Wednesday, February 1 ~ Villanelles (cont.)

Reminders
  • Memorization Quiz on Block
  • In Class Essay on Block
  • J#20 & J#21 due on Friday for Bridgette's classes
 POETRY

If (Stanza 4)

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,   
    Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
    If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
    With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,   
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,   
    And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

EQ: What is a villanelle?
French verse form

consists of five three-line stanzas and a final quatrain

the first and third lines of the first stanza repeat alternately in the following stanzas

these two refrain (repeat) lines form the final couplet in the quatrain


Some Key Ideas to Consider with a Villanelle:

Any poem featuring a repetition or refrain has special qualities: 
 How does each instance of the refrain add meaning to the poem?  Perhaps it doesn't, but a great poem builds meaning.  Refrains aren't simply included for the sake of form.  Decide what the refrain means each time you see it.
Does the refrain change at all?  Even by one word?  That is important; consider how the change nuances previously building meaning. 
Check out this fine example:


Whispering Woods ~ Villanelle


1 She peers into the forest fog
   seeking another fairy face.
   Fay hears bullfrogs in the bog.
4 There’s whispers of strange dialogue
   slipping softly through cloistered space.
   She peers into the forest fog.
7 An owl calls from his cedar log
   and unsettles her sense of place.
   Fay hears bullfrogs in the bog.
10 Far off, there’s the bay of a dog
   whose master is on a coon chase.
   She peers into the forest fog.
13 She wonders if the swamp polliwog
   knows it has a change to embrace.
   Fay hears bullfrogs in the bog.
16 There’s a quiet riot to catalogue
   and she craves a calmer pace.
   She peers into the forest fog
   Fay hears bullfrogs in the bog.
So, what makes this a villanelle?
In Class Today
 Work on J#20 & J#21. Remember what you don't finish will be homework.

Tuesday, January 31 ~ The Villanelle

Reminders
  • Memorization Quiz on Block
  • In Class Essay on Block
  • J#20 due Friday for Bridgette's class
POETRY

If (Stanza 4)

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,   
    Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
    If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
    With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,   
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,   
    And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

  • New terms for your study guide: Refrain and Villanelle.
 Mad Girl's Love Song

I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead;
I lift my lids and all is born again.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

The stars go waltzing out in blue and red,
And arbitrary darkness gallops in:
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.

I dreamed that you bewitched me into bed
And sung me moon-struck, kissed me quite insane.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

God topples from the sky, hell's fires fade:
Exit seraphim and Satan's men:
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.

I fancied you'd return the way you said.
But I grow old and I forget your name.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

I should have loved a thunderbird instead;
At least when spring comes they roar back again.
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

--Sylvia Plath


  • EQ: What is a Villanelle? Click here to take notes.
  • Prepare for a Villanelle analysis.
  • Choose a Villanelle either from the link or one you have found from another source and answer:
    • How do you know what the poem means considering the devices and structure? 
    • What is the effect of the refrain (repeating line) in the poem?
    • Does the meaning of that refrain line change each time it is repeated?
    • Submit your analysis in Google Classroom. (J#21)
Homework
  • J#20 &J#21
  • Memorization

Monday, January 30 ~ Sonnet Analysis

Reminders
  • Roots and Comma Quiz tomorrow (Tuesday, Jan. 31)
  • Memorization Quiz on Block (All 4 stanzas)
Poetry

EQ: What are the differences between the Italian and British sonnet?

In class - finish up sonnet analysis from Block. Be ready to discuss your sonnets

Homework:
  • Study for Roots and Comma Quiz
  • Journal #20 - Sonnet Analysis - On Your Own
    *You will practice analyzing a sonnet below. For each poem, write a 1/2 page analysis that includes:
    1) Is this sonnet an Italian or British style sonnet?
    2) What poetic devices are present (name at least five) and how do they affect the speed and rhythm of the poem?
    3) Where is the volta (turn) and what is the conceptual relationship shown by the structure?


