Pop Music Lyrics and Classic Poetry, Compare & Contrast Thanks so much for purchasing this two-day poetry lesson that will help your students connect modern music to classic poetry. On the first day, students will compare and contrast the song, Stereo Hearts, by Gym Class Heroes, to the Robert Burns classic poem, A Red, Red Rose. Both poems use simile and metaphor to describe the feeling of falling in love. On the second day, students will compare and contrast The Script s song, Breakeven, with Edmund Spenser s Sonnet 30. Both works discuss the paradox of emotions that accompany a broken heart. Day 1: 1. Begin by asking students whether they think song lyrics are a form of poetry. Guide the discussion toward the idea that some songs (and poems) are well-constructed and worthy of closer study, just as some songs (and poems) are trite and poorly written. 2. Before I hand out the sheet with the two works, I tell the class that I ve found a song that does a good job incorporating some of techniques we traditionally associate with poetry. Play the official video that goes along with Gym Class Heroes Stereo Hearts, which was located here on my last product update: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3e9wjbq44e 3. Once the video is finished, hand out copies of the sheet on page 2 of the lyrics and the Robert Burns poem. Allow students 7-to- minutes to read both works and annotate their thoughts. 4. Once the class is finished annotating, hand out the half-sheet of questions on page 3. You might want students to work solo on answering the questions on a separate sheet of paper, but I ve found more success in having students work through the questions in teams of two.. Finally, once students are done answering the questions on paper, review the answers together with a full-class discussion. This discussion is a critical piece of the lesson, as students who struggle with analysis will benefit from hearing the insights of their deeper-thinking peers. Also, you can use the answer key information on page 4 as discussion starters as you work through the questions together. Day 2: 1. Tell your classes that you enjoyed yesterday s discussion so much that you wanted to examine another song/poem combo. This time, though, the theme focuses on the other end of the romantic spectrum heartbreak. 2. Today, your class will examine the lyrics of The Script s song, Breakeven. The official video is located here, but is a bit too racy for my classes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzcllhscmow Instead, I prefer to use this acoustic cover of the song by Boyce Avenue, which is more modern, keeps me out of my principal s office, and holds my students attention: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4rvggft7lu 3. Once the video is finished, hand out copies of the sheet on page of the lyrics and the Edmund Spenser poem. Allow students 7-to- minutes to read both works and annotate their thoughts. 4. Once the class is finished annotating, hand out the halfsheet of questions on page 6. You might want students to work solo on answering the questions on a separate sheet of paper, but I ve found more success in having students work through the questions in teams of two. On this second day, I require that they work with someone different than yesterday s partner.. Finally, once students are done answering the questions on paper, review the answers together with a full-class discussion. This discussion is a critical piece of the lesson, as students who struggle with analysis will benefit from hearing the insights of their deeper-thinking peers. Also, you can use the answer key information on page 7 as discussion starters as you work through the questions together. Want more materials designed to delight and challenge your tweens and teens? CLICK HERE http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/laura-randazzo
Compare and Contrast 1 Stereo Hearts My heart s a stereo It beats for you, so listen close Hear my thoughts in every note Make me your radio And turn me up when you feel low This melody was meant for you Just sing along to my stereo If I was just another dusty record on the shelf Would you blow me off and play me like everybody else? If I asked you to scratch my back, could you manage that? Like yikki-yeah, check it Travie, I can handle that Furthermore, I apologize for any skipping tracks It s just the last girl that played me left a couple cracks I used to, used to, used to, used to, now I m over that Cause holding grudges over love is ancient artifacts If I could only find a note to make you understand I d sing it softly in your ear and grab you by the hand Just keep it stuck inside your head, like your favorite tune And know my heart s a stereo that only plays for you [Chorus] Gym Class Heroes, 2011 1 A Red, Red Rose Robert Burns, 1794 1 O my Luve s like a red, red rose That s newly sprung in June; O my Luve s like a melody That s sweetly play d in tune. 2 3 As fair art thou, my bonnie lass, So deep in luve am I: And I will luve thee still, my dear, 4 Till a the seas gang dry: Till a the seas gang dry, my dear, And the rocks melt wi the sun: I will luve thee still, my dear, While the sands o life shall run. And fare thee well, my only Luve And fare thee well, a while! And I will come again, my Luve, Tho it were ten thousand mile. 1 Burns, a Scottish poet, uses variant spelling. Luve = Love 2 fair = pretty, lovely 3 bonnie lass = pretty girl 4 gang = go, run 20 2 If I was an old-school fifty pound boombox Would you hold me on your shoulder wherever you walk Would you turn my volume up in front of the cops And crank it higher every time they told you to stop And all I ask is that you don t get mad at me When you have to purchase mad D batteries Appreciate every mixtape your friends make You never know we come and go like on the interstate 30 I think I finally found a note to make you understand If you can hit it, sing along and take me by the hand Just keep me stuck inside your head, like your favorite tune You know my heart s a stereo that only plays for you [Chorus] 3 I only pray you ll never leave me behind (never leave me) Because good music can be so hard to find (so hard to find) I take your head and hold it closer to mine (yeah) Thought love was dead, but now you re changing my mind...
