Blog #1 - Jordan Chen - Period 1 - 11/04/2020 - Freshman Lit 2021
Aim: How can we use the poem, “This is Just to Say” by William Carlos Williams as inspiration for our own poems?
The Do Now from today’s lesson read as follows:
“Describe a time when you or someone you know did something that was “technically wrong” and you should have felt sorry for it but you didn’t?”
Firstly, One time that I did something that was “technically wrong” that I should have felt sorry for but didn’t, was when I got revenge on my sibling by “tattling” for a incredibly petty reason (I believe that it was because my sister teased me and refused to let me get what I wanted) and although it was wrong, I never regretted my decision because it was that day that I learned that revenge was a dish best served cold. This activity really made me think about all the petty revenge that I took on others for (most commonly) incredibly petty and trifling matters. While speaking together in a group, I realized that others also seemed to have had such experiences in their childhoods as well, Each one of us also expressing a similar experience, showing that we as a whole have made at least a couple poor decisions due to our young age and lack of maturity.
Secondly, we were to read “This is Just to Say” by William Carlos Williams. A poem that describes a man who left a note to his wife to apologize for eating the plums in the fridge. Such a poem is often a trivial matter, although this is not the case for this poem that became very popular when it was published back in 1934. This may in part be due to the unique style of this specific poem. From speculation, this poem differs from others because of its “Free-style” nature while still being a “controlled” poem with a meaning. As such it acts as an apology while also not exhibiting any sense of guilt. While the different variations of said poem also portray such aspects as stated previously.
“I chopped down the house that you had been saving to live in next summer.
I am sorry, but it was morning, and I had nothing to do
and its wooden beams were so inviting.”
“I gave away the money that you had been saving to live on for the
next ten years. The man who asked for it was shabby
and the firm March wind on the porch was so juicy and cold.”
Next, While creating my own “This is just to say” poems I realized just how hard it was to create poems from scratch. Within 5 minutes I was only able to come up with a singular puny poem that was a joke compared to those made by others. My own skills in coming up with creative ideas were mediocre, especially when forced to create poems on the spot that satisfied the guidelines set by normal “This is just to say” poems. A fact all the more obvious when the discussion began and others shared the numerous poems they came up with in the same span of time, and while those that were shared may not have been a polished final product, they were at least presentable with the basic concepts intact. The first of which is The construction of an idea around the base that is an apology without an admission of guilt.
One of these outstanding examples from a classmate being:
“I didn't do my homework
I left it on my desk
I'm sorry but I'm tired
I really need a rest”
Following this we began to learn about imagery:
Following this we began to learn about imagery:
… Image is the root word of imagination. It’s from Latin imago, “picture,” how you see things. Images carry feelings. Saying, “I’m angry,” or “I’m sad,” has little impact. Creating images, I can make you feel how I feel.
Writing poems using images can create an experience allowing others to feel what we feel.
Perhaps more important, poems can put us in touch with our own often buried or unexpected feelings.
After watching a video, I quickly grasp the benefits and reasoning behind such imagery that allows the reader to fully realize that which I am trying to bring to life on a page, and after discussing such benefits provided by imagery, we quickly move on to the examples provided within the following slides. Of which give us a deeper understanding of the material as the images and text provided in the following slide give us the basic idea of how such ideas can be put into use in every poem and understood even subconsciously. Such as:
“the clouds collapsed,
they’re touching the ground
trying to come alive,
but they can’t.”
Such information that is provided flows into the material provided in the following slide which contains a poem with large quantities of vivid imagery, of which the class begins to annotate, such as:
“and for once our gangly starting center
boxes out his man and times his jump
perfectly, gathering the orange leather
from the air like a cherished possession”
These two stanzas provide a clear image in my head about the topic in this poem.
An important aspect to understand is the impact that good imagery has on a poem, as while on one hand, good imagery can help the reader understand more about the poem in its entirety, it also keeps it entertaining.
After finishing the annotation in the previous slide, we end off on the last slide of the class activity. The “TWIST” chart that we are to use on the poem stated in the previous slide helps to determine the theme and statement of the poem.
T
The tone exhibited by the poem portrays a triumphant end to a hard fought match.
W
With such word choices as “Helplessly, swivel, perfectly, falling” the poem perfectly portrays the movement of the ball in the heat of the match.
I
The imagery provided connects the players point of view with that of the readers, using vivid imagery to painstakingly describe every movement of the ball from the perspective of the players.
S
(i.e. thought-provoking, contentious, evocative, elegant, etc. )
The result of the choices made for “T,W,I” leaves the reader with a lot of tension between the ball and players and eventually relieving this stress when the ball eventually goes into the hoop.
T
Through teamwork you can support each other through defeat and share victories.
The author uses tension between both the teams and the ball to create a vivid image of teamwork and stress in the heat of the moment and through perfect teamwork, the tension is erased one the ball goes into the hoop and the team is victorious.
Reflection:
Today's lesson, overall taught me the basics of imagery, how to integrate imagery into my own poems, and the slight difficulties that come with creating or parodying a poem. The multiple examples provided by the slides allowed for me to have first hand accounts on how to create such poems and the boundless benefits of having vivid imagery. Such examples set up the following slides that push us to use the information that we learned in class in order to create parodies of “This is just to say” and the use of imagery in such a poem. To recap, this lesson taught me the basics of poetry, the use of imagery in poems, and the thought provoking nature of the correct use of imagery within a poem.
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