    On your own...Do Journal #20 based on a sonnet of your choosing..
  • Christina Rossetti
  • Robert Frost
  • Here are a couple from Mr. Renault
 If (Stanza 4)

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,   
    Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
    If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
    With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,   
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,   
    And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!


Block Day, January 26 & 27 ~ The Italians vs. Shakespeare

QUIZ today - Memorization

Reminders
  • Roots and Commas QUIZ on Tuesday
  • Memorization QUIZ (ALL FOUR STANZAS) on Block
Roots & Commas - Review Game


Poetry  - The Sonnet Review

Terms to consider:
  • iambic pentameter
  • volta 
  • rhyme scheme
  • sonnet
  • stanza
  • couplet
  • octave
  • sestet
  • quatrain

Review Practice

Holy Sonnets: Death, be not proud

BY JOHN DONNE
Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery.
Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,
And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well
And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.

  • EQ: What is the difference between an Italian vs. a British sonnet? 
    We'll start with the Italian, sometimes called Petrarch sonnet...


Here are a couple of examples.... Notice the Iambic Pentameter.

Italian Sonnet:
























 British Sonnet

 Quatrain 1
     My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun;  A
     Coral is far more red than her lips’ red;   B
     If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;   A
     If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.  B


Quatrain 2
     I have seen roses damasked, red and white,  C
     But no such roses see I in her cheeks;  D
     And in some perfumes is there more delight  C
     Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.  D



Quatrain 3
     I love to hear her speak, yet well I know  E
     That music hath a far more pleasing sound;  F
     I grant I never saw a goddess go;  E
     My mistress when she walks treads on the ground.  F



Couplet
     And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare  G
     As any she belied with false compare.  G




 Finish your group sonnet analysis and group presentations.

Journal #20 - Sonnet Analysis - On Your Own
*You will practice analyzing a sonnet below. For each poem, write a 1/2 page analysis that includes:
1) Is this sonnet an Italian or British style sonnet?
2) What poetic devices are present (name at least five) and how do they affect the speed and rhythm of the poem?
3) Where is the volta (turn) and what is the conceptual relationship shown by the structure?


On your own...Do Journal #20 based on a sonnet of your choosing..

Wednesday, January 25 ~ The Sonnet

Roots
  •  sat, satis - enough
  • sent, sens - feel
  • soph - wise
  • ver, veri - true
Reminders
  • Memorization QUIZ on Block (Stanzas 1-3)
  • Roots and Grammar (Commas) QUIZ - Tuesday, Jan.31
 Memorization
If
If you can keep your head when all about you   
    Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,   
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
    But make allowance for their doubting too;   
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
    Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
    And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:


If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;   
    If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;   
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
    And treat those two impostors just the same;   
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
    Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
    And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
    And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
    And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
    To serve your turn long after they are gone,   
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
    Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’
Grammar - Comma Practice

Poetry - 

EQ: What is the difference between an Italian sonnet and a Shakespearean sonnet?


SONNET
a poem of 14 lines using any of a number of formal rhyme schemes (usually 10 syllables per line)

COUPLET
two lines, one immediately after the other, that contain end rhyme

END RHYME
rhyme that occurs at the end of two or more lines of poetry

IAMBIC PENTAMETER
a poetic meter that is made up of 5 stressed syllables each followed by an unstressed syllable

METER 
a pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in poetry 
  

So, now we know the parts of a sonnet. Let's examine the differences between the Italian (Petrarchan) sonnet and the British (Shakespearean) sonnet.  Take a look at the following Prezi to discover the differences:
The Italians vs. The British

POETRY - Group Analysis and Presentations
*Each group will practice analyzing a sonnet below. For each poem, write a 1/2 page analysis that includes:
1) Is this sonnet an Italian or British style sonnet?
2) What poetic devices are present and how do they affect the speed and rhythm of the poem?
3) Where is the turn and what is the conceptual relationship shown by the structure?