Gym Class Heroes/Robert Burns Compare and Contrast 1. Both artists use a combination of simile and metaphor in their lines. The first line of Stereo Hearts is a metaphor. Find and write down a simile from the lyrics. The first line of A Red, Red Rose is a simile. Find and write down a metaphor from the poem.. In the final stanza of the Burns poem, we discover that the lovers are soon to be parted. What effect, if any, do you suppose this impending separation is having on the couple s love? What do you think might be causing the separation? 6. Some scholars argue that popular song lyrics do not technically qualify as poetry. Write a short passage in which you defend Stereo Hearts as a piece of poetry. Be sure to include an examination of at least three poetic techniques as you present your case. 2. Both artists use exaggeration to emphasize the intensity of their love. Cite an example of this from each piece. 3. Closely examine the rhyme scheme of each piece and explain any patterns you find. What s interesting about the writers rhyme scheme choices? 4. Which two lines from the Burns poem most closely echo the theme of the Gym Class Heroes song? 7. Would it be better to have a love that s like a red rose or a stereo? Explain the differences and defend your choice. 8. Ultimately, which of these two pieces of writing do you find more effective in communicating the narrator s thoughts to the audience? Explain why you prefer one work over the other. Gym Class Heroes/Robert Burns Compare and Contrast 1. Both artists use a combination of simile and metaphor in their lines. The first line of Stereo Hearts is a metaphor. Find and write down a simile from the lyrics. The first line of A Red, Red Rose is a simile. Find and write down a metaphor from the poem. 2. Both artists use exaggeration to emphasize the intensity of their love. Cite an example of this from each piece. 3. Closely examine the rhyme scheme of each piece and explain any patterns you find. What s interesting about the writers rhyme scheme choices? 4. Which two lines from the Burns poem most closely echo the theme of the Gym Class Heroes song?. In the final stanza of the Burns poem, we discover that the lovers are soon to be parted. What effect, if any, do you suppose this impending separation is having on the couple s love? What do you think might be causing the separation? 6. Some scholars argue that popular song lyrics do not technically qualify as poetry. Write a short passage in which you defend Stereo Hearts as a piece of poetry. Be sure to include an examination of at least three poetic techniques as you present your case. 7. Would it be better to have a love that s like a red rose or a stereo? Explain the differences and defend your choice. 8. Ultimately, which of these two pieces of writing do you find more effective in communicating the narrator s thoughts to the audience? Explain why you prefer one work over the other.
