ACTIVITY 1.

1
Read through an anthology of poems by a large number of poets and do the following:

(1) Write down the title of the anthology and the name of the compiler.

(2) Identify a poem in which there is a single speaker and write down the title of the poem
and the name of the poet.

(3) Identify a poem in which there is more than one speaker and write down the title of the
poem and the name of the poet.

(4) Identify a poem in which a story is told and write down the title of the poem and the name
of the poet.

(5) Write short notes on what you have learned from this activity.

Individual answers are required for all the questions here.

The aim of the above activity is to spur you on to discover the variety of poetic forms on your
own. This emphasizes the fact that basic genre classifications are necessary and important,
but that we also need to note that all genre forms show an internal diversity that oversteps and
disregards rigid classification guidelines. This does not mean, however, that we can get away
from the necessity for clear and theoretically defensible distinctions between the various
literary genres.