 Group 1

Remember

BY CHRISTINA ROSSETTI
Remember me when I am gone away,
         Gone far away into the silent land;
         When you can no more hold me by the hand,
Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay.
Remember me when no more day by day
         You tell me of our future that you plann'd:
         Only remember me; you understand
It will be late to counsel then or pray.
Yet if you should forget me for a while
         And afterwards remember, do not grieve:
         For if the darkness and corruption leave
         A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,
Better by far you should forget and smile
         Than that you should remember and be sad.

Group 2

Music Box

BY JORGE LUIS BORGES
TRANSLATED FROM THE SPANISH BY TONY BARNSTONE
Music of Japan. Parsimoniously
from the water clock the drops unfold
in lazy honey or ethereal gold
that over time reiterates a weave
eternal, fragile, enigmatic, bright.
I fear that every one will be the last.
They are a yesterday come from the past.
But from what shrine, from what mountain’s slight
garden, what vigils by an unknown sea,
and from what modest melancholy, from
what lost and rediscovered afternoon
do they arrive at their far future: me?
Who knows? No matter. When I hear it play
I am. I want to be. I bleed away.

Group 3

Psalm 150

BY MARY SIDNEY HERBERT COUNTESS OF PEMBROKE
Oh, laud the Lord, the God of hosts commend,
       Exalt his pow’r, advance his holiness:
       With all your might lift his almightiness;
Your greatest praise upon his greatness spend.
Make trumpet’s noise in shrillest notes ascend;
       Make lute and lyre his loved fame express;
       Him let the pipe, him let the tabret bless,
Him organ’s breath, that winds or waters lend.
Let ringing timbrels so his honor sound,
       Let sounding cymbals so his glory ring,
       That in their tunes such melody be found
As fits the pomp of most triumphant king.
Conclude: by all that air or life enfold,
       Let high Jehovah highly be extolled.

Group 4

Sonnet 130: My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun

BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damasked, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground.
   And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
   As any she belied with false compare.

Group 5 

Sonnet 19: When I consider how my light is spent

BY JOHN MILTON
When I consider how my light is spent,
   Ere half my days, in this dark world and wide,
   And that one Talent which is death to hide
   Lodged with me useless, though my Soul more bent
To serve therewith my Maker, and present
   My true account, lest he returning chide;
   “Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?”
   I fondly ask. But patience, to prevent
That murmur, soon replies, “God doth not need
   Either man’s work or his own gifts; who best
   Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His state
Is Kingly. Thousands at his bidding speed
   And post o’er Land and Ocean without rest:
   They also serve who only stand and wait.”

Group 6

To the Poet Before Battle

BY IVOR GURNEY
Now, youth, the hour of thy dread passion comes;
Thy lovely things must all be laid away;
And thou, as others, must face the riven day
Unstirred by rattle of the rolling drums,
Or bugles' strident cry. When mere noise numbs
The sense of being, the sick soul doth sway,
Remember thy great craft's honour, that they may say
Nothing in shame of poets. Then the crumbs
Of praise the little versemen joyed to take
Shall be forgotten; then they must know we are,
For all our skill in words, equal in might
And strong of mettle as those we honoured; make
The name of poet terrible in just war,
And like a crown of honour upon the fight.

Group 7

The Professor

BY JOSHUA MEHIGAN
I get there early and I find a chair.
I squeeze my plastic cup of wine. I nod.
I maladroitly eat a pretzel rod
and second an opinion I don’t share.
I think: whatever else I am, I’m there.
Afterwards, I escape across the quad
into fresh air, alone again, thank god.
Nobody cares. They’re quite right not to care.

I can’t go home. Even my family
is thoroughly contemptuous of me.
I look bad. I’m exactly how I look.
These days I never read, but no one does,
and, anyhow, I proved how smart I was.
Everything I know is from a book.






