8th Grade Honors English Formative Poetry Unit and Summative Essay
Essay Due: Thursday, November 5th (Periods 1 & 3)
Ms. Menard
Poetry
PROMPT:
Compare 2-3 poems in the unit and explain how the theme of leadership is revealed through
word choice, imagery, and relationships. Use these elements, theme, word choice, imagery,
and relationships, to craft an argument about what makes an effective leader. Include
counterclaims about ineffective leadership as well, but show how your claims of effective
behaviors out-perform ineffective ones.
[Relationships are Mechanical Shifts . . . stanza length/changes, line length/changes, changes
in diction, changes in speaker, changes in punctuation, irony.)
Poetry Essay Directions
_____ Step 1. Read and TPCASTT at least four poems. Everyone needs to view the YouTube depiction of
Lieutenant Colonel Tim Collin’s Even of Battle Speech in Iraq. It is not a poem, but you can use it as a text.
This will allow you to practice for the new PARCC test in April. It is likely that you will be given a video text.
1.
“Dream Deferred” by
Langston Hughes
“Ozymandias” by Percy
Bysshe Shelley
“A Poison Tree” by
William Blake
“We Real Cool” by
Gwendolyn Brooks
“Chicago” by Carl
Sandburg
“St. Crispin’s Day
Speech” from Henry V
by William Shakespeare
“Do Not Go Gentle into
That Good Night” by
Dylan Thomas
Kenneth Branaugh’s
depiction of Lieutenant
Colonel Tim Collin’s Even
of Battle Speech in Iraq
1.
_____ Step 2. Then design your ARGUMENT about an effective leader. Use quotes and very specific
examples from the texts.
_____ Step 3. Set up your paper in MLA format.
_____ Open a MS Word document and set up double spacing FIRST. (Reminder: In Word, click on
the little square/arrow button on the bottom right corner of the PARAGRAPH box. Double
check three settings: Before = 0, After = 0, Line Spacing = Double.)
_____ Type the HEADING at the top of page one. Do not, do not, do not put the HEADING in the
HEADER. Never use the header.
Kallie Kane
Ms. Menard
English 8 – Period 7
26 October 2014
Creative Title Centered and in Size 12 Bold
_____ Type all poem titles in “quotes” with capital letters for words longer than three letters or for
the first word in the title. Example: “A Poison Tree” by William Blake…
_____ When you quote a poem in the essay it is called an in-text citation. (Why? Because you are
citing, or quoting, the poem in the text.) The in-text citation for a poem looks like this:
Essay, essay, your words go here, essay, essay, essay. “Quote” (Blake 3-4).
What does the 3-4 mean? Line numbers.
Another option:
Essay, essay, your words go here, essay, essay, essay. “Quote…quote” (Blake 3-4, 7).
This citation shows that the writer quoted three different lines: lines 3, 4, and 7.
_____ Use the / symbol to show line breaks in a poem. Let me explain. Poetry has short lines. Prose
has long lines that overflow into each other. How do you show a line break in a poem when
you type? Like this: Roses are red/violets are blue/sugar is sweet/woo-hoo-hoo.
_____ Create a double spaced Works Cited page in MLA format. (Check OWL at Purdue for help.)
Always center Works Cited at the top of the page with 1 inch margins.
Always give the Works Cited page its own page. Do not put it at the bottom of the essay.
Always write the entries in alphabetical order.
Always tab the second “overflow” line so the first line stands out. (We’ll practice in class.)
_____ Step 4. Write all five of the “green” sentences because they are the most important.
_____ Thesis Statement in the Introduction (mention “Title,” author, theme, and prompt)
_____ Topic sentence #1 about three images that reveal the theme and offer leadership advice
_____ Topic sentence #2 about three word choice examples that reveal the theme and leadership
_____ Topic sentence #3 about the relationship development that reveals the theme and leadership
_____ Thesis Statement in the Conclusion (restated, very similarly, yet not quite the same)
_____ Step 5. Write the Introduction Paragraph.
_____ Connect to the world: Begin with a hook about the topic of leadership, not about the poems.
_____ In one sentence only, summarize the poems in a blue background knowledge description.
_____ In one sentence only, give a tiny definition of leadership and give context of the essay.
_____ Add the thesis statement you already drafted in Step 6. The thesis must state the prompt,
“Title,” author, and key elements of the prompt, including imagery, word choice, and
relationships as pieces that reveal an effective leader.
