideal. You aren't required to include them in your poem, but you needn't feel embarrassed about them, either. After all, you are a survivor! Whomever you choose to include, feel free to use adjectives. Katie Foth wrote this about her heritage:
16
I am from stern stuff; my core is pure steel,
From stocky Scotch Irish and sturdy Norwegians,
From tall Kaiser blackguard and devout German preacher,
From resourceful mechanic to strict Lutheran teacher,
Electronic technician to plain lumberjack.
17 Your final stanza will be your vision for the future. You will once again begin this stanza with, “I am from.” The last line will present a specific thought about the future as you imagine it.
18 After you finish this rough draft of your life poem, read through it and mark any changes, additions, or deletions you need to make. Rewrite, shape, and polish your poem. Read it aloud to see how it sounds. It should flow smoothly from one idea to the next.
19 Would you like an idea for an inexpensive gift? You might try writing personal life poems for friends or family members. Now that you know the format for life poetry, you can interview individuals and create a personal life poem for them! Write it in your best handwriting or type it on good quality paper. Roll it up and tie it with a ribbon, or put it in a frame. They'll love it!
20 To summarize the lesson, here is the format that our life poetry follows:
Stanza 1 – the room in which you spend the most time
Stanza 2 – Your house and yard
Stanza 3 – Your community or state
Stanza 4 – Your relatives or ancestors (heritage)
Stanza 5– your country
Stanza 6 – Your vision for the future
Copyright © 2009 edHelper
By Brenda B. Covert
1 Today we're going to learn to write poetry that celebrates your life. You are alive today; that makes you a survivor! During times of struggle, whether it be personal problems or perhaps a national attack, you can remember that you are a survivor. You are worth celebrating.
2 I call this poetry, “Life Poetry.” It is also called “catalog or list poetry.” It's easy to write. There is no rhyme or rhythm involved unless you want to use them! The only rule for “Life Poetry” is that you are honest.
3 To begin, get a clean sheet of paper. You are going to be making short lists under six headings. After you have completed the lists, I'll explain how to turn them into a life poem.
4 Think of the room in your home where you spend most of your time. List four to six nouns that relate to that room, without naming the room! You can include verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. For example, if I were to make a list for my kitchen, I might write this: sink cluttered with dishes, the aroma of peach butter, corn flakes scattered everywhere, fluffy cat looking for a treat, child proudly making a sandwich. Those things are not always there, but they represent that room of my house! Notice that I didn't write complete sentences in my list. Make your first list. Be creative!
5 The focus of the next heading is a little larger. While the first list was about a room, this heading covers your home and yard or play area, the places where you primarily live. Think not only about objects in these places, but also activities and emotions that are common there. Are there any sounds or smells that are familiar to your home and play area? Choose around six thoughts for your list.
6 The third list is about your community. By community I mean the country, small town, or big city where you live, local places you have visited, and things like that. Are there any attractions where you live? This list should include things with which you are familiar; you shouldn't have to research your community. Then move on to your state, which may require research. Without naming your community, list clues that a person could use to guess your area. What makes your areadi fferent from other areas? What makes it special?
7 The fourth list is about your country. Without writing the words “America” or “USA," or "China," or "Korea," - write down some of the most famous landmarks, such as the Statue of Liberty or the Great Wall, and your feelings about your country and its people. Think about how we help each other during times of crisis. Remember the courage of our police officers, our firefighters, our military, and even our ordinary citizens who risk their lives to protect us and keep us safe!
8 Now we'll switch gears and focus on your heritage. Think about your ancestors as well as your living relatives. Did they come from other lands? What types of work have they done? Don't list them all, but choose the ones that stand out in your mind. How do you feel about your heritage? This list will show others the path that leads to you.
9 Your last list will be about your vision for the future, not only your future, but your family's future, and also your country's future. Are you optimistic about the future? Are you pessimistic? Do you have hopes and dreams? List all of that here. This list may include some things you enjoy now, such as music, food, sports, and so on. Again, you don't need complete sentences.
10 Now we'll take these lists and shape them into poetry. The hard part is over. Have fun with your life poem!
11 Each list will become a separate stanza. Your first stanza is about a room. On a clean sheet of paper, write “My Life Poem” across the top with your name underneath. Then skip a line and write “I am from,” followed by items from your list. Dress them up if necessary. Ends with the words “I am from home,” and briefly describe your feelings about it. Here is an example of the first stanza, written by a friend of mine. Can you guess which room she is describing?
