#4 - Poetry UNIT - 15%

Great stuff, my favourite unit of the course and I'm sure it will be yours too.

Whatever, stop whinning. The great thing about poetry is that there are no rules. There are no word limits, there are no rhyme requirements, there are no rules - literally. If you like it, it's successful. If you hate it, it's successful. They're supposed to make you feel SOMETHING. If it does, it's working its magic.

So, what do you have to do for this unit? Good question.

Ultimately, I want you to write up 3 poetry responses. This is a specific type of writing - not a summary, not even an analysis, necessarily. A poetry response is supposed to respond to a poem - that's it. It can be about one line, about a theme in the poem, about how you hate it and here's why - all of that would be fine.

Here's the process:

Step 1. Read poem. Note reaction. If it's a strong reaction (like or dislike) it should be useful for a poetry response. If you did NOT react, then read another poem, until you react.

Step 2. Try to track down, in the poem, what created this reaction. Is it the theme? Is it the diction? Is it a recurring image, or a phrase, or a rhyme scheme that just sticks in your head?

Step 3. Write a response that tracks those two pieces - YOUR REACTION and THE PART OF THE POEM RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT REACTION.

OK?

If you're still unclear - here's a worksheet that will hopefully help you understand what I'm expecting.

Also, here is the rubric I will use to mark your responses.
Each response will be worth 20 marks.

First, I'd like you to slide through this slideshow as a mini poetry lesson. This wll set the stage for the unit.

Second, read some poems! Here is a list of poems appropriate for ENG4U, but it is not complete - if you can find your own poems - go for it!

Finally, here are some resources that can help you:

Some Fundamentals of Poetry
Analyzing Poetry Work Sheet
How to Analyze  Poem in 10 Steps

Questions?