 

Tuesday, January 24 ~ Back to Commas

QUIZ - Poetic Devices - Today

Roots
  • plac, place - please
  • psych - mind, soul
  • ri, ridi, risi - laughter
Memorization "If" - QUIZ on Block (Stanzas 1-3)

If you can keep your head when all about you   
    Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,   
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
    But make allowance for their doubting too;   
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
    Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
    And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;   
    If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;   
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
    And treat those two impostors just the same;   
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
    Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
    And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
    And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
    And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
    To serve your turn long after they are gone,   
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
    Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’
Grammar - Comma

1. Nonrestrictive vs. restrictive elements in a sentence.
*Nonrestrictive - contains nonessential information - USE A Comma
*Restrictive - contains essential information - DO NOT USE A Comma

Ex. Nonrestrictive - The campers need to order tents, which cost $900.
Removing the nonrestrictive element "which cost $900" does not change the meaning.

Ex. Restrictive - The campers need tents that are water proof.
Removing the restrictive element "that are water proof" changes the meaning. This makes the sentence more general which looses the important message of the tents needing to be water proof.

2.Use a comma to set off direct quotations.

Ex. Ms. B screamed, "Please sit down and shut up!"

3. Use a comma with dates, addresses, titles, and numbers.

Ex. On April 8, 2017, Ms. B will marry her sweetheart.
Ex. Please deliver the package to 2 School Way, Watsonville, CA 95076
Ex. Daphne Doolittle, MD, has been appointed to the board of trustees.

4. Use commas to avoid confusion.

Ex. Students who can, leave before the last bell rings.

Practice - J#19 in Google Classroom - Add or delete commas. Write "C" if the sentence is correct.

a.The flame crawled up the fence to reach a low-hanging pine branch which quickly ignited.
b. Frozen, my niece's favorite movie, was released on November, 27 2013.
c. To err is human; to forgive divine.
d. On January 24, 2018 our office will move to 53 Overdahill Ln. Blue Town CA 99903.
e. You have to read your labels; spaghetti sauce for example contains more sodium than most people realize.  
f. Victoria is a noisy disrespectful student.
g. Founded in 1926 Monte Vista Christian School was one of the first Christian schools in Santa Cruz County.
h. A member of an organization that provides housing to the disabled was also appointed to the commission.
i. Sophia who traveled to the US in 2015 became a world class ice skating champion.
j. The artist painting a sunrise was once my English student.

Homework
  • Grammar - Commas
  • Practice Stanza 3 of "If"

Monday, January 23 ~ Poetry Presentations (cont.)



 Roots
  • pac - peace
  • path, pathy - feeling, suffering
  • phobia, phobos - fear
Reminders
  • No chapel today - Sports Rally
  • QUIZ - Tuesday - Poetic Devices
Poetry

Finish Presentations

Kahoot - Poetry Device found HERE 

Homework -
  • Study for quiz - Poetic devices found HERE

Block Day, January 19 & 20 - Poetry Presentations (cont.)


Image result for poetry quotes


Roots
  • fid, fide, feder(is) - faith, trust
  • grat - pleasing
  • mania - madness

Tuesday, Jan. 17 ~ In Kahoots for Poetry

QUIZ ROOTS

Reminders
  • Poetry presentations begin tomorrow (ALL PAPERS DUE TOMORROW)
  • Quiz - "If" on Block (Stanza 1&2)

MEMORIZATION
  • "If" (Stanza 2)
If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;   
    If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;   
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
    And treat those two imposters just the same;   
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
    Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
    And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:


POETRY
  • Let's review the devices on Kahoot! Here is the link. 
  • What did you answer for question #2 about the structure of "Honest"?
Homework: Journal #3
  • Connotation Analysis: What do you think is the power or connotation? List five words from "Gospel" that would not be as effective if they were replaced by another word that shared the same denotation. For example...if he had used the word "squished" instead of "crushed" in the first line, the effect would remind you of a jellyfish rather than a powerful force.
  • Find the Devices: Copy and paste the lyrics below into a new Notability document. Find and label these devices. Onomatopoeia, internal rhyme, end rhyme, assonance, imagery, simile, metaphor, repetition, couplets, connotation, parallelism, literary allusion, & irony. (color coding might help).