12
My Life Poem
by Katie Foth
I am from cotton steaming hot beneath an iron,
From soapsuds and aprons stuffed with Aunt Esther's letters,
From fragrant loaves cooling on the brown bread board
And warm apple pies and fresh blueberry muffins.
I am from home—tidy and cheery, ringing oft with hearty laughs.
13 Your second stanza should follow the same pattern as the first, beginning with the words, “I am from,” and listing thoughts about your home and play area. Each line should begin with the word “From” or “And.”
14 Follow that with stanzas for your community and state, and for your country–still beginning each stanza with the words, “I am from.”
15 Your fifth stanza will reveal your heritage. Don't worry about making it seem good. While most of us have someone in our lineage that makes us proud, most people also have a “black sheep” in their family–one or more relatives or ancestors whose character and behavior was less than ideal. You aren't required to include them in your poem, but you needn't feel embarrassed about them, either. After all, you are a survivor! Whomever you choose to include, feel free to use adjectives. Katie Foth wrote this about her heritage:
16
I am from stern stuff; my core is pure steel,
From stocky Scotch Irish and sturdy Norwegians,
From tall Kaiser blackguard and devout German preacher,
From resourceful mechanic to strict Lutheran teacher,
Electronic technician to plain lumberjack.
17 Your final stanza will be your vision for the future. You will once again begin this stanza with, “I am from.” The last line will present a specific thought about the future as you imagine it.
18 After you finish this rough draft of your life poem, read through it and mark any changes, additions, or deletions you need to make. Rewrite, shape, and polish your poem. Read it aloud to see how it sounds. It should flow smoothly from one idea to the next.
19 Would you like an idea for an inexpensive gift? You might try writing personal life poems for friends or family members. Now that you know the format for life poetry, you can interview individuals and create a personal life poem for them! Write it in your best handwriting or type it on good quality paper. Roll it up and tie it with a ribbon, or put it in a frame. They'll love it!
20 To summarize the lesson, here is the format that our life poetry follows:
Stanza 1 – the room in which you spend the most time
Stanza 2 – Your house and yard
Stanza 3 – Your community or state
Stanza 4 – Your relatives or ancestors (heritage)
Stanza 5– your country
Stanza 6 – Your vision for the future
Copyright © 2009 edHelper
3. HEART POETRY
The heart map is a great for all creative levels. The purpose of the Heart Poem is to give you the opportunity to more easily recall fond memories. These memories could include everything from family members to pets to favorite games, friends or places.
1. On a piece of paper draw the outline of a heart or any design that you choose. If you love dogs, horse or football -- feel free. There are no rules about design.
2. Spend a few minutes thinking to yourself about all the responses that go right into the heart map.
3. Inside the design begin to list all the people, places and things that are important to you in your life.
4. Once the names are in place, color in the heart or design. This process allows you to connect further with the contents of your heart. Again, there are no rules when it comes to color.
5. You heart map is now complete and ready for you to use - whenever, wherever - forever!
Look over your completed heart map. From now on, you will find that whatever ideas you used to create it will always help you when you sit down to write. You can always re-create your heart map, but I think you will find that your ideas will always be pretty much the same. When this happens, you will know your heart is true!
1. On a piece of paper draw the outline of a heart or any design that you choose. If you love dogs, horse or football -- feel free. There are no rules about design.
2. Spend a few minutes thinking to yourself about all the responses that go right into the heart map.
3. Inside the design begin to list all the people, places and things that are important to you in your life.
4. Once the names are in place, color in the heart or design. This process allows you to connect further with the contents of your heart. Again, there are no rules when it comes to color.
5. You heart map is now complete and ready for you to use - whenever, wherever - forever!
Look over your completed heart map. From now on, you will find that whatever ideas you used to create it will always help you when you sit down to write. You can always re-create your heart map, but I think you will find that your ideas will always be pretty much the same. When this happens, you will know your heart is true!
2. Concrete or Picture Poetry
THE GOAL OF THIS ASSIGNMENT IS TO GET YOUR IMAGINATIONS FLOWING!!!!!
Read below about Concrete or Picture Poetry and create THREE of your own! You may use the example listed or use your own imagination.
SEE EXAMPLE
Click ABOVE to
See one SAMPLE OF CONCRETE POETRY!!!!
