Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Internal Monologue/Natural Metaphor poem samples

Here's a few examples and models of poetry based on the assignments you have just completed. Look at the models as inspiration or as a guideline for your own work.

Internal Monologue Poems:

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S. Eliot (here's a video of Eliot reading his poem)

Lady Lazarus by Sylvia Plath. The vocal performance read by the poet.

My Last Duchess by Robert Browning. Here's a reading of the poem.

To An Athlete Dying Young by A.E. Housman. The reading of the poem.

Miniver Cheevy by Edwin Arlington Robinson. The poem read.

Daddy by Sylvia Plath

Nature Poems:

Petals by Amy Lowell

The Lamb by William Blake

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost

Fog by Carl Sandburg

The Thought Fox by Ted Hughes

Freeverse (draft #2) & Natural Metaphor poem (draft #1)

Using your first draft of your poem written from last class (see blog entry below this one), revise your draft by completing the following steps:

1. Free verse is free of form, but natural breaks, the use of enjambment and stanza form still occur frequently in free verse poetry. Break your poem into distinct stanzas. A new stanza should be started every time you start a new idea (just like a paragraph in prose).

2. Look at your line length. A long line that sticks out emphasizes that line, brings attention to it. This is not always what we mean to do. In general, the longer the line the slower the pace. Short lines read quickly, creating a fast tempo. But fast is not always the best choice for a more melancholy poem. Find your longest lines and cut them to affect the tempo or speed of the poem.

3. Poetry requires the concise use of language. Lazy verbs or vague nouns are the anathema of a poem. Examine your nouns and verbs. Make nouns stronger by being more specific. If you have more than one adjective describing a noun, it means you are being vague. As for verbs, make these stronger by making your verbs active. Always choose the more appropriate and interesting word. Go back over your poem and make better word choices.

4. Remove repetition. If you overuse a line, remove it for now. See how the poem reads without all that junk. Try to shorten your poem by 10-15 words or lines. (You may shorten the poem by more or less, if you like).

5. Pick your most important line. Remove it from the poem and make it your title.

6. Make use of enjambment. Feel free to use a caesura (a pause) by putting periods or end punctuation within the line as opposed to always ending a line with an full stop.

7. Spell check and check your grammar. Remove fragments or run-ons and make the poem easier to read for your reader.

After completing these steps, save your poem draft as DRAFT #2. Send this draft to the WORKSHOP folder with your name on it. We will workshop your poems next class.

Then:

Go on to read and complete the assignment: A Natural Metaphor.

You should be familiar with the following terms:
Free Verse
Meter
Scansion
blank verse
foot: monometer, dimeter, trimeter, tetrameter, hexameter, heptameter, octameter
trochee, anapest, dactyl, spondee, pyrrhic, iamb.

By the end of class today, you should have draft #1 of your Natural Metaphor poem completed. If not, finish for homework and prepare the draft #1 for class on Thursday.

Friday, March 26, 2010

Freeverse & Internal Monologue (poem draft #1)

Freeverse is a kind of poetry that is not restricted by specific patterns of meter, measured lines, strict rhyming patterns. It CAN still include quite a few literary devices like imagery, personification, sound devices, metaphor, figurative language, repetition, enjambment, etc.

Freeverse is not just words on a page. It is free from formal metrical design, but not from ANY design or craft. You are probably at this point most familiar with freeverse, so that's why we're starting here.

Key Poetry Vocabulary you NEED TO KNOW:

Freeverse.
Enjambment.
Tone.
Voice.
Diction.

Internal monologues are like plays or 1st person POV short stories, but can include more than these forms. You will create your own internal monologue poem today. You will need a character (not necessarily YOU) and give that character an opinion/attitude or feeling about a dramatic situation.

Things to note: DO NOT WRITE IN FRAGMENTS. Poetry or verse uses SENTENCE structure, just like prose. At this point, do not omit or leave out punctuation. Your sentences should be broken into LINES. LINES should be broken into STANZAS.

DRAFT #1: Internal Monologue - due at end of class. Save the poem as DRAFT #1. Do NOT turn in poem draft yet.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Workshop & Poetry

We will continue our workshop of the plays.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Workshop

Today we will be workshopping your collaborative play scripts. Before we do so, however, please finish your HAIR reviews. If you have already done this, please type up your poem drafts from last week.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Hair Conclusion, Reviews, Play Readings

After completing our viewing of Hair, please use the lab time to complete your film review (due at end of class). If we have more time, we will begin our play readings.

HOMEWORK: Keep writing poems.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

The movie Across the Universe used several scenes and songs alluding to Hair. Watch a few of these clips and compare them to the musical scenes in the movie Hair.

I Want You.

