Preparatoria CELA

EFL Literature 3

Student Guide

by:

L.E. Fernando Centeno Aragón

August 2022 to January 2023

Student: ________________________________ Class group: ________

Teacher’s stamp or signature: ____________________________________

 EFL Literature 3. Student Guide.

FOREWORD

There is no such thing as an exact date or time period when historians

and intellectuals can track down the beginning of poetry in the human
experience. The earliest cited poem is The Epic of Gilgamesh, dating back to
the 18th century B.C. Other important examples of early poetry are the
Mahabarata and the Ramayana, important narratives in both Hindu and
Buddhist mythology; and the Iliad and the Odyssey, both works of Greek
mythology that have been attributed to the poet Homer.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines POETRY as: “writing that

formulates a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience in language
chosen and arranged to create a specific emotional response through meaning,
sound, and rhythm.”

Poetry has been crucial for the development of society as we know it and
yet not many people seem to enjoy it claiming they do not understand it. But
poetry is not meant to be solely understood but felt.

A poem is expected to produce emotions that, if hard to explain, are true

and overwhelming. You can be touched by poetry with no previous instruction
about it since its power resides in words. A few human voice sounds can alter
our mood; words can make us feel happy or miserable, they might not be able
to change the world, but they have the power to change our own private and
internal world.

Poems are not meant to be read as we read narrative prose. You cannot
read them in a hurry looking for logical meaning. Poems are to be carefully
read, out loud, minding pronunciation and intonation. Words have meaning
and sound. In poetry, the sound of words is highly important. Even if you
cannot grasp the meaning of a given poem, its rhythm can still have the power
to hook you up. It is the music in words that awakes our interest.
 Poetry has the capability to transform an ordinary object, event, or
feeling into something even more elevated. The poet contributes to the poem,
but it is us, as readers, who complete the poetic experience. It is until the
reader interprets the poem, with his or her own symbolisms and life
experiences, that it comes to life.

A poem is intense, that is the reason why most poems are short;
because in poetry the writer uses only the strictly necessary words. A poem
teaches us to see the same reality with different eyes.

EFL Literature 3. Student Guide.

INDEX

CONTENT PAGE
BLOCK 1
The English Renaissance …………………………………………………………………… 1
Vocabulary in Context ………………………………………………………………………… 3
About the author: Edmund Spencer ………………………………………………… 4
Sonnet 30/ Sonnet 75 by Edmund Spencer …………………………………….. 5
Genre elements: Sonnet …………………………………………………….……………… 6
Iambic Pentameter ……………………………………………………………………………. 7
Iambic Pentameter excersices …………………………………………………………… 8
Summarize poetry ……………………………………………………………………………… 9
Sonnet analysis …………………………………………………………………………………. 10
Focus on Reading: Multiple Choice. …………………………………………………… 11

BLOCK 2
The Industrial Revolution and Romanticism ……………………………………… 15
Vocabulary. Context clues. ………………………………………………………………… 16
About the author: Edgar Allan Poe…………………………………………………….. 17
The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe …………………………………………………………… 18
Reading comprehension questions ……………………………………………………. 21
Narrative poetry …………………………………………………………………………………. 22
Analysis Activity 1 ………………………………………………………………………………. 23
Analysis Activity 2 ………………………………………………………………………………. 24
Rhythm and rhyme pattern in The Raven ………………………………………… 25
Writing narrative poetry ……………………………………………………………………. 26
Focus on Reading; Gapped Text ………………………………………………………… 28

BLOCK 3
Free verse poetry ……………………………………………………………………………… 32
Free verse poetry reading guide………………………………………………………. 33
I Hear America Singing by Walt Whitman ………………………….…………… 33
Starlight Socpe Myopia by Yusef Komunyaka ………………………………… 34
Spring and All (by The Road to The Contagious Hospital) by William
Carlos Williams ………………………………………………………………………………….. 35
I, Too by Langston Hughes ………………………………………………………………… 36
Free verse poetry elements ……………………………………………………………… 37
Free verse poetry activity 1………………………………..…………………………….. 38
Free verse poetry activity 2 ………………………………………………………….…… 39
Writer’s section ……………………………………………………………………….…………. 40
Focus on Reading: Multiple matching………………………………….……………. 43
References ………………………………………………………………………………………….. 46
 BLOCK 1. AUGUST - SEPTEMBER, 2022

THE ENGLISH RENAISSANCE

During the late Middle Ages, Europe suffered from both war and plague.
Those who survived wanted to celebrate life and the human spirit. The
Renaissance, which means “rebirth,” was marked by a revival of art and
learning, and a rediscovery of classical Greek and Roman ideas. A new
emphasis was placed on the individual and human achievement. Artists,
writers, and scholars refocused their efforts on exploring the natural world,
rather than the spiritual world. Some Europeans even began to question the
teachings of the Church, which directed Christians to endure suffering while
they awaited their rewards in heaven. After the development of a printing
press with movable type in about 1440, Renaissance ideas could be printed in
mass and distributed to an increasingly literate population. The Tudor Dynasty
and Religious Reform Although the Renaissance began in the 1300s in Italy
and rapidly spread throughout Europe, its influence was delayed in England
due to political instability. When King Henry VII assumed the English throne in
1485, the Renaissance finally took hold.

The great wealth and power of the Catholic Church threatened the power
of kings, and Church corruption enraged religious reformers. In 1517 Martin
Luther, a German monk, responded by writing his 95 Theses and nailing them
to a church door. Despite being declared a heretic, Luther’s arguments against
Church corruption were published and spread across Europe. His actions
sparked the Reformation, a movement for religious reform, which led to the
founding of Christian churches that did not accept the authority of the pope.
Christians who belonged to these non-Catholic churches became known as
Protestants. Henry VIII, son of Henry VII, at first remained loyal to the Roman
Catholic Church. However, he became obsessed with producing a male heir.
When he was only able to produce a female heir, Mary, with his wife, Catherine
of Aragon, he asked to annul their marriage. The pope refused, so Henry broke
away from the Church, forming the Church of England and declaring himself

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the head. He divorced Catherine and married Anne Boleyn, who became the
mother of his second female heir, Elizabeth.

The Elizabethan Era and the Rise of the Stuarts Elizabeth I was one of
the ablest monarchs in English history. During her long reign, England enjoyed
a time of unprecedented prosperity and international prestige. The queen kept
England out of costly wars, ended the Spanish alliance, and encouraged
overseas exploration. In religion, she steered a middle course, reestablishing
the Church of England and setting it as a buffer between Catholics and the
more radical Protestants known as Puritans. The ideas of the Renaissance
flourished, and theater and literature reached new heights. It was during
Elizabeth’s reign that William Shakespeare began his career, and several of his
plays were performed at her court.