Gym Class Heroes/Robert Burns Compare and Contrast KEY 1. Both artists use a combination of simile and metaphor in their lines. The first line of Stereo Hearts is a metaphor. Find and write down a simile from the lyrics. The first line of A Red, Red Rose is a simile. Find and write down a metaphor from the poem. In Stereo Hearts, a simile is seen in the line, You never know we come and go like on the interstate. In A Red, Red Rose, a metaphor is seen in the line, While the sands o life shall run, where Burns equates the passage of our lives to the sand in an hourglass. 2. Both artists use exaggeration to emphasize the intensity of their love. Cite an example of this from each piece. In Stereo Hearts, the idea of a fifty-pound boom box is an exaggeration to show the weight/burden that comes with loving someone so completely. Boomboxes are heavy, but not that heavy. In A Red, Red Rose, exaggeration is used when the poet says his love will endure until the seas go dry or the rocks melt; neither of these things will ever happen and he ll die long before such an apocalypse anyway. 3. Closely examine the rhyme scheme of each piece and explain any patterns you find. What s interesting about the writers rhyme scheme choices? In the song, each line of the chorus emphasizes the o sound, but it s not a perfect rhyme. The lyrics are mostly rhyming couplets, but often use slant (or imperfect) rhyme. This often happens in songwriting, since the singer can more easily manipulate the sound to be heard by the audience than what a poet can do on the page. In the poem, Burns uses an ABCB/DEFE/FGFG/HIHI rhyme scheme. He cheats, though, and just repeats the dear and Luve in the last two stanzas; those aren t actually rhyme because he s just repeating the same word, but it s an intentional choice since this move emphasizes the most important thing to him, his dear love. Repetition works here to give emphasis to the narrator s theme. 4. Which two lines from the Burns poem most closely echo the theme of the Gym Class Heroes song? Lines 3 and 4 of the Burns poem present precisely the same idea that s given in the song.. In the final stanza of the Burns poem, we discover that the lovers are soon to be parted. What effect, if any, do you suppose this impending separation is having on the couple s love? What do you think might be causing the separation? Answers will vary, but it seems clear that the knowledge of the separation has intensified the narrator s love. It reminds us of the saying, Absence makes the heart grow fonder. We don t know why the narrator has to leave, but students sometimes think he s a soldier being shipped off to war. It s clear he doesn t want to go. A darker read of the poem could reveal that the man is dying; flowers and music (from the first stanza) are used in funerals and the last stanza makes it sound like he anticipates a long journey back to her, perhaps from the spiritual world. 6. Some scholars argue that popular song lyrics do not technically qualify as poetry. Write a short passage in which you defend Stereo Hearts as a piece of poetry. Be sure to include an examination of at least three poetic techniques as you present your case. Students answers will vary, but it s clear that these lyrics should qualify as poetry. They effectively present the writer s message in a compelling manner, the narrator uses rhyming couplets throughout the piece, internal rhyme is periodically on display (as when the writer says, You never know we come and go like on the interstate ), the main section of lyrics is mostly a perfect 14 syllable-per-line beat (sometimes called fourteener, sometimes called heptameter), and ultimately the piece makes the audience feel something the purpose of all poetry. 7. Would it be better to have a love that s like a red rose or a stereo? Explain the differences and defend your choice. Answers will vary, but students always mention the thorns in the rose and the fact that it quickly wilts and dies. The stereo needs occasional maintenance because it uses a ton of expensive D-sized batteries (I like to point out the wordplay of mad as upset/angry in line 24 and a lot in line 2), but is almost always chosen as the better option by students. 8. Ultimately, which of these two pieces of writing do you find more effective in communicating the narrator s thoughts to the audience? Explain why you prefer one work over the other. Students answers will vary, but most prefer the song because it s more relatable and snappy. The Burns poem, while pretty, crosses the line into sappy for most young readers.
