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Final Project—Poetry Portfolio and Presentation

For your final poetry project, you are going to create a poetry portfolio using (you will take a tutorial on Prezi in class) and present one original poem to the class (forms of presentation are discussed on the other side of this sheet). This project is due: _______________

Your portfolio should include:

1. Two (2) poems with your reflection.

Find two poems that really speak to you (that you didn’t write). Type at least 5 sentences per poem

answering one or more of these questions:

a. While I read this poem, I imagined…

b. What strikes me in this poem is…

c. This poem reminds me of…

d. The description of the _________ in the poem makes me think of…

e. I didn’t quite understand ________ in the poem, but I think it means…

For each poem, include a photo that represents your reflection paragraphs (that represents

how you interpret the poem).

2. Research a poet and write a one-page biography about that poet.

Read several poems by any poet you choose. Try to get a feel for that poet’s style and voice.

a. Write a one-page biography about the poet you choose.

b. Include two poems by the author. Between the two poems, find, underline, and label (in pencil or pen) at least five poetic techniques. Explain why it is an example of that technique in the margin.

c. OPTIONAL: To work toward an advanced score, pick a topic, then write a poem that emulates (mimics) your chosen poet’s style. In your original poem, be sure to include the poetic techniques you identified in the poet’s original poems.

3. One (1) poem with your written interpretation.

Find a poem that really speaks to you (that you didn’t write), then:

a. Print out the poem. Make sure the title and author are on the top of the page.

b. Take notes on the “Ten Easy Steps to Analyze a Poem” (orange worksheet).

c. Next, type a double-spaced response/interpretation of that poem that addresses each step of

3–10 on that worksheet. Number each step.

d. Written answers should be at least 1 page, 12 pt. font, with the poem’s title and author listed at the top.

e. Words/phrases taken word-for-word from the poem must be in quotation marks.

4. Three (3) original poems.

a. Write two of your own poems (any topic, any form). Between your two original poems, you must include at least 10 of the literary techniques we discussed in class. You may use each technique more than once, but you must have at least one example of 10 different techniques. Label them in pencil or pen on the Word doc.

b. The third poem should be an ekphrastic poem. Find a piece of art that moves you—that you’re drawn to. The kind of art that when you see it, words and images and ideas spring to your mind. Then write a poem about it. Include at least three poetic techniques. Label them in pencil or pen on the Word doc. Include both the poem and a picture of the art in your presentation. Also be sure to include the title of the art and the name of the artist!!

HINT: The more poetic techniques you incorporate, the better your original poems will be!

Overall, your portfolio will include 5 poems written by professional poets and

3 original poems (poems written by you!). (4 original if you choose to write the optional poem.)

Steps in Creating the Poetry Portfolio:

A. Create each of these seven (or eight) elements in a Word document or Google Doc:

(Detailed descriptions of the elements below are found on the other side of this handout. Examples are found in later pages in this packet.)

YOU WILL NOT HAVE ACCESS TO THE CLASS PREZI WEB SITE UNTIL

I HAVE SEEN DRAFTS OF EACH OF THESE SEVEN (OR EIGHT) ELEMENTS.

1. One poem (not written by you) with your written reflection

2. One poem (not written by you) with your written reflection

3. One poem (not written by you) with your one-page written interpretation/analysis

4. One-page biography about a poet you researched

i. include two poems written by this poet with labeled and explained techniques

5. One original poem (any topic, any form)

6. One original poem (any topic, any form)

7. One original ekphrastic poem based upon a piece of art (include a copy of the art, title of the art, and

name of the artist).

OPTIONAL: One poem you write that emulates/copies the style of the poet you researched

B. Take the Prezi tutorial with Ms. Landmark.

C. Create your Prezi, which should include all of the above elements.

D. Decide which original poem you will present to the class. Present it in one of the following ways:

○ one stylized poem from the Prezi (with an accompanying image, video, etc.)

○ poster

○ poetry slam (to music or without)

○ self-created sculpture, painting, drawing, diorama, etc., reflecting your poem

○ self-created YouTube video

○ recording

○ or see us to gain approval for another creative idea you may have

Your portfolio will also be evaluated on:

· Overall impression, effort, creativity

· Evidence of drafts and revisions of your original poetry

· Self-scored rubric

· Grammar, mechanics, spelling

· Following the portfolio directions

Number 1: Example of a poem (that I didn’t write) with a reflection and complementing image

Solitude

Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1855–1919)

Laugh and the world laughs with you;

Weep, and you weep alone.

For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth,

But has trouble enough of its own.

Sing, and the hills will answer;

Sigh, it is lost on the air.

The echoes bound to a joyful sound,

But shrink from voicing care.

Rejoice, and men will seek you;

Grieve, and they turn and go.

They want full measure of all your pleasure,

But they do not need your woe.

Be glad, and your friends are many;

Be sad, and you lose them all.

There are none to decline your nectared wine,

But alone you must drink life’s gall.

Feast, and your halls are crowded;

Fast, and the world goes by.

Succeed and give, and it helps you live,

But no man can help you die.

There is room in the halls of pleasure

For a long and lordly train,

But one by one we must all file on

Through the narrow aisles of pain.