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VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT
INSTRUCTION: Match the word with the definition you think fits

To meet (an obligation) before a due

Integrity date. To act before (another) often so
as to check or counter

A state, situation, or series of events

Conceive involving interesting or intense conflict
of forces.

To apprehend by reason or imagination.

Anticipate To form a conception of

Firm adherence to a code of especially

moral or artistic values. The quality or
Ambiguous state of being complete or undivided

Doubtful or uncertain especially from

Drama obscurity or indistinctness. Capable of
being understood in two or more
possible senses or ways

INSTRUCTION: Make up 5 sentences in which you use this vocabulary. One

sentence per word.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: EDMUND SPENCER

Edmund Spenser (1552?–1599) was a

highly innovative poet who rose from humble
origins to become one of the most admired
Elizabethan writers. He invented a sonnet
form based on an intricate pattern of rhymes,
called the Spenserian sonnet, and a special
stanza form called the Spenserian stanza.
Both influenced later poets. Spenser’s greatest
work is The Faerie Queene, an allegorical epic
that uses stories of adventurous knights to
convey a message about how to lead a virtuous life.

Spenser was born in London. He attended Cambridge University as a

“sizar,” or poor scholar. Several years after his graduation, he published his
first major work, The Shepheardes Calender. In 1580, Spenser moved to
Ireland to serve as secretary to the lord deputy of Ireland. He became a
wealthy landowner in Ireland and wrote most of his remaining works there.
Spenser’s courtship of his second wife in 1594 inspired him to write a sonnet
sequence (a series of related sonnets) called Amoretti, which means “little love
poems.” The sequence includes “Sonnet 30” and “Sonnet 75.”

In 1598, Spenser fled his estate when it was attacked by Irish rebels. He
managed to reach London, but he died shortly afterward. In recognition of his
literary achievements, he was buried near Geoffrey Chaucer in what is now
called the Poets’ Corner of Westminster Abbey

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Sonnet 30 by Edmund Spencer
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 delayed 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 congealed with senseless cold,

Should kindle fire by wonderful device.

Such is the pow’r of love in gentle mind,

Sonnet 75 by Edmund Spencer

One day I wrote her name upon the strand,

But came the waves and washéd it away:

Again I wrote it with a second hand,

But came the tide, and made my pains his prey.

“Vain man,” said she, “that dost in vain assay,

A mortal thing so to immortalize.

For I myself shall like to this decay,

And eke my name be wipéd out likewise.”

“Not so,” quodI, “let baser things devise

To die in dust, but you shall live by fame:

My verse your virtues rare shall eternize,

And in the heavens write your glorious name,

Where whenas death shall all the world subdue,

Our love shall live, and later life renew.”

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GENRE ELEMENTS: SONNET

A sonnet:

• consists of 14 lines.

• groups the main ideas into three quatrains (four-line units) and one couplet
(two rhymed lines) at the end.

• written in iambic pentameter.

• focuses on one sentiment or emotion.

• includes a “turn,” or shift in the poet’s thoughts, somewhere after the second

quatrain.

• often includes a revelation or resolution in the couplet.

What makes a poem a sonnet? A sonnet has fourteen lines and usually
follows one of two forms. The Petrarchan, or Italian, sonnet (named after poet
Francesco Petrarch) is divided into two parts of eight and six lines. The
Shakespearean, or Elizabethan, sonnet consists of three quatrains (four-line
units) plus one rhyming couplet at the end. Although the rhyming pattern is
the same in each quatrain, the ending rhymes in a Shakespearean sonnet are
unique within each grouping—ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. Spenser uses a variation
of this rhyme scheme by interlocking the patterns between quatrains—ABAB
BCBC CDCD EE.

Sonnets are also written in a particular meter, or rhythm, called iambic

pentameter. Iambic is a repeating pattern of one unstressed syllable followed
by a stressed syllable. Pentameter means that the pattern occurs five times in
each line. The syllables are marked in the following example:

My love is like to ice, and I to fire ;

Most sonnets include a turn (sometimes called the “volta”), or a shift in

thought. Since the first two quatrains often present questions or a problem,
the poet might turn his thoughts to answering the question or to contradicting

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an idea previously stated. This turn usually occurs in the third quatrain or the
couplet. The turn can resolve the poem or can be followed by a resolution.

IAMBIC PENTAMETER

Iambic Meter is a form of verse

PENTAMETER means that a line has 10 syllables

“So when this thief, this traitor Bolingbroke”

Same line divided in 10 syllables

So - when -this -thief,- this –trai - tor –Bol- ing –broke

In a Pentameter the line is divided into 5 segments of 2 syllables each.

Each segment is called FOOT

1 Foot consists of 2 syllables

So - when -this thief, - this –trai - tor –Bol - ing -broke

FOOT FOOT FOOT FOOT FOOT
1 2 3 4 5

IAMBIC = It means that the line is made of IAMBS

1 iamb = 2 syllables in which more stress is made on the second one.

Example: COMPARE (iamb)

COMPERE (Not an iamb)

Same line as Iambic Pentameter

So - when -this -thief,- this –trai - tor –Bol- ing -broke

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IAMBIC PENTAMETER EXERCISES

EXERCISE 1
INSTRUCTION: Write a list of 10 iambic words

1. 6.
2. 7.
3. 8.
4. 9.
5. 10

EXERCISE 2
INSTRUCTION: Write one iambic pentameter

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SUMMARIZE POETRY
INSTRUCTION: Restate in your own words the key ideas in each sonnet to
clarify its meaning.

SONNET 30
Part of poem Key idea
1st Quatrain

2nd Quatrain

3rd Quatrain

Couplet

SONNET 75
Part of poem Key idea
1st Quatrain

2nd Quatrain

3rd Quatrain

Couplet

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SONNET ANALYSIS

INSTRUCTION: Answer the following questions. Support your responses with

evidence from the text.