Compare and Contrast Breakeven The Script, 2008 I m still alive, but I m barely breathing Just prayed to a God that I don t believe in Cause I got time while she got freedom Cause when a heart breaks, no it don t break even 1 20 Her best days were some of my worst She finally met a man that s gonna put her first While I m wide awake, she s no trouble sleeping Cause when a heart breaks, no it don t break even...even...no What am I supposed to do when the best part of me was always you? And what am I supposed to say when I m all choked up and you re okay? I m falling to pieces, yeah, I m falling to pieces They say bad things happen for a reason But no wise words gonna stop the bleeding Cause she s moved on while I m still grieving And when a heart breaks, no it don t break even... What am I gonna do when the best part of me was always you? And what am I supposed to say when I m all choked up and you re okay? I m falling to pieces, yeah, I m falling to pieces, yeah, I m falling to pieces One still in love while the other one s leaving Cause when a heart breaks, no it don t break even 2 Oh, you got his heart and my heart and none of the pain You took your suitcase, I took the blame. Now I m tryin make sense of what little remains, ooh Cause you left me with no love and honor to my name... Sonnet 30 Edmund Spenser, 19 My Love is like to ice, and I to fire: How comes it then that this her cold so great Is not dissolved through my so hot desire, But harder grows the more I her entreat? Or how comes it that my exceeding heat Is not allayed by her heart-frozen cold, But that I burn much more in boiling sweat, And feel my flames augmented manifold? What more miraculous thing may be told, That fire, which all things melts, should harden ice, And ice, which is congeal d with senseless cold, Should kindle fire by wonderful device? Such is the power of love in gentle mind, That it can alter all the course of kind.
The Script/Edmund Spenser Compare and Contrast 1. A paradox exists when a seemingly contradictory statement is given that, upon closer examination, reveals a compelling truth. Look over the lyrics from The Script s song Breakeven and write a line that includes a paradox. Then, in your own words, summarize the paradox being discussed throughout the Edmund Spenser poem. 2. Most of the rhymes in The Script s song are slant, meaning that the rhymes produce a similar sound but aren t perfect rhymes. First, write two pairs of slant rhymes from the Breakeven lyrics. Then, explain how this usage of slant rhyme is especially appropriate, given the theme of the song. 3. Find and write down a metaphor from Breakeven. Then, find and write down a simile from Sonnet 30. 4. Look closely at the first line of Sonnet 30. Does Love in the line refer to the narrator s feelings or to a woman? How do you know this?. Spenser effectively uses exaggeration to make his point. Find and write down the line from Sonnet 30 that effectively uses the technique of exaggeration. 6. Write down the rhyme scheme of Sonnet 30, and explain how it differs from the rhyme scheme in Breakeven. Which structure do you prefer? Why? 7. The words miraculous and wonderful usually have a positive connotation for the modern reader; however, the poet uses these two words for a different purpose in Sonnet 30. Look closely at the lines where these two words appear and explain the poet s message. (Hint: The last two lines of the sonnet also touch on this message.) 8. Ultimately, which of these two pieces of writing do you find more effective in communicating the narrator s thoughts to the audience? Explain why you prefer one work over the other. 9. These two pieces were written more than 400 years apart, yet focus on the same theme. What does this show us about human nature? The Script/Edmund Spenser Compare and Contrast 1. A paradox exists when a seemingly contradictory statement is given that, upon closer examination, reveals a compelling truth. Look over the lyrics from The Script s song Breakeven and write a line that includes a paradox. Then, in your own words, summarize the paradox being discussed throughout the Edmund Spenser poem. 2. Most of the rhymes in The Script s song are slant, meaning that the rhymes produce a similar sound but aren t perfect rhymes. First, write two pairs of slant rhymes from the Breakeven lyrics. Then, explain how this usage of slant rhyme is especially appropriate, given the theme of the song. 3. Find and write down a metaphor from Breakeven. Then, find and write down a simile from Sonnet 30. 4. Look closely at the first line of Sonnet 30. Does Love in the line refer to the narrator s feelings or to a woman? How do you know this?. Spenser effectively uses exaggeration to make his point. Find and write down the line from Sonnet 30 that effectively uses the technique of exaggeration. 6. Write down the rhyme scheme of Sonnet 30, and explain how it differs from the rhyme scheme in Breakeven. Which structure do you prefer? Why? 7. The words miraculous and wonderful usually have a positive connotation for the modern reader; however, the poet uses these two words for a different purpose in Sonnet 30. Look closely at the lines where these two words appear and explain the poet s message. (Hint: The last two lines of the sonnet also touch on this message.) 8. Ultimately, which of these two pieces of writing do you find more effective in communicating the narrator s thoughts to the audience? Explain why you prefer one work over the other. 9. These two pieces were written more than 400 years apart, yet focus on the same theme. What does this show us about human nature?