_____ Step 6. Write the first Body Paragraph about imagery or images that reveal positive or negative
leadership traits, and state a claim about what the reader should learn from these examples.
_____ The first sentence must be the topic sentence, and you can paste it from Step 6. It must
connect to the prompt, restate the claim, and use the domain words theme, imagery,
leadership, and effective (or a synonym of effective).
_____ You can skip blue background information because you already provided it in the Intro.
_____ The first yellow/red/red section needs to state the image in the yellow, along with very
specific details and the theme. Include a “red” quote from the poem that describes an
image or the impact of an image. In the “red” analysis or explanation, be very specific. What
lesson is learned? Why does the image of --- matter to the message? Is the image one of the
important pieces that lead to the overall theme? What can people learn from the poem’s
message? What happens in the message isn’t learned? Any of these ideas can be discussed.
Now explain how your analysis (the answer to one of the questions above) reveals a claim
about leadership.
_____ The second yellow/red/red section is like the one listed above, but a new image is described
and used to make a claim about leadership.
_____ Repeat the process for the third yellow/red/red section.
_____ Somewhere in this paragraph, include the following things:
_____ simile/metaphor and personification
_____ pathos (create an emotion for the reader)
_____ a deeper explanation about how a specific detail communicates to the reader
_____ 10 domain and 8 regular vocabulary words
_____ one sentence in this pattern: Sentence, BOYFANS, sentence. (BOYFANS = but, or, yet,
for, and, nor, so)
_____ Step 7. Write the second Body Paragraph about three specific words or phrases that impact
meaning in the poems, and use these examples to deepen the claims in your argument about the
behaviors and beliefs of an effective leader.
_____ The first sentence must be the topic sentence. Add this sentence from the list of green
sentences you brainstormed in Step 6. This is the sentence about how the word choice of a
poem offers advice and conclusions, and this supports a claim about leadership.
_____ You can skip blue background information because you already provided it in the Intro.
_____ The first yellow/red/red section needs to state the word or phrase in the yellow, along with
very specific details and the theme. Include a “red” quote from the poem that describes
how the word or phrase CREATES MEANING ABOUT THE THEME, or state the impact of the
theme on the message or reader. In the “red” analysis or explanation, be very specific. What
lesson is learned? Why does the word or phrase matter to the message? Does this word lead
to the theme like a puzzle piece clue? Is this word used differently in the poem, or does the
word always have this meaning whenever it is used? Does the word or phrase have a double
meaning, or does the meaning change for a significant reason? Any of these ideas can be
discussed. After you answer one or two of the questions above, then connect the lesson to
leadership. (This entire YRR section is not allowed to be longer than 4 sentences. Three is
better.)
_____ The second yellow/red/red section is like the one listed above, but a new word is described.
_____ Repeat the process for the third yellow/red/red section.
_____ Somewhere in this paragraph, include the following things:
_____ anaphora or alliteration
_____ ethos (expertise or ethics)
_____ a deeper explanation about how a specific detail communicates to the reader
_____ 10 domain and 8 regular vocabulary words
_____ one sentence in this pattern: Either…, or….
_____ one sentence in this pattern: One would expect the word --- to mean “blah,” but in
this case the message…
_____ Step 8. Write the third Body Paragraph about relationships (which means the mechanical shifts in
a poem. Those are big words that mean Where does the change occur? Connect this to your claim
about effective leadership.
_____ The first sentence must be the topic sentence. This is the sentence about how the
mechanical shifts, or the relationships between ideas, reveal the theme through a CHANGE
or SHIFT IN TONE OR VOICE. Claim how this lesson offers advice to leaders.