1. What is the conflict in each poem?

2. What is the rhyming pattern used in both poems?

3. What is the “volta” in sonnet 30?

4. What is the “volta” in sonnet 75?

5. Which poem focuses more on love? Which focuses more on passion?

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Focus on Reading: Multiple Choice

You are going to read an article for questions 1 – 6, choose the answer (A,B, C
or D) which you think fits best according to the text

The Type of Love That Makes People Happiest

When it comes to lasting romance, passion has nothing on friendship.
By Arthur C. Brooks

“I think I may have met my future wife,” I told my father on the phone, “but there
are a few issues.” To be precise: I met the woman in question on a weeklong trip to Europe,
she lived in Spain, we’d only been on a couple of dates, and we didn’t speak a word of the
same language. Obviously, I told my amused father, “she has no idea I plan to marry her.”
But I was 24 and lovestruck, and none of that stopped me from embarking on a quixotic
romantic adventure. After a year punctuated by two frustratingly short visits, I quit my job
in New York and moved to Barcelona with a plan to learn the language and a prayer that
when she could actually understand me, she might love me.
Falling in love was Sturm und Drang: euphoric at times, but also risky, fraught, and
emotionally draining. The long-distance relationship before I moved to Spain was filled
with agonizing phone calls, unintelligible letters, and constant misunderstandings. I
certainly didn’t need a social scientist with a Ph.D.—future me—to present young me with
scholarly evidence that a lot of unhappiness can attend the early stages of romantic passion.
For example, if I had been shown the evidence that “destiny beliefs” about soul mates or
love being meant to be can predict low forgiveness when paired with attachment anxiety, I
would have said, “Well, duh.”
Falling in love can be exhilarating, but it isn’t the secret to happiness per se. You
might more accurately say that falling in love is the start-up cost for happiness—an
exhilarating but stressful stage we have to endure to get to the relationships that actually
fulfill us.
Passionate love—the period of falling in love—often hijacks our brains in a way
that can cause elation or the depths of despair. Thrilling, yes, but it can hardly be thought of
as bringing contentment; indeed, during some historical periods it has even been connected
to suicide.
And yet, romantic love has been scientifically shown to be one of the best predictors
of happiness. The Harvard Study of Adult Development has assessed the connection
between people’s habits and their subsequent well-being since the late 1930s. Many of the
patterns uncovered by the study are important but unsurprising: The happiest, healthiest
people in old age didn’t smoke (or quit early in life), exercised, drank moderately or not at

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all, and stayed mentally active, among other patterns. But these habits pale in comparison
with one big one: The most important predictors of late-life happiness are stable
relationships—and, especially, a long romantic partnership. The healthiest participants at
age 80 tend to have been most satisfied in their relationships at age 50.
In other words, the secret to happiness isn’t falling in love; it’s staying in love. This
does not mean just sticking together legally: Research shows that being married only
accounts for 2 percent of subjective well-being later in life. The important thing for well-
being is relationship satisfaction, and that depends on what psychologists call
“companionate love”—love based less on passionate highs and lows and more on stable
affection, mutual understanding, and commitment.
You might think “companionate love” sounds a little, well, disappointing. I
certainly did the first time I heard it, on the heels of the amateur romantic comedy I
described above. I did not move to Barcelona like a knight errant in search of
“companionate love,” I can assure you. But let me finish the story: She said yes—actually,
sí—and we have been happily married for 30 years. Our communication has improved—we
text at least 20 times a day—and it turns out that we don’t just love each other; we like each
other, too. Once and always my romantic love, she is also my best friend.
Best friends get enjoyment, satisfaction, and meaning from each other’s company.
They bring out the best in one another; they gently tease one another; they have fun
together. President Calvin Coolidge and his wife, Grace, famously had such a friendship.
According to one story (perhaps apocryphal), when the president and first lady were touring
a poultry farm, Mrs. Coolidge remarked to the farmer—loud enough for the president to
hear—that it was amazing so many eggs were fertilized by just one rooster. The farmer told
her that the roosters did their jobs over and over again each day. “Perhaps you could point
that out to Mr. Coolidge,” she told him with a smile. The president, noting the remark,
inquired whether the rooster serviced the same hen each time. No, the farmer told him,
there were many hens for each rooster. “Perhaps you could point that out to Mrs.
Coolidge,” said the president.
Promiscuous roosters notwithstanding, the romance of companionate love seems to
make people happiest when it’s monogamous. I say this as a social scientist, not a moralist:
In 2004, a survey of 16,000 American adults found that for men and women alike, “The
happiness-maximizing number of sexual partners in the previous year is calculated to be 1.”
The deep friendship of companionate love should not be exclusive, however. In
2007, researchers at the University of Michigan found that married people aged 22 to 79
who said they had at least two close friends—meaning at least one besides their spouse—
had higher levels of life satisfaction and self-esteem and lower levels of depression than
spouses who did not have close friends outside their marriage. In other words, long-term
companionate love might be necessary, but isn’t sufficient for happiness.

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it will be no surprise to you that while I love reading Shakespeare, Pablo Neruda, and
Elizabeth Barrett Browning on passionate love, my Spanish romance is best expressed by
Miguel de Cervantes. In Don Quixote, Cervantes gives the hero this song about his beloved
Dulcinea:
The divine Tobosan, fair
Dulcinea, claims me whole;
Nothing can her image tear;
’Tis one substance with my soul.
This conveys the intensity of passionate love perfectly. But when it comes to happiness, it
is important to heed the un-poetic Friedrich Nietzsche, who wrote, “It is not the absence of
love but the absence of friendship that makes marriages unhappy.” True, Nietzsche never
married, and was reportedly rebuffed in proposals three times by the same woman.
(Nihilism isn’t much of an aphrodisiac, it seems.) He is correct nonetheless.
All the data and studies aside, the best evidence I have about happiness and companionate
love is my own life. Three decades and counting after tilting at the windmill of an unlikely
romance, my Dulcinea accompanies me through good times and bad. We share our joys,
and tremble together in fear—fear that, for example, one of our three adult children might
do something ridiculous, like run off to Europe chasing passionate love. We hope to enjoy
plenty more decades of life in love and friendship together. And then hers, I pray, will be
the face I see as I draw my last breath—her image one substance with my soul.

1 What does the writer imply about his decisión to pursue romance in paragraph 1?

A It was impulsive and risky

B It was highly calculated
C His father was utterly against it
D It was a case of unrequited love

2 What is the writer’s initial statement about passionate love?

A It is exhilarating and the main source of happiness

B It has the potential of leading to disappointment
C it is exciting but not necessarily related to merriment
D People constantly look for because it is addictive

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3 What does the writer suggest as the secret to happiness in a loving relationship?

A Keeping the relationship under constant evaluation

B Allowing emotions to go rampant at all times
C Securing the relationship with a social ceremony or contract
D A stable emotional connection rather than a highly volatile one

4 How does the writer defend the term “companionate love”?

A The writer gives examples of diverse famous people who sustained successful
relationships
B He exemplifies it with his own successful life experience on the matter
C He provides numbers and statistics to induce confidence
D The writer offers counterarguments in favor of the term

5 What is the writer’s opinión about promiscuous love?

A It is scientifically proven that monogamous love is the source of happiness

B It contributes to deepening intimacy in the relationship
C That is morally wrong
D People who practice it tend to suffer from depression

6 What does the writer mean when he says that companionate love should not be
exclusive?

A The relationship should remain open to new partners

B People in a loving relationship should continue nurturing their own friendships
outside of the relationship
C Every certain time the relationship should be granted a break
D No romantic relationship should last forever

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 BLOCK 2. OCTOBER - NOVEMBER, 2022

THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION AND ROMANTICISM

The Industrial Revolution refers to the massive economic, technological,

and social changes that transformed Western Europe and the United States
through the mechanization of production and the reorganization of labor into
factory systems during the beginning of the late-18th century in the United
Kingdom.

