World Literature: Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe
Found Poetry Assignment
‘Found’ poetry assignment means you will not have to originally compose the phrases that
make up your poem, but you will ‘borrow’ phrases that you ‘find’ as you read the novel.
Your assignment: Write/compose a poem about Okonkwo, the main character in the novel
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe.
Your poem should:
should: * have
have at least 14 lines, no more than 30
* either rhyme or incorporate other sound devices
* be submitted TYPED, twice
…once without and once with source pages indicated (see sample below)
Found Poetry Assignment SAMPLE (without source pages):
Merry Dance of Death
C. Chase
Clap your teeth before your heart flies out.
Death is skulking in the air, as people black and naked
Choked by excessive humanizing
Become black shadows of disease and starvation.
Indeed a heavenly mission
…Of brute force.
Burglars tear treasure out of the bowels of the land,
While butchers improve unhappy savages, and rave of the conquest of earth,
Or bathe in the glitter of the great river glory.
Sunken eyes, enormous, vacant orbs
And messengers of the might within the land are
Buried in a vast grave of civilization, plastered in pain and despair.
Everything, in that lightless region of subtle horrors, in apple-pie order.
As the merry dance of death goes on.
But what does price matter,
If the trick is done well?
Found Poetry Assignment SAMPLE (with source pages):
Merry Dance of Death
C. Chase
[Clap your teeth before] your [heart flies out.]
[Death is skulking in the air,] as [people black and naked]
[Choked by excessive] [humanizing]
[Become] [black shadows of disease and starvation.]
30/30
4/12
29/29
14
Indeed [a heavenly mission] …Of[brute force.]
[Burglars] [tear treasure out of the bowels of the land,]
While [butchers] [improve] [unhappy savages,] and [rave] [of the conquest of earth,]
Or [bathe in the glitter of the great river] [glory].
5/4
27
27/29/13/26/4
27/5
[Sunken eyes, enormous, vacant] [orbs]
And [messengers of the might within the land] are
[Buried in a vast grave of] [civilization,] [plastered] in [pain] [and despair].
[Everything], [in that lightless region of subtle horrors], [in apple-pie order]
As [the merry dance of death goes on.]
14
2
57/30/62/14/14
15/53/15
11
[But what does price matter,]
[If the trick is done well]?
30
30
Page numbers to the right are from Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
Dover Thrift Editions
Fatal Passion
Earnest research and curiosity
In deepest mysteries of creation—
creation —
Enthusiastic frenzy blinded me
To my detestable occupation.
occupation.
The moon gazed on all my midnight labors;
Dark passions,
pa ssions, insanity possessed me.
me.
A figure
figure most hideous and abhorred,
abhorred,
My accomplished dream—
dream—a catastrophe.
Selfish pursuit became
became hideous hell.
With manifold miseries, tormented
I writhed, gnashed my teeth, haunted and unwell.
Ardour of my nature, now lamented.
Fatal impulse—
impulse— regret everlasting;
Your wishes may be a serpent to sting.
[Fatal Passion]
54
[Earnest research] and [curiosity]
In [deepest mysteries of creation] –
[Enthusiastic frenzy blinded me
To] my [detestable occupation].
25/25
38
169-169/169
[The moon gazed on] all [my midnight labors];
[Dark passions], [insanity possessed me].
[A figure most hideous and abhorred],
My [accomplish]ed [dream] – a [catastrophe].
45
89/197
204
48/49/48
[Selfish pursuit] [became[hideous] hell].
[With manifold miseries], [tormented
I writhed], [gnashed my teeth], [haunted] and unwell.
[Ardour of my nature], now [lamented].
50/50-204-50
155/60-60/82/166
27/???
[Fatal impulse] — [regret / everlasting];
[Your wishes may be a serpent to sting].
28/198
16
Page numbers to the right are from Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
©1988 TOR edition