Goal for the day: To match rhythm with image and action
Today is about rhythm, a many-colored, various thing in writing. Poetry textbooks talk discuss "meter" alongside "rhythm." Meter is the like written music; rhythm is how the musician plays the notes. As such, the focus today is not to teach meter in the abstract but to have you think about what kind of rhythmic effects match what you're writing about.
I'm going to start out reading "Ode to a Drum" by Yusef Komunyakaa. This is one of the poems in your poetry packet that we haven't visited in a while. There is A LOT going on in this rich poem. Part of what's going on is in the rhythm, which is only appropriate, given it's about a drum.
Then you'll find an image or action in your moment essay or story and turn your descriptive prose poetic. You'll discuss what kind of rhythm matches the descriptions, what your text should sound like.
This will give us an excuse to then talk about meter and accent or stress and how you can get certain effects by adjusting the stress of the syllables within the line. I'll give you a handout so you can play with some of these effects on your own.
But my hope is that we'll ease through this in a half hour leaving you half the class to work on your poems.
Homework for Wednesday, October 8th
Write a draft of a poem so you'll have five to turn in by the end of the week.
Today is about rhythm, a many-colored, various thing in writing. Poetry textbooks talk discuss "meter" alongside "rhythm." Meter is the like written music; rhythm is how the musician plays the notes. As such, the focus today is not to teach meter in the abstract but to have you think about what kind of rhythmic effects match what you're writing about.
I'm going to start out reading "Ode to a Drum" by Yusef Komunyakaa. This is one of the poems in your poetry packet that we haven't visited in a while. There is A LOT going on in this rich poem. Part of what's going on is in the rhythm, which is only appropriate, given it's about a drum.
Then you'll find an image or action in your moment essay or story and turn your descriptive prose poetic. You'll discuss what kind of rhythm matches the descriptions, what your text should sound like.
This will give us an excuse to then talk about meter and accent or stress and how you can get certain effects by adjusting the stress of the syllables within the line. I'll give you a handout so you can play with some of these effects on your own.
But my hope is that we'll ease through this in a half hour leaving you half the class to work on your poems.
Homework for Wednesday, October 8th
Write a draft of a poem so you'll have five to turn in by the end of the week.