BLACKBERRY PICKING

By Seamus Heaney

WARM-UP

Denotation dictionary definition

Connotation what you associate with the word

RANK THESE WORDS FROM +

TO

thin, slim, lanky, skinny, gaunt, slender

RANK THESE WORDS FROM

LEAST INTENSE

MOST

TO

mad, pissed, furious, angry, annoyed

LISTEN TO SEAMUS HEANEYS BLACKBERRY PICKING

TITLE: What information can you gather from the title alone? What questions does the title raise?
PARAPHRASE: What literally happens in the poem? What more information do you need to develop a larger, more universal meaning for the poem?

CONNOTATION WHAT LANGUAGE SEEMS IMPORTANT?

Where

are the emotions in the

poem? What lines seem to draw your attention? What words/phrases seem loaded or hold a lot of meaning?

SUBTEXT
The

meaning simmering underneath the face-value narrative.

SUBTEXT METAPHOR

The text (face-value narrative) is the tip of the iceberg; the subtext is everything underneath that develops meaning.

text

subtext

HOW TO DEVELOP SUBTEXT:

Specific,

patterned connotative elements

SUBTEXT IN BLACKBERRY PICKING

Circle the following words in the top stanzas of the poem: hard flesh sweet tongue lust scratched wet full pricks sticky

SO SUBTEXT YEAH

What

deeper, subtextual meaning seems to inform the blackberry picking?

Circle the following words in the last stanza of the poem:

SUBTEXT IN BLACKBERRY PICKING

hoarded rat fungus stinking sour crying rot

SO SUBTEXT YEAH

How

has the subtextual meaning changed? What is the essential shift? What is the tone (takeaway feeling) you think the author intended with this poem?

GROUP WORK (USE THE PACKET)

Answer

the guiding questions in a

group. Develop a Thesis as a group about Blackberry Picking. I will choose my favorite to use as a model before the Connotation assessment during the next class.

NEXT CLASS:
Thesis

Review Connotation Assessment Answer guiding questions Write a Thesis Attitude analysis and classwork