While I read this poem, I imagined an old woman, widowed and alone, reflecting on her life. She has lived a long life and has become very wise, but it is too late. This poem seems sad and melancholy, and the voice regrets not having lived more merrily, surrounded by many friends and family. Life has been difficult for her, as reflected in the last line when the speaker says, “one by one we must all file on through the narrow aisles of pain.” Perhaps her life has been so hard that she has found little time to be happy, which is what causes her to reflect on her solitude as she does. What strikes me most in this poem is that the speaker seems to be giving very good advice, but the overall tone of the poem is so depressing.

(Note that the image reflects my interpretation/reflection of the poem, not necessarily the poem itself.)

Number 2a: Example of an author biography

Edgar Allan Poe

Widely acknowledged as the inventor of the modern detective story and an innovator in the science fiction genre, Edgar Allan Poe made his living as America’s first great literary critic and theoretician. Today, however, Poe is best known for his horror stories and his haunting lyric poetry.

Born in Boston on January 18, 1809, Poe was the second of three children. His parents were traveling actors who both died within three years of his birth. Poe was then taken in by the wealthy tobacco merchant John Allan and his wife, Frances Valentine Allan, in Richmond, Virginia. Allan raised Poe to be a businessman and a Virginia gentleman, but even from a young age Poe wanted to be a writer. By the age of 13 he had accumulated enough of his own poetry to publish a book, but Allan would not allow it.

In 1826, Poe left Richmond to attend the University of Virginia, where he excelled in his classes but also accumulated a large amount of debt. Allan had sent Poe to college with very little cash, and he soon turned to gambling to pay his way. By the end of the school term, Poe was burning his furniture to stay warm!

Poe’s relationship with Allan became increasingly strained, and he eventually struck out on his own and published his first book, Tamerlane, when he was 18. After a brief stint with the U.S. Army, Poe published his second book. He then returned to Baltimore to visit relatives, and there he met his cousin, Virginia Clemm. Poe and Virginia married when she was just 14! By then, Poe was 27 and had established himself as a short story writer and fearless critic.

Poe moved around a couple times after that, spending time in New York City and Philadelphia. He published many short stories and a few books, and his career appeared to be thriving. It all deteriorated, however, when his wife died at the age of 24. Poe never recovered from the heartbreak, and he turned to alcohol to drown his sorrows. His life was a hard one, filled with many ups and downs, but he left us with some of the greatest American literature of all time.

Bibliography

"Edgar Allan Poe." 2011. . 11 Feb 2011, 12:01

.

Number 2b: Example of a poem with poetic techniques labeled

Annabel Lee, by Edgar Allan Poe

It was many and many a year ago,

In a kingdom by the sea,

That a maiden there lived whom you may know

By the name of ANNABEL LEE;

And this maiden she lived with no other thought

Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child,

In this kingdom by the sea;

But we loved with a love that was more than love—

I and my Annabel Lee;

With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven

Coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago,

In this kingdom by the sea,

A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling

My beautiful Annabel Lee;

So that her highborn kinsman came

And bore her away from me,

To shut her up in a sepulchre

In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in heaven,

Went envying her and me—

Yes!— that was the reason (as all men know,

In this kingdom by the sea)

That the wind came out of the cloud by night,

Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love it was stronger by far than the love

Of those who were older than we—

Of many far wiser than we—

And neither the angels in heaven above,

Nor the demons down under the sea,

Can ever dissever my soul from the soul

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee.

For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side

Of my darling—my darling—my life and my bride,

In the sepulchre there by the sea,

In her tomb by the sounding sea.

Number 2b: Example of a poem with poetic techniques labeled

A Dream Within a Dream, by Edgar Allan Poe

Take this kiss upon the brow!

And, in parting from you now,

This much let me avow--

You are not wrong, who deem

That my days have been a dream;

Yet if hope has flown away

In a night, or in a day,

In a vision, or in none,

Is it therefore the less gone?

All that we see or seem

Is but a dream within a dream.

I stand amid the roar

Of a surf-tormented shore,

And I hold within my hand

Grains of the golden sand--

How few! yet how they creep

Through my fingers to the deep,

While I weep--while I weep!

O God! can I not grasp

Them with a tighter clasp?

O God! can I not save

One from the pitiless wave?

Is all that we see or seem

But a dream within a dream?

Number 3: example of a poem with written interpretation

(using How to Analyze a Poem in Ten Easy Steps)

"Fightin' Was Natural" by Maya Angelou

Fightin' was natural, hurtin' was real, 1

and the leather like lead

on the end of my arm

was a ticket to ride

to the top of the hill. 5

Fightin' was real.

The sting of the ointment

and scream of the crowd

for blood in the ring,

and the clangin' bell cuttin' 10

clean through the

cloud in my ears.

Boxin' was real.

The rope at my back

and the pad on the floor, 15

the smack of four hammers,

new bones in my jaw,

the guard in my mouth,

my tongue startin' to swell.

Fightin' was living'. 20

Boxin' was real.

Fightin' was real.

Livin' was ... hell.

