TEACHING POETRY
Usually poets try to do more than just
explain an idea or describe a scene. They write without
the usual rules for writing sentences and don't care about
logical order like in an essay. They often try to
emphasize images. They use symbolism to get us to
understand what they have to say. In some ways they
reconstruct the world to make us see things in a different
way, feel in a certain manner.
EVERYDAY LIFE
What makes something a poem? Why is one
piece of paper a note and one a poem? Usually notes
give instructions or make comments to someone specific, while
poems try to say something a bit different to the reader. Why are Plums (probably a note his wife on the
refrigerator!) or Complaint
(about a visit he made to a sick woman) by William Carlos
Williams considered to be a poems? Or why is And the Hotel
Room Held Only Him by Mari Evans considered
to be a poem? (Isn't it just a description of a
day in the life of this guy who lived in a hotel?)
Look
at a few poems on these sites:
Complaint
- William Carlos Williams
William Carlos Williams
Munno's William Carlos Williams Page
EVERYDAY
LIFE
Write your opinion of a
poem on one of the sites. What does the poet try to say to
you?
EVERYDAY
LANGUAGE
Think of a note that
you have left for your parents or a message you left for a
friend. This means thinking of an everyday event that you
wrote about in a short, quick way. Write a new version of it
below.
POETIC
LANGUAGE
How do you feel when
you read this type of poetry? Do you connect to the world of
these poets? How is their world connected to yours?
We are all unique and yet many of our experiences are shared
by others. One way to share with others is to write
poetry. Try to create pictures with words. Create
something that reaches out beyond your life and into ours.