While the Industrial Revolution produced incredible wealth, enabled the

middle classes to become dominant, and allowed some in the working-class
lives more stability, it also drove many into horrific working conditions,
destroyed the livelihoods of others, and had devastating consequences for the
natural environment.

Many English intellectuals and artists in the early 19th century

considered industrialism inhumane and unnatural and revolted – sometimes
quite violently – against what they felt to be the increasingly inhumane and
unnatural mechanization of modern life. These artists were known as
Romantics.

Romanticism focused on:

 Interest in the common man and childhood

 Strong senses, emotions, and feelings

 Awe of nature

 Celebration of the individual

 Importance of imagination

British Romantic poets and thinkers reacted against the Industrial

Revolution on a number of fronts, as illustrated in poems by Blake and
Wordsworth, attacking the economic devastation to working people including
children, its confining human consciousness to an instrumental view of nature
and other people, and its demystification of nature.

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VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT
Choose 10 vocabulary words from this list to define:

quaint lore chamber

bleak implore token
obeisance beguiling decorum
countenance discourse relevancy
placid dirges melancholy
ominous censer nepenthe
tempest undaunted balm

WORD DEFINITION
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Define the underlined word in each sentence below:

1. “'Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door...”

2. “With mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door...”

3. “Oh quaff this kind nepenthe, and forget this lost Lenore!”

4. “Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!”

5. “From my books surcease of sorrow - sorrow for the lost Lenore...”

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: EDGAR ALLAN POE.

Born January 19, 1809, Boston,

Massachusetts, U.S. American shortstory
writer, poet, critic, and editor Edgar Allan Poe's
tales of mystery and horror initiated the
modern detective story, and the atmosphere in
his tales of horror is unrivaled in American
fiction. His The Raven (1845) numbers among
the bestknown poems in national literature

In late 1830s, Poe published Tales of the

Grotesque and Arabesque, a collection of
stories. It contained several of his most spine-
tingling tales, including "The Fall of the House
of Usher," "Ligeia" and "William Wilson." Poe
launched the new genre of detective fiction
with 1841's "The Murders in the Rue Morgue."
A writer on the rise, he won a literary prize in 1843 for "The Gold Bug," a
suspenseful tale of secret codes and hunting treasure.

Poe became a literary sensation in 1845 with the publication of the poem
"The Raven." It is considered a great American literary work and one of the
best of Poe's career. In the work, Poe explored some of his common themes—
death and loss. An unknown narrator laments the demise of his great love
Lenore. That same year, he found himself under attack for his stinging
criticisms of his fellow poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Poe claimed that
Longfellow, a widely popular literary figure, was a plagiarist, and this written
assault on Longfellow created a bit of backlash for Poe

Poe was overcome by grief after the death of his beloved Virginia in
1847. While he continued to work, he suffered from poor health and struggled
financially. His final days remain somewhat of a mystery. He left Richmond on
September 27, 1849, and was supposedly on his way to Philadelphia. On
October 3, Poe was found in Baltimore in great distress. He was taken to
Washington College Hospital where he died on October 7. His last words were
"Lord, help my poor soul."

At the time, it was said that Poe died of "congestion of the brain." But
his actual cause of death has been the subject of endless speculation. Some
experts believe that alcoholism led to his demise while others offer up
alternative theories. Rabies, epilepsy, carbon monoxide poisoning are just
some of the conditions thought to have led to the great writer's death.

17
 THE RAVEN by Edgar Allan Poe
1 ONCE upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint
and curious volume of forgotten lore— While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there
came a tapping, As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
“ ’Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door—
Only this and nothing more.”

2 Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,

And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor. Eagerly I wished the
morrow;—vainly I had sought to borrow From my books surcease of sorrow—sorrow for
the lost Lenore— For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore—
Nameless here for evermore.

3 And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain Thrilled me—filled me with
fantastic terrors never felt before; So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood
repeating “ ’Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door— Some late visitor
entreating entrance at my chamber door;
This it is and nothing more.”

4 Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer, “Sir,” said I, “or Madam, truly
your forgiveness I implore; But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,
That I scarce was sure I heard you”—here I opened wide the door;—
Darkness there and nothing more.

5 Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing, Doubting,
dreaming dreams no mortals ever dared to dream before; But the silence was unbroken,
and the stillness gave no token,
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, “Lenore!” This I whispered,
and an echo murmured back the word, “Lenore!”—
Merely this and nothing more.

6 Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning, Soon again I heard a
tapping something louder than before. “Surely,” said I, “surely that is something at my
window lattice; Let me see, then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore— Let my heart
be still a moment, and this mystery explore;—
’Tis the wind and nothing more.”

Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter, In there stepped a

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7 stately Raven of the saintly days of yore.
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he, But, with mien of
lord or lady, perched above my chamber door— Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above
my chamber door—
Perched, and sat, and nothing more.

Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling, By the grave and stern decorum
8 of the countenance it wore,
“Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,” I said, “art sure no craven, Ghastly grim
and ancient Raven wandering from the Nightly shore— Tell me what thy lordly name is on
the Night’s Plutonian shore!”
Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.”

Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly, Though its answer little
9 meaning—little relevancy bore;
For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being
Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door— Bird or beast upon the
sculptured bust above his chamber door,
With such name as “Nevermore.”

But the Raven, sitting lonely on that placid bust, spoke only That one word, as if his soul in
10 that one word he did outpour. Nothing further then he uttered; not a feather then he
fluttered—
Till I scarcely more than muttered: “Other friends have flown before— On the morrow he
will leave me, as my Hopes have flown before.”
Then the bird said, “Nevermore.”

Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken, “Doubtless,” said I, “what it
11 utters is its only stock and store, Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful
Disaster Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore— Till the dirges
of his Hope that melancholy burden bore
Of ‘Never—nevermore.’ ”

But the Raven still beguiling all my sad soul into smiling,
Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird and bust and door; Then, upon the
12 velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking
Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore— What this grim, ungainly,
ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore
Meant in croaking “Nevermore.”

