THE BEAT OF LOVE

 TEACHING POETRY

People have been writing poems of love for thousands of years.  Words that tell how we feel about someone we love are in the lyrics of hundreds of popular songs.  But there are even older love poems.  For example, the collection of love poems in the Bible are called the Song of Songs.

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Ah you are fair, my darling,
Ah you are fair,
Your eyes are like doves
Behind your veil.
Your hair is like a flock of goats
Streaming down Mount Gilead.

 Your lips are like a crimson thread,
 Your mouth is lovely.

You have captured my heart
With one glance of your eyes,
 With one coil of your necklace.

Maybe the woman in Shakespeare's sonnets didn't look the same as the one in the Song of Songs, but these poems are about how someone in love sees a particular person.  The women in love poems are described using imagery and metaphor.  How are these women seen?  What are these poets in love looking for in these women?  What do they see in these women they write about?

SEEING NOT FEELING
If we could see photos of the women in the Song of Songs or in the Sonnet, what would they look like?  Would we recognize them from the words written about them?  Or are they idealistic pictures of women, almost like fashion models?  Take a look at a couple of models at one of these sites.  Then write a description of one.
ALLURE MAGAZINE
STYLE.COM
Teen Fashion World
MARY-KATE AND ASHLEY

The model I chose looks like this: (You might want to include her name at the end of the description.)




SONNETS - SONGS OF LOVE
Many  of Shakespeare's sonnets are about some unknown woman.  Although there are no surviving pictures, the poet's words capture his feelings. Read one of these Sonnets about love.  Try to picture the woman and understand the message in his words of love. Compare Shakespeare's description to your own description of the model.  Then write about what you think it means.
SONNET 18
SONNET 130

I think that the Sonnet is about: (include Sonnet number)




I think this woman is:  (what does Shakespeare's description make you think)

 

POETRY OF THE HEART
Two famous, modern American poets, William Carlos Williams and Langston Hughes, wrote poems about love.  Their use of language is closer to our own.  Read one of their poems and see how it compares to a Sonnet or the Song of Songs.  How are the descriptions of women different? What do these women look like?

Read his poem When Sue Wears Red
Find out more about Langston Hughes from this site:
The Poet Langston Hughes
Links about Langston Hughes

Read Williams' poem Arrival
Find out more about William Carlos Williams from these sites:
Poetry Exhibits - William Carlos Williams
Munno's William Carlos Williams Page

I think that this love poem is: (include the name of the poet)




I think this woman is:  (write your ideas about her from Hughes' or Williams' description)




ROCK, RAP AS POETRY
THE BEAT OF LOVE GOES ON AND ON
It's the beat of  love and poetry that fills the radio, MTV, disks and it's all around us.  If Shakespeare and Hughes wrote this kind of  love poetry, then it isn't surprising that musicians still do the same today.  Look for a really special song that you like to listen to.  Try to find the words to it.  Listen to the song. Pay attention to what ideas are written there. Try to really understand what they mean about love.  How do the women look and what are the men looking for in them?

THE BEAT OF LOVE GOES ON AND ON -
I FOUND IT HERE AND NOW.
Write about what you found. Why you chose this song. Include the title of the song, the name of the singer or group, the kind of music it is and the important words that tell the message.