"G.O.S.P.E.L." by Propaganda (CLICK HERE)
It's the full story of life crushed into four minutes
the entirety of humanity in the palm of your hand, crushed into one sentence
listen it's intense right
God. Our. Sins. Paying. Everyone. Life.
The Greatest Story that’s hardly ever told: GOD. Yes. GOD.
The Maker and Giver of Life and by Life I mean any and all manner of substance.
Seen and Unseen. What Can and Can’t Be Touched
Thoughts, Image, Emotions, Love, Atoms and Oceans
GOD.
All of it His handiwork, one of which His Masterpiece,
made so uniquely that Angels look curiously.
The one thing in Creation that was made in His imagery,
a concept so old, it’s the reason I stay bold
GOD breathed into man and he became a living soul,
Formed with the intent of being an infinitely, intimately fond
Creator and Creation held in eternal bond,
And it was placed in perfect paradise till something went wrong.
The species got deceived and started lusting for his job,
an odd list of complaints.Something ain’t working,
and used that same breath He graciously gave us to curse Him.
And that sin seed spread through our soul’s genome,
And by the nature of our nature, your species, you participated in the mutiny.
Our – yes, our sins separate us from GOD.
It’s nature inherited. Blacken the human heart.
It’s over before it started.
Deceived from Day One and led away by our own lust.
There’s not a religion in the world that doesn’t agree that something’s wrong with us.
The question is, what is it and how do we fix it?
Are we eternally separated from a GOD that may or may not have existed?
But that’s another subject.
Let’s keep grinding.
Besides, trying to prove GOD exists is like defending a lion hommie
He don’t need the help.
Just unlock the cage.
Let’s move on, on how our debt can be paid.
Short and sweet:
The problem is sin, yes sin.
It’s a cancer, an asthma, choking out our life force,
forcing separation from a perfect and Holy GOD.
The only way to get back is to get back to perfection but, silly us…
Trying to pass the course of life without referring to a syllabus…this is us.
Heap up your good deeds – chant, pray, meditate.
All of that, of course, is spraying cologne on a corpse.
Or you could choose to ignore it, as if something don’t stink.
It’s like stepping in dog poop and refusing to wipe your shoe,
But all of that ends with how good is good enough?
Take your silly list of good deeds and line them up with perfection – good luck!
That’s life past your pay grade.
The cost of your soul? You don’t got a big enough piggy bank,
but you can give it a shot.
But I suggest you throw away the list
because even your good acts are an extension of your selfishness,
But here’s where it gets interesting,
I hope your closely listening,
and don’t get it twisted. It’s what makes our faith unique.
Here’s what GOD says in Part A of the Gospel,
You can’t fix yourself. Quit trying. It’s impossible.
Sin brings death. Give GOD His breath back. You owe him.
Eternally separated and the only way to fix it is for someone to die in your place.
Someone got to be perfect, or the payment ain’t permanent,
So if and when you find a perfect person,
get him or her to willingly trade their perfection for your sin and indebtment.
Clearly, since the only one that can meet GOD’s criteria, is GOD.
GOD sent Himself as Jesus to pay the cost for us.
His righteousness, His debt functions as payment.
Yes, payment.
He wrote a check with His Life but, at the Resurrection we all cheer,
because that means the check cleared
Pierced feet, pierced hands – blood-stained Son of Man,
Fullness, forgiveness, free passage into The Promised Land.
That same breath that GOD brings into us, GOD gave up to redeem us.
Anyone and everyone, and by everyone, I mean everyone
who puts faith and trust in Him and Him
alone can have full confidence of GOD’s forgiveness.
And here’s what the promise is:
That you are guaranteed full access to return to perfect unity
by simply believing in Christ and Christ alone. You are receiving Life. Yes. Life.
This is the gospel...
God. Our. Sins. Paying. Everyone. Life.

Block Day, Jan. 12 and 13 ~ "Honest" - Poetic Device ID Practice

ROOTS
  • solus - alone
  • ultima - last
  • vale, vali, valu - strength, worth 
REMINDERS
  • Monday - Martin Luther King Day - No School
  • Tuesday - Roots Quiz
  • Wednesday - Poem Project Due
  • Block - "If" Quiz (Stanzas 1 & 2)
QUIZ 
  • If Memorization Quiz
You have stanza one under your belt, now take a look at stanza two. 
Quiz on Block next week (Stanzas 1 & 2)


"If"
Stanza 2-

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;   
    If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;   
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
    And treat those two imposters just the same;   
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
    Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
    And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:


GRAMMAR
  • More Comma Rules
3. Use a comma between all items in a series.
Ex: Uncle Gomer willed me all of his stuffed hogs, his gun collection, and his debt.

