For Tuesday, we won't have any questions, but we WILL have an in-class writing response over one of the poems below. So be sure to read the following...
* Who's Who (53-55)
* Minimum Wage (56)
* Proximities (57-58)
* Story of Girls (59-60)
* Fourth Grade Autobiography (61)
* The Long Deployment (64)
* From Personal Effects (65-66)
* We Lived Happily During the War (67)
Here are some tricks to reading poems, as we've discussed in class:
1. Remember, some poems have a kind of story or plot, but most don't. You have to figure out what the situation/context is based on the metaphors. So look for an intersting metaphor and try to figure out why the poem puts 'this' in terms of 'that.'
2. Also try to figure out who's talking, and who they're talking to. Most poems create a character, and understanding who this character is helps you understand the poem.
3. Think about the Title. What is is referring to? A line in the poem? Is it another metaphor? Does it make sense after you read the poem? Would it help you re-read the poem with that in mind?
4. Look for repetition as well. Repeated words or phrases are often clues to what the poem is about, or how we can understand #2.
5. Read it OUT LOUD. You will hear things you won't see on the page. You'll hear the music, the rhythm, and the mood of the piece. The way a poem sounds is often the key to what it's about.
Good luck, and see you next week!
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