Poetry Unit
Long before people communicated through writing, they uttered compelling combinations of words having the sounds of poetry. Yet after thousands of years, no one has produced a single definition of poetry. Imagery and form, figurative language and sound devices are the means by which poetry makes itself heard. (from the Literary Focus, p644, Elements of Literature, 4th course, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 2009.)
list_of_literary_terms_for_poetry_unit.doc | |
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"The Legend" by Garrett Hongo p668-669, 671
The poem was inspired by a real-life event. One night, Garrett Hongo saw a T.V. news story about an Asian man who had been killed in an act of street violence. Much later, Hongo claims, this poem "just appeared." In lines 44-46 of the poem, Hongo alludes to an ancient Hawaiian legend about the weaver maid and the Herd Boy, who are responsible for making the stars turn and keeping them in place. The Weaver Maid is separated from her true love, the Herd Boy, by the entire expanse of the sky. One night a year, the universe takes pity on the lovers and builds a bridge across the heavens, allowing them to meet.
'Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day?' by William Shakespeare p690-692
In this Sonnet, the speaker proclaims his beloved to be more beautiful than a summer's day and celebrates the immortalizing power of poetry.
Helpful Links
http://www.fleurdelis.com/shallIcomparethee.htm
http://www.love-poems.me.uk/shakespeare_sonnet_18_shall_i_compare_thee_to_a_summers_day.htm
http://www.shakespeares-sonnets.com/xviiicomm.htm (not only the poem, but line-by-line analysis)
http://www.love-poems.me.uk/shakespeare_sonnet_18_shall_i_compare_thee_to_a_summers_day.htm
http://www.shakespeares-sonnets.com/xviiicomm.htm (not only the poem, but line-by-line analysis)
'Ex-Basketball Player' by John Updike p734-736
In this poem, the author explores the fate of a former high school athlete. The poem portrays a colorless later life of a former high school basketball star, who is sustained only by the memories of his past glories.
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Useful supporting Links
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost p751-752
In "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," the speaker pauses to look at snow-covered woods. The speaker is tempted to stay and watch the beautiful scene by must continue a long journey.