Poetry Unit Overview

Learning Objectives

  1. Learn the elements of poetry, including speaker, voice, situation, and setting.
  2. Analyze poems for poetic elements.

 

Reading Journal

Open a file (doc, docx, or pdf) for the first of five Reading Journals you will keep throughout the semester.  In this Reading Journal, you will write responses to questions on the literary works you are assigned to read.  For each reading, create a clear heading with the title and author of the work under discussion and also give the day's date. 

For Example:

"A Certain Lady" by Dorothy Parker 2/10/2021 

  1. In a "Certain Lady" the speaker is a young woman who....
  2.  The speaker seems to be addressing....
  3. The auditor is a man who...

Each time you have a Reading Journal assignment, you will go back to this file and compose answers related to the specific literary work given in the assignment.  You will keep five Reading Journals, two for poetry, two for fiction, and one for drama.  You will turn in each journal at the time indicated (see syllabus for journal due dates).  Since this is the first Reading Journal, you should title it, POETRY READING JOURNAL 1.

Grading

The journal is graded on completeness.  How thoroughly you answer each question is an indication of your engagement with the work and your effort in thinking critically about the work's elements.  Therefore, be sure you answer each question thoughtfully and in detail.