4. Use a comma when two or more adjectives describe a noun. (Coordinate Adjectives)
Ex: RJ is a bright, dedicated, focused student.

5. Do NOT use a comma if the adjectives describe the noun separately. (Cumulative Adjectives)
Ex. Three large gray shapes moved slowly toward us.

Practice - Add or delete commas. Perhaps the sentence is correct.

a. The cold impersonal atmosphere at the school was very noticeable.
b. The ambulance moved its way through police cars, fire trucks and irate citizens.
c. My cat's pupils had constricted to small black shining dots.
d. For breakfast Joseph ordered five pancakes, ten strips of bacon and a Diet Coke.
e. Anthony was dressed in a luminous orange rain suit and a brilliant white helmet.
f. It was a small, unimportant part, but I was happy to have it. 


POETRY
EQ: How do poets employ devices to create a flow and a craftier piece of art?
Go over devices in "Firework" and review list here.

"Honest" by Rudy Francisco
  • 1-15: Identify all of the fifteen underlined poetic devices in "Honest." 
  • 16: After you have read the poem, consider that Francisco drastically changes his format half way through the poem. What effect do you think he was trying to create with this choice? 

"Honest" by Rudy Francisco

Dear hands, I get it.
You like writing poems,
But you can't bring a metaphor to a gun fight.*

Dear eyes,
There are things that I would tell you  (1)
But we both know how terrible you are at keeping secrets. (2)

Dear heart
I trust you
Don’t **** this up

Dear hands, I said I know
That you like writing poetry,
But you can't bring a metaphor to a gun fight.*

Dear legs
Walking is the easy part
Now find a reason.

Dear Brain
You’re a good listener
But you give terrible relationship advice.

Dear hands, I know    (all the bold 3)
That you like writing poetry,
But you can't bring a metaphor to a gun fight.

I was born on July 27th, I hear that makes me a Leo
I don't really know what that means

I'm 5 foot 6... and a half. I weigh a hundred and forty-five pounds.
I don't know how to swim, and I'm a sucker for a girl with a nice smile
And clean sneakers. (4)

I'm still learning how to whisper
I'm often loud in places where I should be quiet
I'm often quiet in places where I should be loud (5)
I was born feet first and I've been backwards ever since (6)

I like ginger ale...
a lot.
I've been told that I give really bad hugs
People say that it feels like I'm trying to escape
Sometimes it's because I am,
 and secretly I get really nervous (7)
Every time someone gets close enough to hear me breathe
.
I have this odd fascination with things like sand castles and ice sculptures
I assume it's because I usually find myself dedicating time to things
That will only last a few moments

That's also why I tend to fall in love with women
Who would never love me back
I know it sounds crazy, but it's actually much easier than it seems
And to be honest, I think it's safer that way
See relationships, they often remind me that I'm not afraid of heights or falling
But I'm scared of what's gonna happen
The moment that my body hits the ground
I'm clumsy. Yesterday, I tripped over my self-esteem (8)
I landed on my pride and it shattered like an iPhone with a broken face (9)
Now I can't even tell who's trying to give me a compliment

I've never been in the military, but I have this Purple Heart (10)
I got it from beating myself up over things I can't fix
I know it sounds weird but sometimes,
I wonder what my bed sheets say about me when I'm not around (11)
I wonder what the curtains would do if they found out
About all the things that I've done behind their backs
I've got a hamper that's overflowing with really, really loud mistakes
And a graveyard in my closet, I'm afraid that if I let you see my skeletons
You'll grind my bones into powder (12) and get high on my fault lines (13)

Hi, my name is Rudy
I enjoy frozen yogurt, people watching
And laughing for absolutely no reason at all
But I don't allow myself to cry as often as I need to
I have solar-powered confidence, I have a battery-operated smile (14)
My hobbies include editing my life story, hiding behind metaphors
And trying to convince my shadow that I'm someone worth following (15)
I don't know much, but I do know this
I know that heaven is full of music
I know God listens to my heart beat on his iPod
It reminds him that we still got work to do.