This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing

19
13 To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom’s core; This and more I sat
divining, with my head at ease reclining
On the cushion’s velvet lining that the lamp-light gloated o’er, But whose velvet violet
lining with the lamp-light gloating o’er
She shall press, ah, nevermore!

Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer Swung by
14 Seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor.
“Wretch,” I cried, “thy God hath lent thee—by these angels he hath sent thee Respite—
respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore!
Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!”
Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.”

“Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil!—prophet still, if bird or devil!— Whether Tempter sent,
15 or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore, Desolate, yet all undaunted, on this desert
land enchanted—
On this home by Horror haunted—tell me truly, I implore—
Is there—is there balm in Gilead?—tell me—tell me, I implore!”
Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.”

“Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil!—prophet still, if bird or devil!

16 By that Heaven that bends above us—by that God we both adore— Tell this soul with
sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,
It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore— Clasp a rare and radiant
maiden whom the angels name Lenore.”
Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.”

“Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!” I shrieked, upstarting— “Get thee back
17 into the tempest and the Night’s Plutonian shore!
Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken! Leave my loneliness
unbroken!—quit the bust above my door!
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!”
Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.”

And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting On the pallid bust of Pallas just
18 above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming,
And the lamp-light o’er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor; And my soul from
out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted—nevermore!

20
THE RAVEN. COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS.

1. List three verbs that show what the poem’s narrator is doing in the first
stanza.

2. The narrator of the poem is sad because his lost love is dead. What is
her name and how does he try to escape his sorrow?

3. What fills the narrator’s heart with terror in stanza 3?

4. What does the narrator see when he first opens the chamber door
(stanza 4)?

5. In stanza 7, the raven flies into the narrator’s chamber. Where does the
raven perch?

6. What is the first question the narrator asks the raven (stanza 8)?

7. What is the raven’s only answer to the narrator’s questions?

8. In stanza 12, the narrator sits down in front of the raven. What is the
narrator thinking as he looks at the bird?

9. As the poem progresses, the narrator becomes more and more furious
with the raven. Why does he become so angry?

10. Where is the raven at the end of the poem (stanza 18)? What
does the raven’s presence tell the reader about the narrator’s grief?

21
NARRATIVE POETRY
Narrative Poetry is a poem that tells a series of events using poetic
devices such as rhythm, rhyme, compact language, and attention to sound. In
other words, a narrative poem tells a story, but it does it with poetic flair!

Many of the same elements that are found in a short story are also
found in a narrative poem. Here are some elements of narrative poetry that
are important:

 Character
 Setting
 Conflict
 plot

First published in 1845, “The Raven” became an instant hit. Part of the
poem’s popularity was due to Poe’s clever use of sound devices, and patterns
of word sounds used to create musical effects. The following chart lists some of
the sound devices that Poe used.

DEVICE DEFINITION EXAMPLE

Rhyme The repetition of similar “Once upon a midnight
sounds dreary, while I pondered,
weak and weary”.
Repetition Repeated rhymes, words, As of someone gently
and phrases rapping, rapping at my
chamber door.
Alliteration
The repetition of initial While I nodded, nearly
consonant sounds napping
Onomatopoeia The use of words that And the silken, sad,
sound like their meaning uncertain rustling of each
purple curtain

22
ANALYSIS ACTIVITY 1
INSTRUCTION: Reread The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe and answer the
questions

1. Who are the characters in the poem?

2. What do you know about the speaker in the poem?

3. What character traits does each of the characters have? What evidence
in the poem shows this?

4. What is the setting of the poem? (time and place)

5. What types of conflicts occur in the poem?

6. What is the mood of the poem?

7. Draw a small plot line. Tell what happens in the beginning, middle and
end of the poem. (Rising action, climax, and falling action)

23
ANALYSIS ACTIVITY 2
Use what you have learned to analyze sound devices in “The Raven.”

Complete the chart below by finding one example of each sound device and
telling what effect that device has as you read or listen to the poem.

Sound Device Example and Effect

Onomatopoeia
(lines )

Internal rhyme
(lines )

Repetition
(lines )

Alliteration
(lines )

24
RHYTHM AND RHYME PATTERN IN THE RAVEN
Looking at the poem as a whole, you see that the basic structure of the poem
is made up of 18 stanzas that each follow the same format.

To start your review of the structure, take a look at the rhyme scheme.

Each stanza has 3 separate rhymes. The first and third lines have an internal
rhyme in which the 8th and final syllables rhyme. The remaining lines all
rhyme—not only within the stanza, but between stanzas as well.

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,

Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore—

While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,

As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door—

“’Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door—

Only this and nothing more.”

That line has 16 syllables. Notice the stressed and unstressed syllables in that
line to identify the pattern.

Once u-pon a mid-night drea-ry, while I pon-dered, weak and wea-ry

The pattern is a series of alternating stressed and unstressed syllables. Each of

those pairs of syllables or “metrical feet” is called a trochee, and because
there are 8 of them, the meter is called trochaic octameter.

25
Take a look at the second line, and identify what is different between this line
and the previous line. The line is only 15 syllables. It’s missing the final
syllable. The final line is only 7 syllables long.

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,

Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore—
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door—
“’Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door—
Only this and nothing more.

WRITING NARRATIVE POETRY

When writing narrative poetry a good place to start is with your own
life’s experiences. Choose experiences that can be captured in a snapshot. Do
you have a favorite photograph of you playing baseball when you were 6 years
old? Or, how about the funny picture on your first birthday with you face full of
cake? Maybe you can remember funny moment from a special vacation, or a
moment with a grandparent that is very memorable. Remember, these are
moments in time—not the whole event. A poem (unless you are writing an epic
poem) captures snapshots, not 5 hour academy award winning movies!

Brainstorm 5 different “snapshot” experiences that you may be able to

write a narrative poem about.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Next, gather sensory details about that experience. The best way I have
found to do this is through clustering ideas. Remember that not ALL the ideas
need to be used in your poem, but don’t leave holes in the poem that would
prevent a reader from connecting to your poem.

Now that you have your images, choose a character for your poem.
What is he or she like? Who will be the speaker of the poem?

26
 The next step, just like when writing a short story is to determine the
conflict. What are the inner and outer conflicts in the even that you have
chosen? How is the conflict resolved?

To identify plot in you poem create your own plot line below.

Climax

Rising action Falilng action

Now, craft the lines of your poem. If it doesn’t come together in the first
draft, that’s okay. Narrative poetry always takes a couple of drafts to get the
spirit of the poem down on the page. Remember to include a wonderful title
that adds to the meaning of your poem.