Strawberry Fields

I am the Walrus

Let it Be

Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite

Hair (again)

Again, take notes as we watch Hair. These notes and information will be needed to write your film review.

Friday, March 12, 2010

Hair Cast info

You can find the cast list (actors, director, producer, etc.) information here.

Hair Film Review

You will be writing a film review for the movie HAIR.

There are 4 parts to a film review:
1. A short plot synopsis
2. Background information (usually about the director or major actors, but can also include cinematographer, special effects history, genre, or production). You may use the link or the internet to help you research the film HAIR.
3. A few paragraphs evaluating and analyzing the film: this can be broken down into examining the film's artistic quality, significance, entertainment & social value.
4. In summary, most film reviews end with a final statement or judgment about the film.

Here are a few sample reviews to help you. Go ahead and click on movie reviews and pick a few films you'd like to see the review of.

After watching Hair please write a 2-3 page review (double spaced) that includes the 4 parts of a film review (above).

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Hair!

Go to the following wallwisher page and post a short comment or observation or picture or media clip on "the 1960's".

Afterwards, view the wallwisher and let's chat about what you know about teenage life in this time period.

Then, after that, let's begin our viewing of HAIR (a rock musical).

Information about Hair is here. Note the homonym.

Play Project (putting the draft together)

During 7th period, please prepare your second draft of your script (proofread, make sure you have completed your work from last class when you were given lab time to complete revision and comments from your workshop group).

1. Drop your script in the WORKSHOP folder (not the drop box) with your name on the file.

2. Get together with your group members.

3. Choose one person to create a MASTER FILE for all the scripts.

4. The chosen person should open the scripts, and do the following:

a. Order the plays so that there is a distinct climax and resolution for your play
b. Remove the author's name and heading from each script, but make sure there is a title for each piece.
c. Create a title page with a title that encompasses the ENTIRE play. Make sure you include your group member names.
d. Proofread. Help each other make sure mistakes are minimal.
e. Save a COMPLETE copy with its title page to the workshop folder.

NOTE: students can access work on their own computers by looking in the workshop folder. You should save a copy of your group play on your own network file.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Workshop & Second Draft, Quiz on The Fantasticks

After our quiz on the Fantasticks, please revise your workshopped scripts (we workshopped your scripts last class).

If you have completed your second draft (please label it as such), begin a poem draft. You can write about anything you wish in any poetic form you wish. Consider this to be our baseline piece for our poetry unit. All writing should either be done in a journal, writer's blog, or using a word processor. You should have access to the draft to revise and craft.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Workshop & putting scenes together for your "Play"

Today, please print out 5-8 copies of your play so that members in your group can see your work and comment on it.

After printing, please gather in your groups and read each play. Each member of the group should have 1-scene that he/she wrote using the chosen theme.

After each person's play (read these parts out loud, each group member playing the roles) spend some time suggesting how the author may improve the script. Each member should offer at least one idea!

Write down these ideas on a list to be handed in for participation credit. After Mr. Craddock checks this list, it will be returned to the author so that changes can be made to the script in a second draft.

When the group is completely done, choose an order the scenes will appear in the play. Then each writer should complete a second draft of the play.

HOMEWORK: Complete the Fantasticks. A quiz on the plot and story will occur next class. See the post below to hear some of the music and see the staging from the show.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

The Fantasticks

The Fantasticks

The Fantasticks is the longest-running show in the history of the American theater. It opened at the Sullivan Street Playhouse (New York City) in the spring of 1960, where it remained until the production finally closed in early 2002 (a run of 42 years). It has some of the best poetic lyrics ever written for musical theater.

It is written by Tom Jones (not the Welsh singer) and Harvey Schmidt.

The musical numbers:
Act I
The Overture: Try to Remember
Much More
Much More
Never Say No
It Depends on What you Pay (The Rape Song)
Soon It's Gonna Rain
The Abduction/Finale

Act II
this Plum is Too Ripe
I Can See It
Plant a Radish
Round and Round
They Were You

Colored Museum Project

Today please complete your 3-5 minute play projects. Remember that you are to write your scene ALONE, but you will be working with your larger group when putting the play in some sense of order and for workshopping purposes.

Today, complete your play's first draft. Draft one is due at the end of class. If you finish early and are waiting for your partners to complete their work, please read the musical The Fantastiks.

I will be collecting these play scripts after you read the play. Finish the play by Monday, March 8.

About this course!

This course stresses understanding the characteristics & techniques in the literary genres of fiction, poetry, and dramatic writing. This course will continue to build on students’ reading and writing skills begun in previous creative writing classes. Readings and discussions of works by major writers in the field will be examined as inspiration and models of fine writing. This educational blog is designed for the use of the students at the School of the Arts in Rochester, NY.