Name __________________________________
Poetry Assignment (50 points)
Due Date ________
Hardt/Harris
Option 1: Prose Art & Poetry Pairing
1- Imagine you are the editor of our textbook! Your job is to pair one of the poems we read with a
painting—any artist, any time period. You must be able to make at least 4 solid points as to why the art
piece is a good match for the poem.
 DIG DEEP—Consider a painting’s mood, emotion, colors, brushstrokes, and images. Connections
drawn between the art piece and poem are expected to be analytical, not superficial or obvious.
 Perform a close reading of the stanzas and pay special attention to things like diction, rhyme,
structure, mood, and imagery.
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Billy Collins: “The Names”
Edgar Allan Poe: “The Raven”
Phillis Wheatly: “A Hymn to the Evening”
William Cullen Bryant: “Thanatopsis”
Emily Dickinson: “Because I could not stop for Death,” “Water, is taught by thirst,”
“The Railway Train,” “A narrow fellow in the grass”
2- Prose (ie: Essay or Write-up)—Justify why the art piece is a good match for the poem.
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Typed & MLA formatted.
2 Quality Paragraphs—5 to 7 sentences, including a topic sentence with related supporting details
4 Phrase or Line Citations—Include at least 4 MLA citations of the text within the paragraphs to
support the pairing you’ve created. You could also combine multiple pieces of diction to count for
one citation.
 Be certain to mention the painter’s name and the title of the artwork, in italics!
 Submit a color copy of your painting along with your write up.
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Use the library’s computers before or after school, if necessary
Option 2: Original Lenore Poem
Imagine that you are a poet who has been inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven”
to write a prequel (prelude, prologue) poem about Lenore.
Before you can write the poem, however, you have to develop background information about her.
Think about the speaker’s feelings and attitudes toward his love.
Brainstorm to determine…
 who Lenore was (if deceased) or is (if still alive).
 what her personality traits might have been/are.
 how she might have met the speaker of “The Raven.”
 what might have happened to her that took her from the speaker’s life.
The Poem
 Use some/all of the brainstorming to write a poem that would be a prequel to “The Raven.”
 Be sure there is a rhyming pattern that uses exact rhyme, just as Poe did. Consistent meter is optional.
 Remember to use proper punctuation!
 Use descriptive language to create imagery. Remember to focus on diction!
Format
 Typed & MLA formatted.
 The work should be 1.5-2 pages—no more.
 Double space between the stanzas to set them apart.
Possible Points of View
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