27
Focus on Reading: Gapped Text
Six paragraphs have been removed from the extract. Choose from the
paragprahs A – G the one which fits each gap (1-6). There is one extra
parapgraph which you do not need to use

How your brain copes with grief, and why it takes

time to heal
Berly McCoy

Holidays are never quite the same after someone we love dies. Even small aspects of a birthday or
a Christmas celebration — an empty seat at the dinner table, one less gift to buy or make — can
serve as jarring reminders of how our lives have been forever changed. Although these realizations
are hard to face, clinical psychologist Mary-Frances O'Connor says we shouldn't avoid them or try
to hide our feelings.
"Grief is a universal experience," she notes, "and when we can connect, it is better."

Adjusting to the fact that we'll never again spend time with our loved ones can be painful. It takes
time — and involves changes in the brain. "What we see in science is, if you have a grief
experience and you have support so that you have a little bit of time to learn, and confidence from
the people around you, that you will in fact adapt."
O'Connor's upcoming book, The Grieving Brain, explores what scientists know about how our
minds grapple with the loss of a loved one.
When we have the experience of being in a relationship, the sense of who we are is bound up with
that other person. The word sibling, the word spouse implies two people. And so when the other
person is gone, we suddenly have to learn a totally new set of rules to operate in the world. The
"we" is as important as the "you" and "me," and the brain, interestingly, really does encode it that
way. So when people say "I feel like I've lost part of myself," that is for a good reason. The brain
also feels that way, as it were, and codes the "we" as much as the "you" and the "I."
Grief is that emotional state that just knocks you off your feet and comes over you like a wave.
Grieving necessarily has a time component to it. Grieving is what happens as we adapt to the fact
that our loved one is gone, that we're carrying the absence of them with us. And the reason that
this distinction makes sense is, grief is a natural response to loss — so we'll feel grief forever. A
woman who lost her mother as a young person is going to experience that grief on her wedding
day because it's a new moment where she's having a response to loss.

28
The range of emotions that someone experiences when they're grieving is as long a list as the
range of emotions we have in any relationship. Commonly there's panic, there's anxiety, there's
sadness, there's yearning. But what we sometimes forget is that there's also difficulty
concentrating and confusion about what happens next.

We have neuroimaging studies basically of grief, of the momentary reaction where you have that
emotional yearning experience. There are less than a handful of studies looking at more than one
moment in the same person across time — so looking at their grieving trajectory. What we know
right now in these early days of the neurobiology of grief is really coming from snapshots.
Having said that, one of the things that we know is that grief is tied to all sorts of different brain
functions we have, from being able to recall memories to taking the perspective of another
person, to even things like regulating our heart rate and the experience of pain and suffering. So
lots of different parts of the brain are orchestrating this experience that we have when we feel
grief.
When you're knocked over by that wave of grief, you want to know, "When will this end?" From a
research perspective, there is a very small proportion of people who might have what we now call
prolonged grief disorder, something we start looking for after six months or a year [after a death
or loss]. ... And what we are seeing, [in such cases], is that this person has not been able to
function day to day the way that they wish that they could. They're not getting out the door to
work or getting dinner on the table for their kids or they're not able to, say, listen to music
because it's just too upsetting. So these types of concerns ... suggest it would be helpful to
intervene and get them back on the healing trajectory where they will still feel grief, but they will
adapt to it differently.

As an example, one of those is the grief-related rumination that people sometimes experience.
The better term for that that people will recognize is the "would've, should've, could've" thoughts.
And they just roll through your head over and over again. The problem with these thoughts — we
sometimes call "counterfactuals" — is that they all end in this virtual scenario where the person
doesn't die. And that's just not reality. And so, by spinning in these thoughts, not only is there no
answer — there are an infinite number of possibilities with no actual answer of what would have
happened — but it also isn't necessarily helping us to adapt to the painful reality that they did die.
And so our virtual version is not really helping us to learn how to be in the world now.

29
I think when you care for someone who is going through this terrible process of losing someone, it
really is more about listening to them and seeing where they're at in their learning than it is about
trying to make them feel better. The point is not to cheer them up. The point is to be with them
and let them know that you will be with them and that you can imagine a future for them where
they're not constantly being knocked over by the waves of grief.
One of the topics I think is not much in the national conversation is that so many of the deaths of
our loved ones happened in hospitals, emergency rooms and ICUs — and we weren't there to see
it. And that is for a very good reason, because we were trying to stop the spread of COVID. So
having family members in hospitals did not make sense.

What I don't hear very often is the fact that with COVID, the loved ones that are left behind made
the sacrifice of not being with their loved ones in the hospital in order to stop the spread. And that
sacrifice needs to be recognized, I think. In part to help people heal, so that it's understood why
they're having such a difficult time. And to elevate the understanding that they did something for
the greater good — and they gave up something while they did it.

OPTIONS

A
O'Connor, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Arizona, studies what happens
in our brains when we experience grief. She says grieving is a form of learning — one that teaches
us how to be in the world without someone we love in it. "The background is running all the time
for people who are grieving, thinking about new habits and how they interact now."
B
It's less than 10% of people who experience prolonged grief disorder. And what that means is 90%
of people experience difficult grief and suffering, but don't have a disorder after losing a loved
one. I think it's so important to remember that ... because we don't want to hide grief away ... in a
psychiatrist's office or a counselor's office, except in indications where that would be helpful to get
people back on track.
C
The effects of grief can often resemble depression and some people do go on to develop
depression following a significant loss. If you are dealing with a major loss and finding it difficult to
cope, see your doctor.
D
But it means that people are without these memories of watching their loved one become more ill
and watching those changes that happen in their body that prepare our mind for the possibility
that they might die. To go through that process without those memories makes it much harder to
learn what has happened. So many people feel it hasn't really sunk in yet that they're gone.

30
E
The older term that we were using for a long time was "complicated grief." And although
prolonged grief disorder is the term we've settled on, there's a reason that I like the term
complicated — because it makes you think of complications.
F
But "grieving" means that our relationship to that grief changes over time. So the first time, maybe
even the first 100 times, you're knocked off your feet with grief, it feels terrible and awful and
unfamiliar. But maybe the 101st time, you think to yourself, "I hate this, I don't want this to be
true. But I do recognize it, and I do know that I will get through the wave."
G
I am often struck by the intensity of the emotions. Grief is like someone turned up the volume dial
all of a sudden. The emotion that I think often interferes with our relationships and friendships
when we're grieving is anger, because the anger feels so intense. You have someone blow up at a
dinner party and you think, "What's happening with them?" And then to try and remember, "Oh,
they're grieving and everything is amped up a little bit."

31
 BLOCK 3. NOVEMBER 2022 - JANUARY, 2023

FREE VERSE POETRY.

