Marks awarded for insight, content, organization, and style.
Be sure to comment on the poems' structure and literary techniques as needed.
Study the poems we read during the unit, the strategies you use to understand a poem, and the use of the TICK chart for accessing theme.
Friday: Poetry Cafe: Your final poetry mark is based on a piece of writing you will do during class (How has poetry affected me?) and your oral reading of two of your poems from your manuscript.
PLEASE REMEMBER TO SUBMIT THE CONTEST ENTRIES AND BRING THE MONEY.
If you have been absent, go on-line to submit your entries to Polyphony H.S. or to Aerie International.
Study for tomorrow's composition by using the examples below and the edited composition on the two poems about education.
Sample Compare and Contrast Composition
Introductions:
Be clear. Be specific.
Good
Example:
Richard
Lemm’s two poems about war, “An Israeli Soldier Finds His
Brother” and “A Palestinian Watches His House Burn” demonstrate
how war is meaningless and devastating; yet, state that war will
continue as long as there is suffering. Lemm suggests that war feeds
upon itself. In the first poem, the soldier realizes that he is
exactly the same as a Palestinian yet is powerless to make any change
occur. In the second poem, a Palestinian victim, enraged by his
suffering, ironically wants to retaliate. “Suffering has made you
strong.” Both poems admit that war cannot be stopped.
Poor
example:
These
two poems speak passionately on opposite points of views. “An
Israeli Soldier Finds His Brother” by Richard Lemm is a poem filled
with sadness and compassion for the circumstances of their conflict.
In contrast, “A Palestinian Watches His House Burn”, also by
Richard Lemm, has an angry tone, revenge in mind. Both poems are
expressed visually and emotionally; however, they are at opposite
ends of the spectrum.
Body
paragraphs: Be specific. Stay on topic. Cite correctly.
Paraphrase as well to support your opinions.
Good
example:
In
contrast, the character in “A Palestinian Watches His House Burn”
is much more hardened towards war. He is the victim in this conflict
and as such hates his enemy for his horrible predicament. He envies
the strength of the Israelis: “Great suffering has made you strong”
but sees the enemy as inferior and reprimands them for their
hypocrisy: “you, above all, should understand / how thin the veil
disguising murder.” However, the last line of the poem demonstrates
that the persona feels no compassion, like the soldier in the first
poem does: this man feels only revenge: “fierce like you. I shall
return.” The Palestinian’s harsh words and conversational style
emphasize his bitterness. He addresses the Israelis in the poem which
makes the poem even more vindictive. Although this man is a victim,
he ironically has learned from his oppressors that oppression breeds
oppression. He vows to return and fight thus perpetuating the war and
denouncing any chance of reconciliation.
Conclusions: Be
specific. Refer back to your main points. End with a bang. Use your
most passionate words. Think about your sentence variety and
punctuation here, particularly the colon: think of the colon like a
drum roll to introduce the next phrase.
Good example:
The
two themes of these poems contradict each other. In ‘An Israeli
Soldier Finds His Brother”, the underlying idea is that what is
lost does not have to be lost forever: “ hand in hand we could
reach / inside each other”. However, the persona in “A
Palestinian Watches His House Burn” refuses reconciliation. He
wants only revenge, which ironically he has learned from the Jewish
example: persecution breeds persecution. “Again there is war.”
Poor example:
The
differences in attitudes towards war are clearly demonstrated through
each poem’s individual character. The tone of the poems also gives
the reader insight into who the victim and the victor are. Each poem
views war in a different way.