Wednesday, January 11 ~ More Poetry Fun

Roots
  • sequ, secu, sue - follow
  • simil, simul - like, resembling
Reminder
  • Block, 1/12 & 1/13 - "If" Memorization Quiz
  • Monday, 1/16 - No School
  • Tuesday, 1/17 - Roots Quiz
  • Wednesday, 1/18 - Poetry Project is due 
 MEMORIZATION: "If" by Rudyard Kipling
This stanza due on Block!

If you can keep your head when all about you   
    Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,   
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
    But make allowance for their doubting too;   
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
    Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
    And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:
Poetry

EQ: What is alliteration? What is assonance? Denotation? Connotation?

Here is a refined list of the Poetic Devices  

A chosen few with examples and explanations: 

ALLITERATION -   
occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning or sound at the beginning of closely connected words
“The day to cheer and night's dank dew to dry,” (Spoken by Friar Lawrence in Act 2 at the beginning of Scene 3. This example shows four repetitions of “d.”)

 “Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage, against the dying of the light.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight,
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”
(Do Not Go Gentle into the Good Night by Dylan Thomas)

DENOTATION -   
literal meaning of a word
 I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.
(To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee)
     In this denotation example, the character of Atticus Finch redefines the word “courage” for his children. Speaking against the popular belief that guns represent power and therefore courage, Atticus instead defines courage as the attempt to change things even knowing that there is no hope. This redefinition of the concept of courage shapes both the book and his children’s lives.
Connotation provides the basis for symbolic meanings of words because symbolic meanings of objects are different from their literal sense. Look at the following lines from Shakespeare’s play “As you Like It”:
“All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,”
     “A stage” connotes the world; “players” suggests human beings; and “parts” implies different stages of their lives.

 HOMEWORK - 
  • Memorize the first stanza of "If" 
  • Study the (4) devices listed above 
  • Work on your poetry project



Tuesday, January 10 ~ Whoop! Whoop! It's Grammar Tuesday!

Roots 
  • ortho - straight, correct
  • prim, prime - first
  • sen - old
 Image result for the comma

Grammar - All Hail the Comma

EQ: Why do we use commas?

If you cook Julian will do the dishes.
While we were eating a spider crawled across the table.

Comma Rules to Live By -

1.  Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction joining independent clauses.
Ex: Everyone has heard of love at first sight, but I fell in love at first kiss.

Tip: No comma needed if there are NOT two independent clauses.
Ex: Good money managers watch their spending and save their money.

2. Use a comma after an introductory clause or phrase.
Ex: When Ms. B was ready to iron, her cat tripped on the cord.

Practice - Add or delete commas. Perhaps the sentence is correct.

a. Alisa brought the injured rabbit home, and made a splint out of twigs for its injured ear.

b. After her planned retirement in the year 2065, a very tired and slightly crazy Ms. B plans on admitting herself to the funny farm.

c. Brandon always wanted to go to Japan but he was afraid to fly.

d. While I was driving a school bus ran a red light.

e. Kenny pushed the car to the side of the road, and poured a bucket of water on the raging flames.

f. Lit by bright halogen lights thousands of origami cranes sparkled like diamonds.

g. As the morning bell sounded, Hannah's heart raced with joy because she knew she was going to English.

h. If you bring up the blog, and record your roots you might receive a sucker.

Poetry

 MEMORIZATION: "If" by Rudyard Kipling
This stanza due on Block!

If you can keep your head when all about you   
    Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,   
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
    But make allowance for their doubting too;   
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
    Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
    And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

POETRY
*Click here for a quick review of some devices.
*Review Poetic Devices using "Firework" by Katie Perry or Chris Sligh.
Copy the lyrics below to your Poetry Notes. Then label as many poetic devices as you can.