Many people consider free verse to be a modern form of poetry. The
truth is that it has been around for several centuries; only in the 20th century
did it become one of the most popular forms of poetry. Its popularity stems
from the belief that free verse is poetry without rules; after all, it doesn't
rhyme, and it doesn't have a meter. However, what separates poetry from
prose is the arrangement of carefully chosen words into verses.

There's more to free verse than a sudden thought recorded on paper.

It's not that no rules apply to free verse; rather, the poet makes up the rules
for each poem! Free verse done well will have rhythm, though it may not have
a regular beat. A variety of poetic devices may be woven throughout the piece.
There may be patterns of sound and repetition. Free verse can be compared to
a song that doesn't rhyme. There is still a lyric quality to it.

It may be more difficult to write free verse than any other form, simply
because the poet has more decisions to make. With a haiku, you know the
exact measurement of the poem; your task is easily defined. You need only
follow the rules of the pattern. With free verse, there is no pattern until the
poet creates one!

Without set rules, you are free to decide where to break your poem into
stanzas. You may arrange your poem in stanzas of two or more lines. You may
break at each new thought, much like paragraphs. You may break stanzas in
mid-sentence to draw attention to a specific word or phrase. Like American
poet Walt Whitman, you might break stanzas at the point where one would
take a breath, were he or she reading aloud. It's up to you.

As we try our hand at writing free verse, we will begin by writing our
thoughts all together, without stanzas. Then we can go back and edit the
words, removing unnecessary ones or choosing more powerful synonyms, and

32
 working to cut and shape the poem. We'll know we are through when we're
satisfied with the message and the shape of our poem

FREE VERSE POETRY READING GUIDE

1. Listen to the poem. When we as a class finish, you will write your initial
reactions to the poem and shat you believe its literal meaning to be in your
writer’s section. Include vocabulary you didn’t understand and ask questions
pertaining to comprehension.

2. Look up the words that are new to you and take notes of their meaning.

3. Listen to the poem for a second time. This time you will follow along and
mark up your copy of the poem, circling phrases that you enjoyed or ideas that
were well conveyed. At this point I want you to ask yourself; what did the
author do here to make you have the response you had? You can describe
these noticings in any way you find helpful.

4. At home, practice reading the poem out loud. In class we will each read
our poems so we can see how different students interpret how each poem is
read. We will then write in our writer’s section commenting on the experience.

I HEAR AMERICA SINGING BY WALT WHITMAN

I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear,

Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong,
The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam,
The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work,
The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat, the deckhand singing on
the steamboat deck,
The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench, the hatter singing as he stands,
The wood-cutter’s song, the ploughboy’s on his way in the morning, or at noon
intermission or at sundown,
The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at work, or of the girl
sewing or washing,
Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else,
The day what belongs to the day—at night the party of young fellows, robust,
friendly,
Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.

33
STARLIGHT SCOPE MYOPIA BY YUSEF KOMUNYAKA

Gray-blue shadows lift

shadows onto an oxcart.

Making night work for us,

the starlight scope brings
men into killing range.

The river under Vi Bridge

takes the heart away

like the Water God

riding his dragon.
Smoke-colored

Viet Cong
move under our eyelids,

lords over loneliness

winding like coral vine through
sandalwood & lotus,

inside our lowered heads

years after this scene

ends. The brain closes

down. What looks like
one step into the trees,

they're lifting crates of ammo

& sacks of rice, swaying

under their shared weight.

Caught in the infrared,
what are they saying?

Are they talking about women

or calling the Americans

beaucoup dien cai dau?

34
One of them is laughing.
You want to place a finger

to his lips & say "shhhh."

You try reading ghost talk

on their lips. They say

"up-up we go," lifting as one.
This one, old, bowlegged,

you feel you could reach out

& take him in your arms. You

peer down the sights of your M-16,

seeing the full moon
loaded on an oxcart.

SPRING AND ALL (BY THE ROAD TO THE CONTAGIOUS HOSPITAL) BY

WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS

By the road to the contagious hospital

under the surge of the blue
mottled clouds driven from the
northeast-a cold wind. Beyond, the
waste of broad, muddy fields
brown with dried weeds, standing and fallen

patches of standing water

the scattering of tall trees

All along the road the reddish

purplish, forked, upstanding, twiggy
stuff of bushes and small trees
with dead, brown leaves under them
leafless vines—

Lifeless in appearance, sluggish

dazed spring approaches—

They enter the new world naked,

cold, uncertain of all

35
 save that they enter. All about them
the cold, familiar wind—

Now the grass, tomorrow

the stiff curl of wildcarrot leaf
One by one objects are defined—
It quickens: clarity, outline of leaf

But now the stark dignity of

entrance—Still, the profound change
has come upon them: rooted, they
grip down and begin to awaken

I, TOO BY LANGSTON HUGHES

I, too, sing America.

I am the darker brother.

They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.

Tomorrow,
I’ll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody’ll dare
Say to me,
“Eat in the kitchen,”
Then.

Besides,
They’ll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed—

I, too, am America.

36
FREE VERSE POETRY ELEMENTS
Poetry is a direct statement of emotion, experience, and observation,
through the use of creative and figurative language. The definition of free
verse is that it has no identifiable patterns of rhyme, rhythm, and meter.

Free verse poetry still embodies the features of lyric; and free verse
poetry but it is not bound by traditional meter, rhyme, or rhythm. Free verse
poetry is not a sonnet a sestina, a villanelle, or any other kind of fixed form
poem. These are the features of the genre we identified in these texts:

 Theme- what is the universal idea trying to be conveyed in the

poem? What is the general idea? Are there any recognizable
emotions or experiences being shown?

 Diction- this applies to the author’s choice of words

 Denotation vs. connotation- Denotation is the exact meaning of a

word. Connotation is the meaning suggested by the word that goes
beyond its literal meaning.

 Persona- who is speaking in the poem?

 Tone- what is the poem or speaker’s attitude? Some examples of

tone are sincere, solemn, joyful reverent, sarcastic, witty, passionate,
humorous, ironic, reflective calm, bold, spirited, etc.

 Imagery-What do you see in the poem? What pictures does the

author paint for you? Images are created through the use of sensory
detail; sight, smell, touch sound, and taste.

 Symbolism- when one thing represents another. A symbol is an

image, object, or concept that represents something or another in
addition to its own inherent meaning.

 Simile- making a comparison between two nouns using “like” or

“as”.

37
  Metaphor- making direct comparison without using like or as.
Example: The man was a sponge. He could soak up any information
the teacher said.

 Form- this is the structure of the poem. This is the shape of the
poem. Within form there are some key ideas? Is the poem organized
into verse stanzas? Where does the author choose to break lines and
start new ones.The shape of the poem should always be viewed as
intentional.

