Showing posts with label Exercises. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Exercises. Show all posts
Exercises & Assignment -- Week 14; Definition: "Refrain"
Read "The Lady of Shalott" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
Exercise 1:
Paraphrase each of the four sections of this poem.
Exercise 2:
This poem is considered a "ballad". Explain what is a ballad and why this poem is a ballad.
Exercise 3:
A refrain is a repetition of words, phrases or lines at regular intervals. When refrains follow a stanza they are called terminal refrains. When refrains are within stanzas they are called internal refrains. When a refrain changes a little with each repetition it is called an incremental refrain.
What is the refrain in the poem "The Lady of Shalott"? Where is it and what type(s) is it?
Exercise 4:
Listen to Loreena McKennitt's musical adaptation of "The Lady of Shalott". Which stanzas did McKennitt leave out and which stanzas did she use? Do you think that McKennit chose most appropriate stanzas or would you have included or excluded other stanzas?
Exercise 5:
Consider the "curse" of the Lady. What do you think was this curse? What triggered it to come into effect?
Exercise 6:
Identify the "liminal spaces" in this poem, and explain why you think they are liminal.
Exercise 7:
Discuss the similarities between the Lady's Castle and Plato's Cave.
Exercise 8:
It is possible that the Lady of Shallot is an allegorical figure. What do you think the Lady symbolizes? Keeping your answer in mind, what do you think the poem is about?
Exercise 1:
Paraphrase each of the four sections of this poem.
Exercise 2:
This poem is considered a "ballad". Explain what is a ballad and why this poem is a ballad.
Exercise 3:
A refrain is a repetition of words, phrases or lines at regular intervals. When refrains follow a stanza they are called terminal refrains. When refrains are within stanzas they are called internal refrains. When a refrain changes a little with each repetition it is called an incremental refrain.
What is the refrain in the poem "The Lady of Shalott"? Where is it and what type(s) is it?
Exercise 4:
Listen to Loreena McKennitt's musical adaptation of "The Lady of Shalott". Which stanzas did McKennitt leave out and which stanzas did she use? Do you think that McKennit chose most appropriate stanzas or would you have included or excluded other stanzas?
Exercise 5:
Consider the "curse" of the Lady. What do you think was this curse? What triggered it to come into effect?
Exercise 6:
Identify the "liminal spaces" in this poem, and explain why you think they are liminal.
Exercise 7:
Discuss the similarities between the Lady's Castle and Plato's Cave.
Exercise 8:
It is possible that the Lady of Shallot is an allegorical figure. What do you think the Lady symbolizes? Keeping your answer in mind, what do you think the poem is about?
Exercises & Assignment -- Week 13
Exercise 1:
Paraphrase Lord Tennyson's "Charge of the Light Brigade". Then, summarize your paraphrase into one or two sentences, focusing on the topic, theme and tone of the poem.
Assignment:
As a group assignment, write an analytical paragraph of Lord Tennyson's "Charge of the Light Brigade".
Paraphrase Lord Tennyson's "Charge of the Light Brigade". Then, summarize your paraphrase into one or two sentences, focusing on the topic, theme and tone of the poem.
Assignment:
As a group assignment, write an analytical paragraph of Lord Tennyson's "Charge of the Light Brigade".
Exercises -- Week 12
Exercise 1:
Percy Bysshe Shelley's "Ozymandias" has one overarching metaphor. Identify this metaphor and describe the main theme of this poem.
Exercise 2:
How many personae / voices are there in Percy Bysshe Shelley's "Ozymandias"? Identify them. Which persona do you think is the most important? Explain your answer.
Exercise 3:
There are several "narrative layers" in Percy Bysshe Shelley's "Ozymandias". Describe these narrative layers. What do you think was Shelley's purpose with so many narrative layers?
Exercise 4:
Do an analysis of Percy Bysshe Shelley's "Mutability". What do you think is the main message of this poem? Summarise the main theme of "Mutability" in one sentence.
Exercise 5:
Look at the following poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley: "England 1819", "Ode to the West Wind", "To a Skylark", "Ozymandias" and "Mutability".
Identify the forms that Shelley uses in each of these poems. If the form is a sonnet, identify the type of sonnet it is and take note of the closed forms (e.g. quatrains, octaves, sestets, and couplets) within it.
Exercise 6:
Compare the sonnets "To Wordsworth" and "Ozymandias" and the first stanza of "The Cloud". Are all of these sonnets traditional sonnets (i.e. English, Italian or Spenserian)?
Percy Bysshe Shelley's "Ozymandias" has one overarching metaphor. Identify this metaphor and describe the main theme of this poem.
Exercise 2:
How many personae / voices are there in Percy Bysshe Shelley's "Ozymandias"? Identify them. Which persona do you think is the most important? Explain your answer.
Exercise 3:
There are several "narrative layers" in Percy Bysshe Shelley's "Ozymandias". Describe these narrative layers. What do you think was Shelley's purpose with so many narrative layers?
Exercise 4:
Do an analysis of Percy Bysshe Shelley's "Mutability". What do you think is the main message of this poem? Summarise the main theme of "Mutability" in one sentence.
