Poetry Journal #5: Two Poems (or one longer one) using Concrete Images to Describe Abstract Ideas

Write a poem (at two stanzas of five lines) or two poems using two different abstract ideas.  Use concrete images to describe an abstract idea. 

An abstract idea is:  anything that cannot be directly experienced with the senses (for example, pain, love, hate, life, death, shame, joy, friendship, embarrassment, beauty, loneliness, etc.

A concrete image:  anything that can be experienced with the senses.

Poetry Journal #4: Sensory Description Poem

Write a poem of at least one stanza of five lines that uses sensory details to describe something that you love or hate.  Foods are great topics for this exercise.

Poetry Journal #3: Place Poem (Using your writing from Poetry Journal #2)

Look at your previous journal entry, and re-read it while highlighting and/or underlining phrases and/or words that you like the most or find most expressive/interesting.  Then, for Poetry Journal #3, arrange those words on a page in any way you'd like.  Think about the way the words sound, and think about how you would like to set up the poem.  Do you want it to be a few stanzas, or just one long one?  Play with the words knowing that there are no rules.  Your finished poem must be at least 8-10 lines long structured however you'd like.


(8+ lines = 5 points)

1st Semester Final Review

Overview:
Literary Terminology
Short Stories 
Of Mice and Men 
Grammar including use of commas, passive vs. active voice, and sentence fragments.
Showing vs. Telling 
Reading Comprehension/Comparing Themes

Short Stories:
“The Most Dangerous Game” (Connell), “Cask of Amontillado”  (Poe), “Thank You Ma’am” (Langston Hughes), “The Necklace” (Maupassant), “The Sniper” (O’Flaherty), “The Gift of the Magi” (O. Henry), “An American Story” (Lewis)

Link to the Online Writing Lab (OWL) page on "commas" 

Poetry Journal #2: Describing a Favorite Place with Sensory Description

On a page of your journal, using as many sensory descriptions as possible, describe your favorite place to be.  It can be a physical space or an emotional space.  Write in sentence form, but don't worry about paragraph form, spelling, and grammar.  That is not important here.  Just write as much as you can, as quickly as possible, with as much sensory details (things you see, hear, smell, taste, and feel) as possible.  Try to fill up at least one side of a page of your journal.

(5 points)

Poetry Journal #1: Defining "Poetry"?

(Make a new section of your journal for poetry by folding over a couple pages of your journal so it is easy to get to your poetry journal.)

Part One:  In three sentences, describe what you think poetry is.  What makes it different than regular writing?

Part Two:  After reflecting on today's activities and definitions of poetry, how has your definition changed?  Write a new definition, or choose one from the list and explain why you have chosen it.

(1 paragraph = 5 points)

Journal # 22: Found Poems

Write two poems that you have "found" in any book that is close to you.  You do this by finding random groups of words throughout the book, and arranging them on a page.  The poems do NOT have to make sense.

Journal #21: Your Personal "List"

Zora, the protagonist of "Wonder Woman" of the This American Life episode "Superpowers," makes a list of all the things in life she would like to accomplish.

Make your own list of things you want to learn, accomplish, do, or places you would like to go sometime in your lifetime.  Try to list ten.

Choose one of your items on the list, and elaborate in one paragraph.  5 points.

Journal # 20: Superpowers

If you could choose between the power of flight or the power of invisibility, what would you choose and why?  (1 paragraph, 5 points)