FREE VERSE ACTIVITY 1

Is a Sentence a poem?

1. Write your descriptive sentence.

2. What imagery did you use in your sentence?

3. What other figurative language did you include?

4. Are there any other poem-like qualities in your sentence?

5. Is your sentence a poem? Why, why not, or how could it be so?

6. Rewrite your sentence as a poem, in the space provided or on the back of

this sheet:

38
FREE VERSE ACTIVITY 2
Peer Review Checklist
INSTRUCTION: Choose one of the selected poems and mark the
elements included in it
_____ The author present a clear theme

_____The author has made appropriate word choices (Diction)

_____ A clear persona or voice is present

_____ The author has a distinct tone

_____ The author presents bold and vivid images through the use of figurative

language

_____ Makes use of symbolism

_____Uses metaphors and similes

_____ Makes wise, effective use of the page by incorporating line breaks and

Stanza where new voices and themes arise

39
WRITER’S SECTION

POEMS’ REFLECTION

POEM: I Hear America Singing By Walt Whitman

1. Listening 1. Initial reactions to the poem. Literal meaning. New

vocabulary.

2. New vocabulary meaning.

3. Listening 2. Mark up your copy of the poem. Circle phrases that you
enjoyed or ideas that were well conveyed.

What did the author do here to make you have the response you had?

4. Class reading out loud. Comments on the experience.

40
POEM: Starlight Scope Myopia by Yusef Komunyakaa

1. Listening 1. Initial reactions to the poem. Literal meaning. New

vocabulary.

2. New vocabulary meaning.

3. Listening 2. Mark up your copy of the poem. Circle phrases that you
enjoyed or ideas that were well conveyed.

What did the author do here to make you have the response you had?

4. Class reading out loud. Comments on the experience.

POEM: Spring and All [By the road to the contagious hospital] by
William Carlos Williams

1. Listening 1. Initial reactions to the poem. Literal meaning. New

vocabulary.

2. New vocabulary meaning.

41
3. Listening 2. Mark up your copy of the poem. Circle phrases that you
enjoyed or ideas that were well conveyed.

What did the author do here to make you have the response you had?

4. Class reading out loud. Comments on the experience.

POEM: I, Too by Langston Hughes

1. Listening 1. Initial reactions to the poem. Literal meaning. New

vocabulary.

2. New vocabulary meaning.

3. Listening 2. Mark up your copy of the poem. Circle phrases that you
enjoyed or ideas that were well conveyed.

What did the author do here to make you have the response you had?

4. Class reading out loud. Comments on the experience.

42
Focus on Reading: Multiple Matching

You are going to read four news reports about an abandoned baby. For
questions 1 – 4, choose from the reviews A – D. The reviews may be chosen
more than once.

Artice A

It has been alleged that the mother charged with attempted murder after
dumping her newborn baby into a drain has admitted to abandoning the baby
boy. The woman remains in custody after bail was formally refused at
Blacktown Local Court .

The newborn baby was discovered by passing cyclists on a day when

temperatures surpassed 40 degrees Celsius. Mr Otte, who discovered the baby
and only cycles the route once a month, said, ‘That baby had no chance if we
and the other people hadn't been there. Something made us find that baby
today'.

The child was already undernourished, and dehydration would have taken
effect and the baby would not have survived the day.

Passersby outside court cried 'shame' as the accused woman’s relatives

crossed the street in Blacktown.

Article B

A woman has been charged with the attempted murder of her newborn son,
who was left in a drain on Tuesday before being discovered the following
Sunday. The incident has shocked us all. In the searing heat, the baby had
little chance of survival, and the mother must have been aware of this as she
callously shoved him through the tiny gap, dropped him into the darkness and
left him to his fate. But although crimes like this are a rarity, they don’t
happen in isolation. Australia criminalises child abandonment, thus making it
nigh on impossible for a depressed mother to give up her infant without
causing it harm. Meanwhile pregnant women are shuffled through the system,
rarely seeing the same caregiver twice. This model of care treats the
pregnancy, but ignores the patient, and it is this ill-equipped, indifferent
system that makes a crime this one possible.

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Article C

A mother has been charged with attempted murder after she allegedly
abandoned her newborn son in a roadside drain, police confirmed today. The
baby had been alone in the deep drain for five days when, by a stroke of luck,
cyclists caught the faint sound of his muffled cries above the heavy noise of
motorway traffic. Sweltering temperatures in Sydney have settled around 30C
over the past week and it is believed the week-old boy would have died had he
not been found. Karen Healy, National President of the Australian Association
of Social said that this was a highly unusual case, as parents who abandon
their children tend to do so in high-traffic areas like churches or hospitals
where the child will be taken care of. This scenario, in which the mother
clearly wanted the baby to be hidden and it was only by the grace of God that
the infant survived, suggests an element of shame or possible mental illness
which was not heeded by pre- and post-natal health providers. The 30-year-
old mother is currently receiving therapy while she remains in police custody.

Article D

A newborn baby boy has been rescued from an eight-foot drain beside a bike
track in Australia after passing cyclists heard the sounds of wailing. Graham
Bridges, who was among the people who helped rescue the baby, walked the
bike track regularly and said it was usually very popular with riders on a
Sunday morning. Inspector David Lagats said ‘We all thought the worst but
he's still alive. It was a long drop down, but he’s wrapped up pretty well, so
that will have cushioned his fall.’ The concrete moulding of the drain formed a
layer of insulation which protected the baby from the weather, which, during
the week, reached temperatures of thirty degrees. The baby was taken to
hospital in a stable condition, thanks, in part, to the fact that newborn babies
have reserves of fluids and body sugars which they can resort to as they adapt
to the new way of feeding. Lisa Charet, from the state department of family
and community services said she was concerned for the mother’s welfare. "We
can give her the help and support that she needs. She must be feeling
enormously distressed if she feels that this is the only course of action
available to her."

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Which article:

1. differs from the others with regards to the threat to the baby’s health?

_______

2. shares the same attitude to the mother as article B?

_______

3. shares article B’s view that the mother was not entirely responsible for
her actions?

_______

4. shares article C’s attitude towards the baby’s rescue.

_______

45
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American Literature. Teacher’s Edition. Grade 11. USA: Houghton Mifflin Publishing Company

Beers, K., Hougen, M., Izquierdo, E., Jago, C., Palmer, E & Probst, R. (2020) Into Literature.

British Literature. Teacher’s Edition. Grade12. USA: Houghton Mifflin Publishing Company

Morrell, E., Hiebert, E., Gallagher, K & Cummins, J. (2017) My Perspectives. American Literature

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