Understanding Poetry
Week 3 Discuss Section
- MUST CONTAIN a minimum of 250 words, and it MUST ALSO CONTAIN two scholarly sources, i.e. articles from the library’s databases that you have consulted.
1.
Read the following three poems. Then, read them again. Read each of them aloud (which might help you to feel out the sounds in the poem).
Poem #1 – “Ode to Browsing the Web” by African-American poet Marcus Wicker (NOTE: Don’t let the language in this poem dissuade you from taking the time to think about how it’s crafted. Wicker is a rising star in the poetry world for good reasons.)
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poem/246482
Poem #2 – “Traveling Through the Dark” by William Stafford
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/171495
Poem #3 – “Wild Geese” by Mary Oliver
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/wild-geese-by-mary-oliver/
Next, describe (in one paragraph/per poem) the pictures these poems create in your mind. Make specific reference to each poem’s use of imagery. Try to be as specific as you can. Pull out passages, words or details that particularly impact you. Or, if something confuses or boggles you, feel free to share that, too.
What we want to do here is simply begin to engage with a poem and try to understand what it’s made of; we’ll start with the images in a poem and what those images lead to in terms of meaning.
For each poem, try to write one paragraph about what you “see.”
Complete Section- 1200 word minimum and 3 scholarly sources
Read the following poems:
2.”Select THREE central images in Alexie’s “Evolution.” In one 150-word paragraph per image, describe Alexie’s choice of language in crafting these images and why his word choice is vital to the poem’s larger theme of systematic Native American degradation. Your response must include at least one scholarly source. Be sure to properly cite. For more details on how your response will be evaluated, please review the rubrics found under Unit 3 Course Materials.”
3.”In 400 words explain your reaction to how Alarcón chose to structure his poem, “Mexican is Not a Noun.” Pay close attention to Alarcón’s word choice, word order, line breaks and use of stanzas. Hint: you might choose to discuss the impact/effect of such short lines and stanzas. Your response must include at least one scholarly source. Be sure to properly cite. For more details on how your response will be evaluated, please review the rubrics found under Unit 3 Course Materials.”
4.”In 400 words explain your reaction to the imagery in Williams’ poem, “Red Wheelbarrow.” Questions to consider in your response: Why does Williams use the phrase “so much depends?” What does the speaker mean by saying that? Hint: pay close attention to the central images in this poem. What do they represent? What words does Williams choose to describe the images? Your response must include at least one scholarly source. Be sure to properly cite. For more details on how your response will be evaluated, please review the rubrics found under Unit 3 Course Materials.”
