English 111
Activity: Interpreting poetry
Learning Goal (Positive Interdependence)
Students will analyze, interpret, and evaluate a poem by free writing and
bringing their personal interpretations to the small group.
Individual Accountability:
 Individual free writings about the first impression from the poem are
brought to the group
 Keep groups small with four or fewer students per group
 Group spokesperson gives report on what was done and group’s
consensus on the meaning of the poem after the activity was
completed
Describe the activity to include pre-class preparation, and the steps in implementing
in class.
1. The students will receive the following informative handout about reading poems.
2. There will be a classroom discussion about the following handout information on poetry.
3. Each student will free-write for ten minutes about his/her initial response to the poem
“Guinnevere.”
4. Divide the class into small groups of four or fewer students per group.
5. Group will compare ideas on the content of “Guinnevere.”
6. Spokesperson will report to the class the groups’ consensus on the meaning of the poem.
POETRY HANDOUT
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Poetry is an art of condensation and implication.
Poetry concentrates on meaning and feeling.
Poetry demands us to experience, interpret, and evaluate
I. What we must draw from poetry
A. Details of action
B. Connections
C. Inferences
D. Conclusions
II. What we must bring to poetry
A. Intellect
B. Emotion
C. Experience
1. Life
2. Literature
III. What we must give to poetry
A. Attention to word connotations
B. Reception to sound and rhythm
C. Linguistic detail
1. Syntax (the grammatical structure of a sentence)
2. Punctuation (indicate pauses of various types)
Read and free-write your immediate impression for the following lyric poem (The
category of poetry that expresses subjective thoughts and feelings often in a songlike
form).
You will share your personal thoughts with a small group for a collaborative analysis
of the poem.
“Guinnevere”
by Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young
Guinevere had green eyes like yours, my lady, like yours.
When she'd walk down through the garden in the morning after it rained,
Peacocks wandered aimlessly underneath an orange tree.
Why can't she see me?
Guinevere drew pentagrams like yours, my lady, like yours
Late at night when she thought that no one was watching at all on the wall.
She shall be free.
As she turns her gaze down the slope to the harbor where I lay, anchored for the day,
Guinevere had golden hair like yours, my lady, like yours,
Streaming out when we'd ride through the warm wind down by the bay, yesterday.
Seagulls circling endlessly, I sing in silent harmony,
We shall be free.