Poetry Analysis and Web-Presentation

Poem Analysis Lesson 

Objective: The student will

• Analyze the poem "Women"
• Study the use of stylistic devices in the poem
• Make connections between the techniques of the poem and its meaning.
• Write an outline for the essay analyzing the poem

Materials : Poem "Women" by Alice Walker

Do Now:

• What I think are the key ideas of the poem/story/essay? 
• If I have 10 seconds( or one minute depending on the length of the piece) to read aloud parts of the poem to share with other readers, what information would I highlight?
• What are the things described in this poem I strongly agree or disagree?
• What do I like the most about the poem? What don't I understand about the poem?
• What topics or issues would I  like to explore further inspired by the poem/story/essay?

Procedures:

Activity One

Review some of the literary concepts-

• Speaker- is the voice of the poem. Sometimes the speaker is himself; sometimes the speaker is a character the poet created in the poem.
• Sound- onomatopoeia (a word that actually imitates or suggests the sound of what it describes), alliteration (the repetition of initial consonants), assonance (the repetition of vowel sounds), consonance (the repetition of similar consonant sounds preceded by different accented vowels).
• Rhyme- the repetition at regular intervals of similar or identical sounds.
• Rhythm-the pattern created by arranging stressed and unstressed syllables.
• Images-pictures that appeal to one or more senses.
• Figurative language- metaphor (two unlike things are compared without the use of like or as), simile ( a comparison using like or as), personification( an animal, object, or idea is described as having human form or characteristics).

Activity Two:

Discuss how to determine the meaning of a poem .

• Does the poem focus on the action of a character?
• Does the poem describe a person, a place, or thing?
• Does the poem focus on an idea? A feeling?
• What emotional response does the poem seem to evoke in you?
• After your immediate emotional response to the poem, on what does the poem cause you to reflect?

Activity Three:

Discuss the following themes:  relations between generations; social changes.

Activity Four:   

Discuss and answer the following questions:

1. From what generation do the woman of the poem come?
2. What physical characteristics are given the woman in the first 6 lines?
3. Find three activities of these women. What three things did they discover?
4. What words and images in the poem shoe the strength of the women?
5. Explain the last 5 line of the poem. Why do you think the poet italicized the word "must"?
6. What improvements does the poem imply have taken place from one generation to the next? What has been lost?
7. Explain how sacrifice and hardship can be positive experience.
8. Identify and analyze the use of imagery and parallelism in a poem.
9. What techniques does the poet use to reveal the meanings?

Activity Five:

Discuss the organization of the essay-

• Introductory paragraph- Begin the first paragraph with a thesis statement, which should restate the main point of the assignment. Indicate the various techniques used by the poet all help enhance and present effectively the underlying meaning of the poem.

• Body- (1) In the next paragraph develop your interpretation of the poem's meaning.

-(2)(3) In each of the following paragraph discuss two of the techniques that the poet uses to underscore the poem's meaning. Show how each technique enhances the overall meaning and the theme.

• Conclusion- restate the thesis in other words, and discuss further your interpretation of the poem and describe a bit more detail the poem's emotional impact on you.

Web Presentation Ideas

Aim: How to web-present a poem/story (digital presentation -a website)?

Do Now: Brainstorm the ideas  and write them down on a piece of paper.

Procedures:

1. Share the ideas together in class and demonstrate all the ideas on the chalkboard.

2. How to present a poem? Here are some of the ideas gathered-

• stanza by stanza interpretations of the poem (one interpretation or compare multi-interpretations of the same poem)
• illustrations related to the poem ( based on main ideas or specific line or concept)
• make a list of all the literary elements/techniques used in the poem with specific examples
• add sound effect using midi files
• glossary of difficult terms and words in the poem
• make links to other people's interpretations of the poem as references or for comparative study
• make links to other poems or short stories of the same subject (related literary works)
• add the poet's information of what made him/her write the poem, and his/her pictures
• add your own poems on the same subject or other genres of writing using the techniques of point of view writing (click here to view the detailed workshop)
• power point presentation with footnotes and visuals
• analysis of the poem i.e., its use of literary devices, or the poet's unique view on a certain subject
• personal or creative responses to the poem
• Comparing the poem to another literary work or art

   

Homework Choose an idea  from above to present your understanding of the poem. (For example, Write a lyric poem on women in the 1990s).