"Firework"
Do you ever feel like a plastic bag
Drifting through the wind 
Wanting to start again

Do you ever feel, feel so paper-thin Like a house of cards 
One blow from caving in


Do you ever feel already buried deep Six feet under screams
But no one seems to hear a thing


Do you know that there’s still a chance for you
‘Cause there’s a spark in you
You just gotta


Ignite the light
And let it shine
Just own the night
Like the Fourth of July

Cause baby, you’re a firework
Come on show them what you’re worth
Make them go, “Oh, oh, oh”
As you shoot across the sky


Baby, you’re a firework
Come on let your colors burst
Make them go, “Oh, oh, oh”
You’re gonna leave before they know



If you only knew
What the future holds
After a hurricane comes a rainbow



Like a lightning bolt
Your heart will glow
And when it’s time you know


Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
It’s always been inside of you, you, you
And now it’s time to let it through

HW: Poetry Device Quiz
         Finish "Firework" 



 

 

Monday, January 9 ~ Poetry


Roots
  • micro - small 
  • neo - new
  • nov - new

 
Mother to Son

Well, son, I'll tell you:
Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
It's had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor—
Bare.
But all the time
I'se been a-climbin' on,
And reachin' landin's,
And turnin' corners,
And sometimes goin' in the dark
Where there ain't been no light.
So, boy, don't you turn back.
Don't you set down on the steps.
'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.
Don't you fall now—
For I'se still goin', honey,
I'se still climbin',
And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.



Welcome back!

Above is one of my favorite poems by Langston Hughes.

Why is this poem significant to you?

You might be wondering why I like this poem? Also, you might be asking the question who the heck is Langston Hughes and what is the meaning behind the poem?

I chose to share this poem with you because as a single mother to a son, I often feel I do not have the words nor the ways that are suitable for raising a son on my own. My hope is that my son has watched me "a-climbin' on" and through his observations he will find the same strength to do the same.

Analysis: What about the wording or structure adds meaning to the poem? 

This free-verse poem expresses a mother's struggle by using the metaphor of a staircase. The repetition of the second and last line, "life for me ain't been no crystal stair" not only builds the structure of the poem, but gives importance to the idea that life is not always easy. Lines 3-7 go on to describe just how hard this mother's life has been. The words tacks, splinters, torn up, no carpet and bare are symbolic of the challenges in life. The metaphor of the staircase is a clever one, for it is a perfect way for a mother to encourage her children to not give up no matter what challenges are before you.

Who the heck is Langston Hughes?
  • American poet - born in 1902
  • Poet, novelist and playwright
  • African-American themes 
  • Major contributor to the Harlem Renaissance
  • Often criticized by other black intellectuals for his portrayal of black people in his writing
YOUR ASSIGNMENT
Well, I just laid it out above.
  1. Dig deep - find a poem that you can relate to. Find a poem with meaning. Find a poem that touches you in some way.  Can you write your own?
  2. Pretty picture - find an image that relates to your poem or create your own.
  3. Significance? Pour out your emotion - I was open with you as to why I chose my poem, now it's your turn.
  4. Pick it apart - aka: analyze it. Analyze the structure, devices, language, etc.
  5. Bullet the author - give important information about the poem's author (minimum 5 points).
IN A NUT SHELL: your final product will be a 1-2 page paper as a modeled above. Included will be Steps 3-5. Yes, you may put your author info. in bullet points. Don't forget MLA format.
Steps 1-2 will be on the smaller size poster board. Make 'em pretty. We need new "stuff" on our bulletin boards. (West's class will put all steps on the small poster board with the analysis and significance on the back; poem, image and author info on the front.)

Then for the grand finale.........you will present all 5 steps beginning on Wednesday, January 18.
ALL papers are due on Wed. Your poem and image are due on your assigned presentation day.

Here are a couple of websites that might be helpful Poetry Foundation, Poem Hunter

**The poem you choose must be from a published author.