_____ This paragraph is more complicated. Does your reader need background information to
understand your point? If so, define a word or idea here in the “blue” background
knowledge. (Optional)
_____ In the first yellow/red/red section, “define” what “normal” looks like in the beginning of your
poem. For example, maybe it’s normal for a man to be angry with his friend. Maybe normal
is for a warrior to want to quit because he’s embarrassed that he made a mistake. Maybe
normal in a poem shows that it’s easy to get so busy that a person misses the small joys in
life. That is what this YRR section is for. Describe normal, include a quote, and explain why or
how this is the normal routine. Then prove how this “normal” is leadership advice.
_____ The second YRR is different here. Now find ONE way that “normal” is no longer “normal.”
How did something change it or upgrade the expectation? Use this YRR to STATE THE EXACT
THING THAT CAUSED THE CHANGE, or to STATE THE CHANGE. Maybe the tone of voice
switched from revengeful to forgiving. Maybe the speaker reflected and realized that he
messed up in the past, but he has a second chance in the future. Maybe the too-busy person
learned a lesson from a skunk and will think differently now. WHAT is the change, and WHY
did it happen? What should a leader learn from this change or this new normal?
_____ The third YRR is the most important section in the whole essay. It’s like the punchline of a
joke, so all the pieces pull together into this one part. In this YRR combo, explain how IRONY
is used above and below the shift. How is the ending ironic (unexpected) from the opening
of the poem? This YRR is ALL ABOUT THE CHANGE and HOW IT REVEALS THE THEME. Again,
connect this to leadership in a claim or counterclaim about what effective leadership looks
like or doesn’t look like. Explain this with a quote and a very, very, very, very specific and
detailed final red.
_____ Somewhere in this paragraph, include the following things:
_____ allusion
_____ irony
_____logos (cause and effect; this caused that; step one, step two; or numbers, stats, etc.)
_____ a deeper explanation about how a specific detail communicates to the reader
_____ 10 domain and 8 regular vocabulary words
_____ one sentence in this pattern: Even though -----, in this case, --------. (counterclaim)
Poetry Essay Essential Ingredients – Planning the Essay
After completing TPCASTT in detail, I know the theme of this poem is:
THEME IS REVEALED THROUGH WORD CHOICE
The word
The word
The word
reveals the theme because
reveals the theme because
reveals the theme because
The exact line is:
The exact line is:
The exact line is:
THEME IS REVEALED THROUGH IMAGES
One image presented in the poem
is:
One image presented in the poem
is:
One image presented in the poem
is:
Evidence from the poem describes
this image as:
Evidence from the poem describes
this image as:
Evidence from the poem describes
this image as:
*
*
*
*
*
*
It reveals the theme because:
It reveals the theme because:
It reveals the theme because:
THEME IS REVEALED ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIPS
in the poem. Relationships are MECHANICAL SHIFTS,
or changes in structure, tone, speaker, or message (irony).
What is the normal situation early
in the poem?
How does “normal” change in one
significant way later in the poem?
How is irony revealed between the
previous normal and the new
normal?
Which line provides the best
evidence?
Which line provides the best
evidence?
Which line provides the best
evidence?
How does this connect to theme?
How does this connect to theme?
What is the theme, and why is it
important?
We Real Cool
by Gwendolyn Brooks
We real cool. We
Left school. We
Lurk late. We
Strike straight. We
Sing sin. We
Thin gin. We
Jazz June. We
Die soon.
Do not go gentle into that good night
Dylan Thomas, 1914 - 1953
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
A Dream Deferred
by Langston Hughes
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore-And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over-like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
A Poison Tree
By William Blake
I was angry with my friend;
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow.
And I waterd it in fears,
Night & morning with my tears:
And I sunned it with smiles,
And with soft deceitful wiles.
And it grew both day and night.
Till it bore an apple bright.
And my foe beheld it shine,
And he knew that it was mine.
And into my garden stole,
When the night had veild the pole;
In the morning glad I see;
My foe outstretched beneath the tree.
St. Crispin’s Day Speech from Henry V by William Shakespeare
Enter the KING
WESTMORELAND
O that we now had here
But one ten thousand of those men in England
That do no work to-day!
KING HENRY V
What's he that wishes so?
