Introduction to ENG4U1
Investigating the Human Experience and Self Actualization Through Literature
Poem: “Did I Miss Anything?”
1. Identify the author’s tone. Support your answer with evidence from the poem. (Identify literary device(s)
used. Make connections.)
2. What is the central message of the author?
3. What does the author imply about the student’s attitude towards school and possibly life?
Extend
1. Applying the author’s message to your own life, write a thesis statement on the following topic: My final
year of high school.
DID I MISS ANYTHING?
Tom Wayman . The Astonishing Weight of the Dead. Vancouver: Polestar, 1994.
Question frequently asked by
students after missing a class
Nothing. When we realized you weren't here
we sat with our hands folded on our desks
in silence, for the full two hours
Everything. I gave an exam worth
40 per cent of the grade for this term
and assigned some reading due today
on which I'm about to hand out a quiz
worth 50 per cent
Nothing. None of the content of this course
has value or meaning
Take as many days off as you like:
any activities we undertake as a class
I assure you will not matter either to you or me
and are without purpose
Everything. A few minutes after we began last time
a shaft of light descended and an angel
or other heavenly being appeared
and revealed to us what each woman or man must do
to attain divine wisdom in this life and
the hereafter
This is the last time the class will meet
before we disperse to bring this good news to all people
on earth
Nothing. When you are not present
how could something significant occur?
Everything. Contained in this classroom
is a microcosm of human existence
assembled for you to query and examine and ponder
This is not the only place such an opportunity has been
gathered
but it was one place
And you weren't here.
http://www.library.utoronto.ca/canpoetry/wayman/poem5.htm
Poetry Slam: The Haiku
The haiku is a form of verse invented in Japan centuries ago. The haiku is a short three-line poem with
the following structure:
Five syllables
Seven syllables
Five syllables
The words speak of a mood, a strong feeling, or an atmosphere. Although the poem is usually about
nature, a person’s thoughts and emotions are often included.
This form generally presents one simple observation, and no more. But this one visual image creates a
tension designed to make the reader think. This tension is usually produced by presenting a contrast and
forcing the reader to make the connections between the seemingly disjointed parts of the image.
The impact of the poem is like that of a pebble tossed into a stream. As you read the poem, it ripples your
imagination, expanding and developing as you sense and share the experience of the poet.
Its form is ideal for reflective thought.
Examples of Haiku poetry
Life Lesson (translated from Japanese, resulting in additional syllables)
Don Raye
The fierce wind rages
And I see how trees survive –
They have learned to bend.
New Year’s Day
Basho
The first day of the year:
Thoughts come—and there is loneliness;
The autumn dusk is here.
Extend
Write a haiku poem on the human emotion assigned. Be ready to share your poem on the following day.