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.)

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.”)

ASSONANCE - 
repetition of similar vowel sounds followed by different consonant sounds in words that are close together

 “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 - 
the feelings associated with a word

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

 

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.

Langston Hughes

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.