Homework: Due 2/23

1. Poetry Journal #4: select ONLY ONE John Donne poem and respond. Turn in a hard copy in class and post on your blog.

2. O.R. Log #2 (due Monday, 2/26)

Homework: Due 2/21

1. Complete steps 1-4 of the poetry drill on the two poems were assigned today in class.

2. Comment on another student's blog with at least one significant paragraph (e.g. "I liked your interpretation/analysis...", "I wrote on this poem as well...", "I had an alternate interpretation of this poem...").

3. Read your O.R. book.

4. Turn in any and all late work.

Homework Due: Monday 2/12/07

1. O.R. Log #1 (see handout for more info.)

2. SOAPStone the two poems about Helen of Troy in your unit overview packet (the one with the title "Poetic Language, Voice, & Power").

3. Make at least one significant comment on a classmate's blog in at least one paragraph. This should be the person you signed up to comment on in class.

Homework Due: 2/9/07

1. Poetry Journal #2 (Remember, each response should be at least one page long of full text in paragraph form. Still write the SOAPSTone out, but the list does not count toward the page limit. Bring a hardcopy to class and post on your blog.)
DUE: Friday, 2/9/07


2. O.R. Log #1 (Check the purple handout for info. on this assignment.)
DUE: Monday, 2/12/07

3. Comment on a classmate's blog (Remember, you signed up for an individual's blog. I will be checking for a significant comment--at leasts one full paragraph-- on that person's blog on Monday.)
DUE: Monday, 2/12/07

Homework Due: 2/7/07

1. Work as a group to finish the Enhanced Poetry Glossary for Wednesday. You will receive 20 minutes on Wednesday to finish and turn in your final product.

2. Work on Outside Reading Log #1

3. Wor on Poetry Journal #2 (read all the poems, determine which ones you like so you can write on those)

4. Turn in any and all late work to avoid placement on Friday Night Homework (check with Devin or Heather for specific assignments)

"We Real Cool" by Gwendolyn Brooks

We Real Cool
by Gwendolyn Brooks

THE POOL PLAYERS.
SEVEN AT THE GOLDEN SHOVEL.

We real cool. We
Left school. We

Lurk late. We
Strike straight. We

Sing sin. We
Thin gin. We

Jazz June. We
Die soon.

What is an Explication?

An important part of studying literature/poetry is analysis of text. Examining an author's techniques—diction, syntax, tone, symbolism, imagery, and other useful devices—in communicating the all-important message can give a reader deep appreciation for both the writer's skill and the impact of the work of literature/poetry.

An explication is a specific form of essay writing in which a passage of literature is "explained." This explanation is focused strictly on the text of the passage; information that has not been placed in the passage by the author should not be included in this type of analysis. Background information about the author or the work itself, while often interesting and enlightening, should not be a part of an explication. Instead, the student must examine the methods the author uses to communicate his/her message. Therefore, the heart of the essay should be a discussion of devices used by the author as s/he expresses that theme, and these devices should be explained by examining specific examples from the text.

The best way to begin an explication is to focus on the theme expressed in the passage. What does the author want the reader to understand? Once the student identifies the message of the text, then s/he may begin to discover how the author communicates that meaning.

Homework Due: 2/5/07

Explication #1: Humble Beginnings

Choose one of the following poems listed below and write an explication over the weekend.

1. “Woman Work” by Maya Angelou
2. “Eight O’Clock” by A.E. Housman
3. “We Real Cool” by Gwendolyn Brooks

Since the format of an explication is new to you, you might want to address the following aspects of the poem in your brief essay.

• the title
• the speaker of the lines and to whom they are spoken
• the approximate location of the lines within the larger work
• the significance of the lines themselves
• the relationship of the lines to the larger work of which they are a part
• particular techniques evident in the lines
• Alliteration
• Consonance
• Assonance
• Onomatopoeia
• End Rhyme
• Internal Rhyme
• Near/Imperfect/Slant Rhyme
• Phonetic Intensives
• Euphony
• Cacophony

Requirements:

• double-spaced
• written in 12 point, Times New Roman font with 1” margins
• at least one page in length
• standard essay elements: introduction, thesis, body paragraphs, conclusion
• 2^nd period: emailed to Devin (devin@ucla.edu); 8^th period: hard copy for Heather
• Due at the beginning of the period on Monday, Jan. 5^th, 2007