Blogger #3, Melody Chen, Period 9, November 6, 2020 , Day C, Freshmen Lit

Blogger #3- Melody Chen - Period 9 - November 6, 2020 - Day C Freshmen Lit

Aim: How can we use the poem, “This is Just to Say” by William Carlos Williams as inspiration for own poems? 

Do Now: THINK/PAIR/SHARE

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?

The class discussion consisted of peers talking about wrong-doings that should have inflicted guilt. One student told a story about how she stole her sister’s shirt and was not remorseful afterward. Ms. Peterson’s story was that her friend took a blouse from their sister for an event and got it dirty towards the end of the event, but the pictures and memories created were great. 

Afterward, using sprit reading the class read “This Is Just to Say” by William Carlos Williams.

 

“I have eaten

the plums

that were in

the icebox

and which

you were probably

saving

for breakfast

Forgive me

they were delicious

so sweet

and so cold”

The poem was about a person who ate a plum and should have felt guilty because another person was saving the plum. 

Next, we used sprit reading to read about William Carlos Williams, who wrote the short poem “This Is Just To Say” to his wife. The poem has no regular rhythm, punctuation, or rhyme. This poem revolutionized poems and placed no constricting standard. 

Afterward, we used spirit reading on Variations on a Theme by William Carlos Williams

     1

 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.

      2

 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.

      4

 Last evening we went dancing and I broke your leg.

 Forgive me. I was clumsy and

 I wanted you here in the wards, where I am the doctor!

-- Kenneth Koch

After we read the poem we had to come up with as many poems that fit with “This Is Just To Say”’s concept. 

The winner of the competition was Brittany. 

Sister

I ate the leftover strawberry cake in the fridge from your birthday,

that looked pretty and sweet.

I am sorry. But it was so delicious and irresistible.

I borrowed your expensive hoodie to go out

That looked stylish and clean.

I am sorry, but it was red and looked perfect on me.

I did not feed your clownfish and blue tangs that were starving in the aquarium because of my important sleepover.

I am sorry but I could not be late for my friend’s house, since everyone already arrived.

I took your leftover money on the table to order sushi for myself.

I am sorry, but I was craving it and it tasted so good and scrumptious.

I stole your glasses that were pink and pretty.

I am sorry, but they matched my outfit perfectly and I really wanted them.

Next, we defined imagery in poetry. 

• … 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.

Then we watched a video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxASvORGoG4&ab_channel=TheRedRoomCompany

The class concluded that imagery in literature involved using the five senses, taste, touch, sight, sound, and smell. Imagery helps create immersion for the reader and describes the setting. In the discussion, we brought up the pizza text we read earlier in the year. Words, aromatic, ooey-gooey cheese, and basil created imagery that used the senses, sight, smell, and touch that helped the reader imagine the pizza. 

Afterward, we used spirit reading to read these poems:

the clouds collapsed,

they’re touching the ground

trying to come alive,

but they can’t.

                  Images from a landscape are used to indicate hopelessness,

My heart was warm,

Like the swelling waters of the ocean,

Just basking in the first rays of morning sun

Natural images (ocean and sun) are used to express joyfulness 

I felt the end of something great,

Like when you take the last bite of birthday cake,

And all that’s left is a few powdery crumbs on your frosting streaked dish

Afterward, we used spirit reading to read 

“Fast Break” By Edward Hirsch

A hook shot kisses the rim and 

hangs there, helplessly, but doesn’t drop, 

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 

and spinning around to throw a strike   

to the outlet who is already shoveling 

an underhand pass toward the other guard   

scissoring past a flat-footed defender 

who looks stunned and nailed to the floor   

in the wrong direction, trying to catch sight 

of a high, gliding dribble and a man   

letting the play develop in front of him 

in slow motion, almost exactly 

like a coach’s drawing on the blackboard, 

both forwards racing down the court 

the way that forwards should, fanning out 

and filling the lanes in tandem, moving   

together as brothers passing the ball 

between them without a dribble, without   

a single bounce hitting the hardwood 

until the guard finally lunges out   

and commits to the wrong man 

while the power-forward explodes past them   

in a fury, taking the ball into the air 

by himself now and laying it gently   

against the glass for a lay-up, 

but losing his balance in the process,   

inexplicably falling, hitting the floor 

with a wild, headlong motion 

for the game he loved like a country 

and swiveling back to see an orange blur   

floating perfectly through the net.

While we were reading, the class had to annotate the text. Some annotations consisted of personification of the basketball, the entire poem being a run-on sentence, and unity between the basketball players.

Using TWIST we discover the theme of Fast Break

Tone-dramatic

Word choice-rich, precise, descriptive

Imagery-A revolutionary moment in basketball history

Style-Engaging and a run-on sentence. Brings a sense of fast-paced commentary

Theme-teamwork brings success

Interpretative Statement-In basketball there are many aspects and one is teamwork and with good teamwork, you can reach success.

HOMEWORK

• Write a poem about a pastime you feel passionate about. 

• Structure your poem as free verse (poetry without a fixed pattern or rhyme), but consider how you want to divide your lines

• Choose precise words (diction).

• Consider imagery and other devices (metaphor, musical sounds, simile, etc.

• Your poem should be at least 20 lines long.   

• You Must create a Title, which reflects the topic of your poem.

• AND you MUST include a corresponding image or piece of artwork.

REFLECTION

I learned that poetry is a type of self-expression that has no bounds. For example, “This is Just to Say” has no strict format, or a rhyming scheme was a direct statement of a story. While the poems in slide seven were descriptive sceneries that conveys an emotion. The imagery in the story was the key component that makes poetry great. I can use this information to help me write poems by using imagery and emotions.