The Script/Edmund Spenser Compare and Contrast KEY 1. A paradox exists when a seemingly contradictory statement is given that, upon closer examination, reveals a compelling truth. Look over the lyrics from The Script s song Breakeven and write a line that includes a paradox. Then, in your own words, summarize the paradox being discussed throughout the Edmund Spenser poem. A paradox from The Script s lyrics is found in this line: Just prayed to a God that I don t believe in. In Spenser s poem, he s talking about the paradox that exists when our burning desire for someone can actually turn that person s heart cold. 2. Most of the rhymes in The Script s song are slant, meaning that the rhymes produce a similar sound but aren t perfect rhymes. First, write two pairs of slant rhymes from the Breakeven lyrics. Then, explain how this usage of slant rhyme is especially appropriate, given the theme of the song. Two examples of slant rhyme include, breathing/believe in and pain/blame. Since the poem is about a couple that has broken up, it s fitting that the rhymes don t fit perfectly either. It s a nod to the idea that this love was not a perfect love, like two puzzle pieces that don t exactly fit as they should. 3. Find and write down a metaphor from Breakeven. Then, find and write down a simile from Sonnet 30. In Breakeven, this line is a metaphor: Cause I got time while she got freedom because it equates the heartbreak to serving time in prison. In Sonnet 30, a simile is found in the first line: My Love is like to ice, which equates the narrator s beloved who has turned into a figure of ice. 4. Look closely at the first line of Sonnet 30. Does Love in the line refer to the narrator s feelings or to a woman? How do you know this? The word Love refers to a woman. The word is capitalized, which makes it an example of personification. Also, the rest of the poem establishes that the woman s heart has turned icy while the narrator still burns with desire.. Spenser effectively uses exaggeration to make his point. Find and write down the line from Sonnet 30 that effectively uses the technique of exaggeration. The line is: But that I burn much more in boiling sweat, which is exaggeration because sweat can t actually boil, even if it comes out of a white-hot lover. 6. Write down the rhyme scheme of Sonnet 30, and explain how it differs from the rhyme scheme in Breakeven. Which structure do you prefer? Why? The Sonnet 30 rhyme scheme is ABAB/BCBC/CDCD/EE, which differs greatly from the slant couplets in the Breakeven lyrics. The Sonnet 30 rhyme scheme gives a full, complete feeling to Spenser s ideas, whereas The Script s rhyme scheme is rather simple and slightly mismatched. Students answers to the last two questions will vary. 7. The words miraculous and wonderful usually have a positive connotation for the modern reader; however, the poet uses these two words for a different purpose in Sonnet 30. Look closely at the lines where these two words appear and explain the poet s message. (Hint: The last two lines of the sonnet also touch on this message.) He considers it a miraculous thing that his passion makes his beloved s heart grow colder, but it s not a miracle like a gift from God; it s more like a miracle that makes you stand and stare dumbfounded. The wonderful device he refers to is the wonder/ amazement he feels in witnessing the exact opposite of what he thinks should happen. Ice should be melted by fire, or fire should be extinguished by ice. The fact that neither of these natural phenomena are happening as they should is a testiment to the power of love, as he states in the final two lines/closing couplet. Love is so powerful that it can alter the order of the natural universe. 8. Ultimately, which of these two pieces of writing do you find more effective in communicating the narrator s thoughts to the audience? Explain why you prefer one work over the other. Students answers will vary, but a surprising number will prefer the Spenser poem. The Script s lyrics are catchy (grammatical mistakes aside), but the fire/ice comparison in Sonnet 30 is exciting for the reader, especially when you consider the time period when it was written. This question should make for a good class discussion when you review the answers. 9. These two pieces were written more than 400 years apart, yet focus on the same theme. What does this show us about human nature? Answers will vary, but most students will agree that love has always been (and will always be) one of the most powerful human emotions. Both pieces also show us that women hold a great deal of power over men and that poets might be built to pine for unrequited love.