“Darkness” Discussion Worksheet
Read the poem segment and summarize the main ideas.
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Consider any strong words/images and infer what these images and words suggest about
the poem’s meaning.
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How does the style of the poem influence its message?
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Use the space below to begin brainstorming ideas for a poem of your own.
Step 1: Choose a topic. This is easier if you choose an event that contains strong emotion.
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Step 2: Brain storm strong images/word to reinforce the sentiment you hope to elicit.
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Step 3: Suggest an appropriate style for your poem, and give reasons for this choice.
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Lord Byron wrote the poem “Darkness” in response to the events going on around him.
Your task is to find something going on around you that will inspire a poem. This can be
a political, social, or enviornmental issue – or even an interpersonal issue. The topic
needs to be relevant to you so that you can write about it convincingly. You will be asked
to consider style – that is, rhyme, word choice, rhythm, and these choices should be
informed by the content of your poem. Select your words and images carefully.
When you have written your poem, please provide a brief reflection about your poem:
what did you do well? What did you find diffuculty with? Why did you select the topic you
did? How have you used style to reflect the content of your topic?
Success Criteria:
√ Have I selected to write about an issue which is current and relevant
√ Have I chosen a “style” that refects the content about which I am writing
√ Have I “painted a picture” by carefully considering what words/images I am using
√ Is the poem meaningful and error free
√ Have I provided a one-paragraph reflection to the poem expressing my intentions
and successes/diffuculties