Poetry Project. Name: Class Period:

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1 Poetry Project For this project, you will be asked to close read poems written in a variety of styles and with many different themes. The first poet will be assigned to you. You will close read and analyze the selected poet using the provided handout. For the second poet, you will choose from a list of options and you will be able to select a poem that you find in your research. The third and final poet is you! You will choose any of the poets you have studied and write a poem that emulates, or mimics their writing, but with your own unique ideas. Name: Class Period:

2 Robert Frost ( ) Emily Dickinson ( ) Walt Whitman ( ) The Road Not Taken Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim Because it was grassy and wanted wear, Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. Hope is the thing with feathers Hope is the thing with feathers - That perches in the soul - And sings the tune without the words - And never stops - at all - And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard - And sore must be the storm - That could abash the little Bird That kept so many warm - I ve heard it in the chillest land - And on the strangest Sea - Yet - never - in Extremity, It asked a crumb - of me. Song of Myself Section XXI Smile O voluptuous cool-breath d earth! Earth of the slumbering and liquid trees! Earth of departed sunset earth of the mountains misty-topt! Earth of the vitreous pour of the full moon just tinged with blue! Earth of shine and dark mottling the tide of the river! Earth of the limpid gray of clouds brighter and clearer for my sake! Far-swooping elbow d earth rich apple-blossom d earth! Smile, for your lover comes.

3 Poem Title: Author: First Reading: How does it work? Second Reading: What does it say? Third Reading: What does it mean? What kind of form does the poem have? How does it look on the page? Who is the poem s speaker? What is the theme of the poem? What message does the author want to express? Does the poem use words in an unusual way? What situation or event is described? Why would the author write this poem? Do the sounds of the words affect how you read the poem? How does the title relate to the rest of the poem? Does the poem use images to make the reader feel a certain way? Does this poem have to do with a particular moment in history? Are there any allusions in this poem? What is the tone of the poem? How do you know? What other important literary devices have you found? Does this poem have to do with a particular culture or society? How does this poem connect to the other texts we have read?

4 Your Choice Choose one of the following famous American poets and using either the internet or the library, find ONE poem written by them that you will close read. Be sure to include the title of the poet and the author on your close reading worksheet. Maya Angelou ( ) Still I Rise A Brave and Startling Truth On the Pulse of Morning Billy Collins ( ) Another Reason Why I Don t Keep a Gun in the House Forgetfulness Nikki Giovanni ( ) Knoxville, Tennessee My First Memory (Of Librarians) Choices Langston Hughes ( ) Mother to Son Harlem Dreams Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ( ) The Slave s Dream Haunted Houses Christmas Bells Sylvia Plath ( ) Daddy Morning Song Gary Soto ( ) Oranges How Things Work Saturday at the Canal Sara Teasdale ( ) I Would Live in your Love The Falling Star After Love Gwendolyn Brooks ( ) We Real Cool The Bean Eaters William Carlos Williams ( ) This is Just to Say Willow Poem The Farmer

5 Poem Title: Author: First Reading: How does it work? Second Reading: What does it say? Third Reading: What does it mean? What kind of form does the poem have? How does it look on the page? Who is the poem s speaker? What is the theme of the poem? What message does the author want to express? Does the poem use words in an unusual way? What situation or event is described? Why would the author write this poem? Do the sounds of the words affect how you read the poem? How does the title relate to the rest of the poem? Does the poem use images to make the reader feel a certain way? Does this poem have to do with a particular moment in history? Are there any allusions in this poem? What is the tone of the poem? How do you know? What other important literary devices have you found? Does this poem have to do with a particular culture or society? How does this poem connect to the other texts we have read?

6 Planning Your Poem! Use this planning page below to plan out your poem which will emulate the style of the poet you have studied. Once completed, you may neatly write or type your poem on a separate piece of paper. Be sure that your name is on it! What will it mean? What will it say? How will it work? What message do I want readers to understand? Who will be the speaker of my poem? How long are the lines in my poet s work? Do they use a rhyme scheme? What situation or event is my poem going to be about? What tone will my poem have? How will my poem connect to the other texts we have read? How will I title my poem? What literary devices will I use? Will my poem focus on a particular culture or moment in history? What images will I use?

7 Checklist Due Date: Thursday, March 1 Your completed poetry project will be put together and handed-in in the following order: Cover page with name, date, and class period. Copy of the poem you selected with markings, highlighting, and annotations. Completed analysis page for the poem you selected. Planning page for your poem. The final draft of your poem. You can design this final draft to include any artistic elements that you would like: (e.g. pictures, images, borders, drawings, etc.) Poetry response journal (typed or handwritten) Write about the process of creating and completing this project. Consider the questions below: What made you decide on the poet and poem you chose? How did you come up with the idea for your poem? What challenges did you face while writing? What are you most proud of with your finished product?