Explicate a poem

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ExplicateaPoem.docx

Explicate a Poem

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Consider the elements of a poem: its speaker or "voice," its intended audience, its language (the figurative or literal meaning of the words), its images, sounds, rhythm and rhyme scheme, (read it aloud), any symbols, its overall theme, and its genre (lyrical, narrative, dramatic, or didactic). Now, consider its tone, or the attitude the speaker takes towards the subject. (TONE IS WHAT MANY READERS MISS – watch for it!) Does it tell a story? Finally, consider its effect on you, the reader. [See Chapters 4 & 6 in our textbook and study the Writing about Poetry (Links to an external site.) site. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/writing_in_literature/writing_about_poetry.html and " Poetry Q&A " worksheets to get started.) 

Assignment: After familiarizing yourself with the elements of a poem, compose a post in which you first summarize the poem and then explain how its elements combine to make it meaningful. About 200-250 words. Put author's name and the title of the poem in the first sentence of the post.  Explicate of one of the following:

Billy Collins "Introduction to Poetry" 

William Wordsworth, "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” OR

Sarah Kay's spoken-word poem "The Astronaut"  https://www.ted.com/talks/sarah_kay_how_many_lives_can_you_live

Your second post should comment on something you learned from a peer's explication. Have some fun, here! Obviously, this exercise could easily become an early draft of Essay #3.( I will send you this once I get the poem from my PEER)

* DO NOT USE SOURCES OTHER THAN the Unit Three Module links. the Writing Checklists, and YOUR TEXTBOOK.

Poems by Billy Collins

Introduction to Poetry [DB#5 option on analyzing poetry]

I ask them to take a poem

and hold it up to the light

like a color slide

or press an ear against its hive.

I say drop a mouse into a poem

and watch him probe his way out,

or walk inside the poem's room

and feel the walls for a light switch.

I want them to waterski

across the surface of a poem

waving at the author's name on the shore.

But all they want to do

is tie the poem to a chair with rope

and torture a confession out of it.

They begin beating it with a hose

to find out what it really means.

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud (1815) by William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the milky way,

They stretched in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:

A poet could not but be gay,

In such a jocund company:

I gazed- and gazed- but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils

Explicate a Poem

No unread replies. No replies.

Consider

the

elements

of

a

poem:

its

speaker

or

"voice,"

its

intended

audience,

its

language

(the

figurative

or

literal

meaning

of

the

words),

its

images,

sounds,

rhythm

and

rhyme

scheme,

(read

it

aloud),

any

symbols,

its

overall

theme,

and

its

genre

(lyrical,

narrative,

dramatic,

or

didactic).

Now,

consider

its

tone,

or

the

attitude

the

speaker

takes

towards

the

subject.

(TONE

IS

WHAT

MANY

READERS

MISS

watch

for

it!)

Does

it

tell

a

story?

Finally,

consider

its

effect

on

you,

the

reader.

[See

Chapters

4

&

6

in

our

textbook

and

study

the

Writing

about

Poetry

(Links

to

an

external

site.

)

site

.

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/writing_in_literature/writing_about_poetry

.html

and

"

Po

etry

Q&A

"

worksheets

to

get

started.)

Assignment:

After

familiarizing

yourself

with

the

elements

of

a

poem,

compose

a

post

in

which

you

first

summarize

the

poem

and

then

explain

how

its

elements

combine

to

make

it

meaningful.

About

200

-

250

words.

Put

author's

name

and

the

title

of

the

poem

in

the

first

se

ntence

of

the

post.

Explicate

of

one

of

the

following:

Billy

Collins

"Introduction

to

Poetry"

William

Wordsworth,

"I

Wandered

Lonely

as

a

Cloud

OR

Sarah

Kay's

spoken

-

word

poem

"The

Astronaut"

https://www.ted.com/talks/sarah_kay_how_many_lives_can_you_live

Your

second

post

should

comment

on

something

you

learned

f

rom

a

peer's

explication.

Have

some

fun,

here!

Obviously,

this

exercise

could

easily

become

an

early

draft

of

Essay

#3

.

(

I

wil

l

send

you

this

once

I

get

the

poem

from

my

PEER

)

*

DO NOT USE SOURCES OTHER THAN the Unit Three Module links. the Writing Checklists, and YOUR

TEXTBOOK.

Poems by Billy Collins

Introduction to

Poetry [DB#5 option on analyzing

poetry]

I ask them to take a poem

and hold it up to the light

like a color slide

or press an ear against its hive.

I say drop a mouse into a poem

and watch him probe his way out,

or walk inside the poem's room

and

feel the walls for a light switch.

I want them to waterski

across the surface of a poem

waving at the author's name on the shore.

But all they want to do

is tie the poem to a chair with rope

Explicate a Poem

No unread replies. No replies.

Consider the elements of a poem: its speaker or "voice," its intended audience, its language (the

figurative or literal meaning of the words), its images, sounds, rhythm and rhyme scheme, (read it

aloud), any symbols, its overall theme, and its genre (lyrical, narrative, dramatic, or didactic). Now,

consider its tone, or the attitude the speaker takes towards the subject. (TONE IS WHAT MANY

READERS MISS – watch for it!) Does it tell a story? Finally, consider its effect on you, the reader. [See

Chapters 4 & 6 in our textbook and study the Writing about Poetry (Links to an external site.)

site.https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/writing_in_literature/writing_about_poetry

.html and "Poetry Q&A" worksheets to get started.)

Assignment: After familiarizing yourself with the elements of a poem, compose a post in which you

first summarize the poem and then explain how its elements combine to make it meaningful. About

200-250 words. Put author's name and the title of the poem in the first sentence of the post. Explicate

of one of the following:

Billy Collins "Introduction to Poetry"

William Wordsworth, "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” OR

Sarah Kay's spoken-word poem "The

Astronaut" https://www.ted.com/talks/sarah_kay_how_many_lives_can_you_live

Your second post should comment on something you learned from a peer's explication. Have some

fun, here! Obviously, this exercise could easily become an early draft of Essay #3.( I will send you this

once I get the poem from my PEER)

* DO NOT USE SOURCES OTHER THAN the Unit Three Module links. the Writing Checklists, and YOUR

TEXTBOOK.

Poems by Billy Collins

Introduction to Poetry [DB#5 option on analyzing poetry]

I ask them to take a poem

and hold it up to the light

like a color slide

or press an ear against its hive.

I say drop a mouse into a poem

and watch him probe his way out,

or walk inside the poem's room

and feel the walls for a light switch.

I want them to waterski

across the surface of a poem

waving at the author's name on the shore.

But all they want to do

is tie the poem to a chair with rope