Picture Poetry
By Brenda B. Covert
1 Picture poetry, also known as concrete or graphic poetry, was born in the 1950's. Eugen Gomringer from Switzerland, Öyvind Fahlström of Sweden, and Decio Pignatari from Brazil are all considered to be creators of this modern form of poetry. Picture poems are fun to create! They are images (pictures) created out of words and punctuation marks-drawings made of words.
2 Picture poetry can be simple or complex. How detailed your picture turns out is up to you! You don't have to worry about rhyme, rhythm, or meter. If you are an artist, this type of poetry was made for you!
3 One of the easiest picture poems to create is a tree poem. See Example Above.
4 Forming a triangle out of words is fairly easy. It's also possible to form ovals or other tree-like shapes. At the same time, use words that relate to trees. You can use sentences, or just lists of related words. Some people use the same word repeatedly.
5 Create your own tree poem.
6 Another fun shape for picture poetry is the circle or ball. We can fill the ball with words, or the words can wind around the outside of a circle. You might want to create a picture poem of a balloon, a lollipop, the sun or the moon. Use your imagination and create a round poem.
7 Some of the more complex picture poetry I have seen was shaped like people. Another one was shaped like a rosebud on a long stem with leaves! You are not required to create something that complex, but if you like a challenge, try it! Your final assignment is to create another picture poem, this time using your imagination to come up with something different. You might want to take a well-known poem, lyrics, or other body of writing, and create a picture with it.
Copyright © 2009 edHelper
Read below about Concrete or Picture Poetry and create THREE of your own! You may use the example listed or use your own imagination.
SEE EXAMPLE
Click ABOVE to
See one SAMPLE OF CONCRETE POETRY!!!!
Picture Poetry
By Brenda B. Covert
1 Picture poetry, also known as concrete or graphic poetry, was born in the 1950's. Eugen Gomringer from Switzerland, Öyvind Fahlström of Sweden, and Decio Pignatari from Brazil are all considered to be creators of this modern form of poetry. Picture poems are fun to create! They are images (pictures) created out of words and punctuation marks-drawings made of words.
2 Picture poetry can be simple or complex. How detailed your picture turns out is up to you! You don't have to worry about rhyme, rhythm, or meter. If you are an artist, this type of poetry was made for you!
3 One of the easiest picture poems to create is a tree poem. See Example Above.
4 Forming a triangle out of words is fairly easy. It's also possible to form ovals or other tree-like shapes. At the same time, use words that relate to trees. You can use sentences, or just lists of related words. Some people use the same word repeatedly.
5 Create your own tree poem.
6 Another fun shape for picture poetry is the circle or ball. We can fill the ball with words, or the words can wind around the outside of a circle. You might want to create a picture poem of a balloon, a lollipop, the sun or the moon. Use your imagination and create a round poem.
7 Some of the more complex picture poetry I have seen was shaped like people. Another one was shaped like a rosebud on a long stem with leaves! You are not required to create something that complex, but if you like a challenge, try it! Your final assignment is to create another picture poem, this time using your imagination to come up with something different. You might want to take a well-known poem, lyrics, or other body of writing, and create a picture with it.
Copyright © 2009 edHelper
1. Begin here. READ AND RESPOND
Concrete Poetry OR Picture Poetry
Heart Poetry
Wishing Poetry
Life Poetry (same as List Poetry)
Ex Basketball Poetry
The Writer
Apology Poetry
The Hangman
Fun Poetry
Clerihew
Cinquain
HOW TO YOU BEGIN WRITING POETRY?
I would say after all the years, I'm not sure. First of all, you read. You have to be aware of what's being written. Poetry is a conversation. Often while I'm reading, I start a poem. An image will set off another image, or I think of something I want to say.
Begin by getting words down. What have you got to say? Work with what you've experienced. I think sometimes, who cares about my ordinary life? But often, that's exactly what matters.
What idea, impression, image, do you want to convey? Why should I listen to you?
1) Read,
2) write what you have to say and
3) read it to someone. Listen to their reaction, their criticism, and write again. So much of writing is rewriting.
Do you have something bothering you? Get into it. That will save the trouble of writing boring poems.
Remember imagery, the mental pictures your writing makes, usually through metaphor and simile. Make sure it hasn't been said before. It has to be new. Tell me something I haven't heard before. Let an image connect with a thought, sometimes a memory. Get rid of weak verbs. Watch tenses; make them consistent. Use DETAIL!