Exercise 5:
Look at the following poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley: "England 1819", "Ode to the West Wind", "To a Skylark", "Ozymandias" and "Mutability".
Identify the forms that Shelley uses in each of these poems. If the form is a sonnet, identify the type of sonnet it is and take note of the closed forms (e.g. quatrains, octaves, sestets, and couplets) within it.
Exercise 6:
Compare the sonnets "To Wordsworth" and "Ozymandias" and the first stanza of "The Cloud". Are all of these sonnets traditional sonnets (i.e. English, Italian or Spenserian)?
Exercises -- Week 10 & 11
Exercise 1:
Analyze the following poems by John Keats:
- To Homer
- On the Sonnet
- La Belle Dame sans Merci
Identify and discuss the archetypes in Keats's "La Belle Dame sans Merci".
Exercise 3:
Perform scansion on Keat's "La Belle Dame sans Merci". Do all the lines have the same metrical feet? How do they differ? What do you think is the significance of this?
Exercise 4:
The form of "La Belle Dame sans Merci" is a ballad. What is a ballad? How does it differ from a typical epic poem? How does it differ from a typical lyrical poem?
Exercise 5:
What might "La Belle Dame sans Merci" be about? For instance, the poem might be about the enslavement to sexual fantasy. Read the poem again and see if you can discover an alternative interpretation.
Exercise 6:
Read the poem "To Autumn" by John Keats and mark all the examples of alliteration and assonance.
Exercise 7:
Compare and contrast William Blake's "To the Evening Star" and John Keats's "Bright Star".
Themes and Exercises for "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"
The following are some of the major themes in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner:
Exercises:
Exercise 1:
Summarize each part and identify the main themes in each part.
Exercise 2:
What Christian and/or Biblical references are present in this poem. Look, for instance, for symbols referring to baptism, crucifixion, and original sin.
Exercise 3:
How does "nature" change after the Ancient Mariner kills the albatross? Look at symbolism, metaphor, and rhyme scheme to support your answer.
Exercise 4:
What types of imagery are present in this poem? Which senses do you think is emphasized in this poem? Why?
Exercise 5:
Find examples of "imprisonment" in the poem. Discuss how these instances contribute to greater themes of imprisonment, like imprisonment to fate or sin.
- The Natural World (The Physical) vs. The Spiritual World (Metaphysical)
- Nature vs. Man / Artifact
- Liminality (Liminal Space)
- Religion
- Imprisonment
- Retribution
- Narration (Storytelling)
Exercises:
Exercise 1:
Summarize each part and identify the main themes in each part.
Exercise 2:
What Christian and/or Biblical references are present in this poem. Look, for instance, for symbols referring to baptism, crucifixion, and original sin.
Exercise 3:
How does "nature" change after the Ancient Mariner kills the albatross? Look at symbolism, metaphor, and rhyme scheme to support your answer.
Exercise 4:
What types of imagery are present in this poem? Which senses do you think is emphasized in this poem? Why?
Exercise 5:
Find examples of "imprisonment" in the poem. Discuss how these instances contribute to greater themes of imprisonment, like imprisonment to fate or sin.
Paraphrasing a Poem
- Read the poem closely – more than once.
- Go through it line by line. Don’t skip lines or sentences or any key details. In your own words, what does each line say?
- Write your paraphrase as ordinary prose. Don’t worry about line and stanza breaks.
- Describe the literal meaning of the poem. Don’t worry about any deeper meanings.
- After you have described what literally happens in the poem, go over you paraphrase and see if you have captured the overall significance of the poem along with the details.
Exercises:
Write paraphrases for all the poems by William Blake that we have discussed so far. "The Sick Rose", "The Lamb", "The Tiger", "A Poison Tree", "Song" and "London".
Intertextuality
Poets often make use of allusions; that is, they make reference to another text (art, myth, story, etc.). In recent years literary theorists opted for the term “intertextuality” to refer to references between different texts.
William Blake’s poem “Song” has many intertextual references to Greek mythology. Some of these references are obvious, like naming the god Phoebus (i.e. Apollo, who is the sun-god and also the god of poetic inspiration). Other references are not as obvious, but can be inferred. For instance “the prince of love” is probably a reference to Eros (or Cupid). This seems to be an appropriate assumption as “the prince of love” can “glide” (i.e. fly); after all, Cupid does have wings.
Exercise:
Read the poems “Song”, “The Lamb”, “The Tyger” and “A Poison Tree” and try to identify different examples of allusions or intertextual references.
What do you think a “intratextual reference” is? Can you find an example from one of these poems?
William Blake’s poem “Song” has many intertextual references to Greek mythology. Some of these references are obvious, like naming the god Phoebus (i.e. Apollo, who is the sun-god and also the god of poetic inspiration). Other references are not as obvious, but can be inferred. For instance “the prince of love” is probably a reference to Eros (or Cupid). This seems to be an appropriate assumption as “the prince of love” can “glide” (i.e. fly); after all, Cupid does have wings.
Exercise:
Read the poems “Song”, “The Lamb”, “The Tyger” and “A Poison Tree” and try to identify different examples of allusions or intertextual references.
What do you think a “intratextual reference” is? Can you find an example from one of these poems?
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