3. Paraphrase:

In “Fightin’ was Natural,” Maya Angelou describes a boxing match. The boxer in the ring feels his heavy gloves, understanding that winning this match will bring him great success. He feels healing ointment on his fresh wound. His hearing is intensified, as he listens to the scream of the crowd and the bell signaling each new round. He is likely losing the match, up against the ropes, his opponent having pummeled him backward. He mentions the feel of the floor, too. Perhaps he’s only feeling the floor beneath his feet, or perhaps he’s been knocked down…maybe knocked out. On the surface, Angelou is speaking of a boxing match, but looking deeper, this poem is about this boxer’s life.

4. Title:

The title “Fightin’ was Natural” helps the reader understand that the speaker in this poem is a tough man who is a born struggler. Fighting and scrapping is a habit and his way of life.The fact that the title (or some version of it) is repeated in the poem numerous times emphasizes that.

5. Punctuation and stanza breaks:

Angelou uses and leaves out punctuation in purposeful ways. For example, in the first stanza, lines 2-5 have no punctuation, so the reader takes in these lines more quickly. Reading it faster contributes to what’s happening in those lines—this fighter is trying hard and fast to win. The movement at the beginning of any boxing match is rapid, the boxers full of energy, not yet tired. This first stanza’s lack of punctuation gives the reader no place to pause… just like the beginning of a match. This speed is also maintained with no punctuation in the second stanza in lines 10-12. On the other hand, punctuation is found at the end of each line in the third stanza. These commas and periods create pauses. This boxer is tired and wants rest, but can’t find it. Each quick line that ends with punctuation is like a quick jab from his opponent. She also uses stanzas in a meaningful way—each one could symbolize a different round in this boxing match.

6. Who is speaking?

The speaker of this poem is a boxer with a dream. He has been in the ring many times before, and he has great hope for success. But he’s also been beaten down by life.

7. and 8. To whom? About what?

He is speaking to all those in the ring-side seats—all those who watch him. He wants the fans to understand that this ring is his life. He makes his living through brutality. He wants both his fans and critics to understand that he fights and struggles to just get by in the real world, too.

9. Find the poetic techniques.

Angelou’s numerous poetic techniques put the reader in the ring. Her use of sound is most notable. For instance, alliteration is found in the first stanza in the line “leather like lead,” and “T”s are repeated in “ticket to ride to the top…” She also repeats the hard “C” sound in the second stanza, with “clangin’ bell cuttin’ clean though the cloud in my ears.” This firm sound mimics the harsh clamor of the bell and the intense noise that surrounds him as he sits in a daze on the stool in the corner of the ring between rounds. She also uses the technique of onomatopoeia with her use of the words “smack” and “clangin’.”

Another technique she uses is repetition, most often with the form “___ was ___”. For example, at the end of stanzas one and two she writes, “Fightin’ was real” and “Boxin’ was real.” These lines are also repeated at the end of the third stanza. This repetition leads to a natural rhythm that emphasizes this boxer’s message: fighting is my life and it’s all I know.

Her use of sounds is only one way she uses imagery. The reader can seemingly experience this boxer’s excruciating pain with words such as “The sting of the ointment” in the second stanza. In the third stanza, the reader is in the ring when reading these words: “The rope at my back/ and the pad on the floor,/ the smack of four hammers,/ new bones in my jaw,/ the guard in my mouth,/ my tongue startin' to swell.” His aching is real and intense in this third stanza; he is at a great disadvantage, battered with a broken jaw.

Angelou uses language purposefully and deliberately. She has a simile (“leather like lead”) followed by a metaphor (“was a ticket to ride”) in the first stanza. This makes the reader understand how boxing is this fighter’s key to a better life. Her words pack a solid punch, just like this boxer: “sting,” “clangin’ bell cutting,” “smack,” and “hell.” She also includes this clever line with double-meaning: “the smack of four hammers.” These four hammers could be the ring of the bell signaling the end of the fourth round. The smack of four hammers could also be four quick punches this boxer takes that land him on the floor with a broken jaw.

10. Theme:

Angelou wants the reader to feel this boxer’s pain. For these men, boxing was a tough way to make a living, but life outside the ring was even tougher. This message cannot be mistaken after reading the speaker’s last lines, “Livin’ was… hell.” He pauses after saying “Livin’ was…” as if he needs to find a kinder way to describe his life. He then decides that there is no other way to describe it. It is hell.

Number 4a: Example of an original poem with techniques labeled.

Tucked In

Broken patio door flung wide.

No old-growth trees for shelter.

A sun-baked, treeless yard.

An elm sapling yearns, stretches,

begging to appease the beds below.

My rain barrel is good to her.

Loosestrife and liatris, lavish in lavender,

Irises and false indigo impressive in their height.

Tenacious hostas horn in on steadfast hydrangeas.

Fragrances mingling, well-dressed women at tea.

Asymmetrical and stacked, sandstone surrounds

the fruits of my garden like ribs envelop my heart.

I could sleep here each coming night, the petals my pillow.

The sapling a sentry. The night stars a hovering blanket.

Yet solid borders do not confine these flowers, so eager to flourish.

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