Ask what your poem means. What conclusion is drawn from it? Even if it is not a logical thought, but an impression. Good poems are sometimes simple, on at least one level.
What is life life for you? That's what you should begin writing about.
Remember also the richness of language. Make sure there's lots of that in your writing. Read your words to yourself. Listen to them a software that lets you hear yourself, like AUDACITY.
The form a poem takes on a page is integral. Experiment with line breaks, stanzas, the square or prose poem, the words wiggling over the page.
Then, workshop your poem. Critiques are usually common sense. Does the poem work? Do you like it? Does it begin at the first stanza or do you really get into the poem several lines later? Do all the parts form a whole? What central thought holds the poem together? What emotion or impression is shared? What stays in your mind after you've heard it? Is it in the form it should be in? Is the poem clear? Have you said the same thing too many times? Is the reader rewarded for reading it?
Be interested in a lot of things. Be an interesting person; live a responsible life. Start keeping notes.
When I read other books, I think why do I do this? Hasn't it been done better than I can do it? Then, I think that I have to look inside myself and decide, I have something to say too!
By Diane Glancy
NOW, QUICKLY WRITE A BRIEF ANSWER TO THE ABOVE. SPEAK DIRECTLY TO ME, AS IF YOUR WERE TALKING FACE-TO-FACE. ASK QUESTIONS. TELL ME ABOUT THE PROBLEMS YOU HAVE WITH CREATIVE WRITING. MAYBE SOMETHING WAS SAID THAT YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE WITH: TELL MY WHY?
Heart Poetry
Wishing Poetry
Life Poetry (same as List Poetry)
Ex Basketball Poetry
The Writer
Apology Poetry
The Hangman
Fun Poetry
Clerihew
Cinquain
HOW TO YOU BEGIN WRITING POETRY?
I would say after all the years, I'm not sure. First of all, you read. You have to be aware of what's being written. Poetry is a conversation. Often while I'm reading, I start a poem. An image will set off another image, or I think of something I want to say.
Begin by getting words down. What have you got to say? Work with what you've experienced. I think sometimes, who cares about my ordinary life? But often, that's exactly what matters.
What idea, impression, image, do you want to convey? Why should I listen to you?
1) Read,
2) write what you have to say and
3) read it to someone. Listen to their reaction, their criticism, and write again. So much of writing is rewriting.
Do you have something bothering you? Get into it. That will save the trouble of writing boring poems.
Remember imagery, the mental pictures your writing makes, usually through metaphor and simile. Make sure it hasn't been said before. It has to be new. Tell me something I haven't heard before. Let an image connect with a thought, sometimes a memory. Get rid of weak verbs. Watch tenses; make them consistent. Use DETAIL!
Ask what your poem means. What conclusion is drawn from it? Even if it is not a logical thought, but an impression. Good poems are sometimes simple, on at least one level.
What is life life for you? That's what you should begin writing about.
Remember also the richness of language. Make sure there's lots of that in your writing. Read your words to yourself. Listen to them a software that lets you hear yourself, like AUDACITY.
The form a poem takes on a page is integral. Experiment with line breaks, stanzas, the square or prose poem, the words wiggling over the page.
Then, workshop your poem. Critiques are usually common sense. Does the poem work? Do you like it? Does it begin at the first stanza or do you really get into the poem several lines later? Do all the parts form a whole? What central thought holds the poem together? What emotion or impression is shared? What stays in your mind after you've heard it? Is it in the form it should be in? Is the poem clear? Have you said the same thing too many times? Is the reader rewarded for reading it?
Be interested in a lot of things. Be an interesting person; live a responsible life. Start keeping notes.
When I read other books, I think why do I do this? Hasn't it been done better than I can do it? Then, I think that I have to look inside myself and decide, I have something to say too!
By Diane Glancy
NOW, QUICKLY WRITE A BRIEF ANSWER TO THE ABOVE. SPEAK DIRECTLY TO ME, AS IF YOUR WERE TALKING FACE-TO-FACE. ASK QUESTIONS. TELL ME ABOUT THE PROBLEMS YOU HAVE WITH CREATIVE WRITING. MAYBE SOMETHING WAS SAID THAT YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE WITH: TELL MY WHY?