Metaphors and Imagery

1) Silent Reading

2) A New Poem

Metaphors By Sylvia Plath

I'm a riddle in nine syllables,
An elephant, a ponderous house,
A melon strolling on two tendrils.
O red fruit, ivory, fine timbers!
This loaf's big with its yeasty rising.
Money's new-minted in this fat purse.
I'm a means, a stage, a cow in calf.
I've eaten a bag of green apples,
Boarded the train there's no getting off.

This short poem is a riddle. It is your job to solve the topic of the poem.
a) What do all the metaphors suggest about the speaker?
b) Define Imagery. What is the most dramatic image in the poem and why?
c) Given the metaphors, what are the implications about the speaker’s state of mind?

3) Time to work on re-do of The Dumka (or Truth) response. Do you need me to do an explication of the poem?

Tuesday

Still sick. Sorry to everyone...

1) What do these two pictures share in common? What does each photo make you think of in your own life?

For one photo write a sentence that describes the contrast in the photo.

Writing about contrast means that you have to be able to write about TWO things at a time. It`s trickier than we might think. Today you will write about contrast in order to gear up for writing a big compare and contrast essay.

2) Remember the exemplars I gave you last week - the ones that were all about a poem entitled, `The Dumka`?

Today is your turn to try out the provincial exam sample - pages 4-7.

By the end of class, try out the MC questions - help one another - and more importantly, write a rough draft of your response to the contrast question about `The Dumka.`

DUE TODAY.

Monday 11th

1) Attendance

2) "Truth" by Gwendolyn Brooks

Questions to check understanding - whole class or in small groups:

a) What's the poem's title about? What is the opposite of truth?

b) We've recently defined some old, familiar terms - Metaphor, personification, connotation, and symbol... what examples of these do you find in this poem?

c) What does propitious mean?

d) Think of some examples of times when it is better to live in ignorance than to face the truth. How do those real-life examples fit the theme of this poem?

3) A Literary Response to a Poem - Library

In a minimum of 250 words, explain the theme of the poem, "Truth," by Gwendolyn Brooks.

You will want to include the following elements:

- A clear thesis statement that uses both the title and the author's name
- Transitional phrases
- No re-telling
- At least 8 sentences
- Sentence variety - try having some really short sentences and build one or two really looooooong sentences
- at least 6 short supporting quotations (even a word or two from the poem counts as support)
- a memorable last line/conclusion

Take a look at the exemplars about "The Dumka" for ideas. Two were handed out on Friday.
Here is the 6 point scale that you will be marked on.

4) Rough Draft due at the end of class... print it and write your name on it.

Friday!!!

1) Time to prep for group presentations - 10-15 minutes

2) Presentations - 18 marks... make it great! READING - ANALYSIS - LECTURE/NOTES

3) Writing Assignment - Read: TBA

4) Samples - see handout

Don't Forget - Poetry is Where the Wild Things Are...

I dare you to enter to wild. To listen! To feel! To learn!

Wednesday, April 6th - Poetry Slowly

"April is the Cruellest Month"
1) Silent Reading

2) Parody Poems - hand them in - share mine. What was this like? How did the Q's to Ask of a Poem help you?

3) Read: Music or Books? What do you think? What is it about songs that might make us more solipsistic? What is it about books that might make us less so? And what about poetry? What does it ask of us?

Separation
by WS Merwin

Your Absence has gone through me
Like Thread through a needle.
Everything I do is stitched with colour.

What makes this a poem rather than ordinary prose?

4) No textbooks available - photocopies instead... :( Read up to Te Receptive Reader "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening." Anser all 5 questions - will discuss and mark tomorrow.