My cousin Westmoreland? No, my fair cousin:
If we are mark'd to die, we are enow
To do our country loss; and if to live,
The fewer men, the greater share of honour.
God's will! I pray thee, wish not one man more.
By Jove, I am not covetous for gold,
Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost;
It yearns me not if men my garments wear;
Such outward things dwell not in my desires:
But if it be a sin to covet honour,
I am the most offending soul alive.
No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from England:
God's peace! I would not lose so great an honour
As one man more, methinks, would share from me
For the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more!
Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host,
That he which hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart; his passport shall be made
And crowns for convoy put into his purse:
We would not die in that man's company
That fears his fellowship to die with us.
This day is called the feast of Crispian:
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when the day is named,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian:'
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars.
And say 'These wounds I had on Crispin's day.'
Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember with advantages
What feats he did that day: then shall our names.
Familiar in his mouth as household words
Harry the king, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester,
Be in their flowing cups freshly remember'd.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember'd;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.
Ozymandias
Percy Bysshe Shelley
I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled
lip and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the
heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear:
`My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!'
Nothing
beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal
wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch
far away".
CHICAGO
by Carl Sandburg
HOG Butcher for the World,
Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,
Player with Railroads and the Nation's Freight Handler;
Stormy, husky, brawling,
City of the Big Shoulders:
They tell me you are wicked and I believe them, for I
have seen your painted women under the gas lamps
luring the farm boys.
And they tell me you are crooked and I answer: Yes, it
is true I have seen the gunman kill and go free to
kill again.
And they tell me you are brutal and my reply is: On the
faces of women and children I have seen the marks
of wanton hunger.
And having answered so I turn once more to those who
sneer at this my city, and I give them back the sneer
and say to them:
Come and show me another city with lifted head singing
so proud to be alive and coarse and strong and cunning.
Flinging magnetic curses amid the toil of piling job on
job, here is a tall bold slugger set vivid against the
little soft cities;
Fierce as a dog with tongue lapping for action, cunning
as a savage pitted against the wilderness,
Bareheaded,
Shoveling,
Wrecking,
Planning,
Building, breaking, rebuilding,
Under the smoke, dust all over his mouth, laughing with
white teeth,
Under the terrible burden of destiny laughing as a young
man laughs,
Laughing even as an ignorant fighter laughs who has
never lost a battle,
Bragging and laughing that under his wrist is the pulse.
and under his ribs the heart of the people,
Laughing!
Laughing the stormy, husky, brawling laughter of
Youth, half-naked, sweating, proud to be Hog
Butcher, Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat, Player with
Railroads and Freight Handler to the Nation.
Iambic Pentameter Chart for an Elizabethan Sonnet about Leadership
Ŭ
Ś
Ŭ
Ś
Ŭ
Ś
Ŭ
Ś
Ŭ
Ś
Rhyme
A
B
A
B
C
D
C
D
E
F
E
F
G
G
.
Advanced
Produce clear and coherent
writing in which the
development, organization, and
style are appropriate to task,
purpose, and audience. The
sonnet is written in iambic
pentameter with ten beats per
line in an ababcdcdefefgg
pattern. A problem is presented
in the first four lines, followed by
a solution. The final two lines
contain a “punchline” or a
conclusion to the issue.
Proficient
Produce clear and coherent
writing in which the
development, organization, and
style are appropriate to task,
purpose, and audience. The
sonnet is written in iambic
pentameter with ten beats per
line in an ababcdcdefefgg
pattern. The final two lines
summarize the topic while the
other 12 lines address one
specific topic in a logical way.
Partially Proficient
Although the development,
organization, and style are
attempted, they might be
confusing at times, or the
rhyme scheme may be
incorrect. It is possible that
the number of syllables in a
line is more or less than ten,
or that the poem has many
main ideas instead of one
with development.
In Progress
There are times when the
sonnet follows the correct
rhyme scheme or pattern, but
sometimes or all of the time it
does not follow the abba
pattern with ten beats per line.
The topic may not be focused on
one idea, it may lack
development or be confusing, or
the pattern may not be followed
at all. The final product does not
look or sound like a sonnet.