Group Poetry Explication: John Keats & Adrienne Rich

OVERVIEW:

The longer works by Adrienne Rich and John Keats in our anthology are representative of the respective voices of the two poets. We have taken notes on the cultural, philosophical, and biographical influences on both these poets and I have modeled techniques for explicating poems, firstly on their own terms, and secondly within the context of different factors that may have influenced the poem. (Explication: to analyze a work of poetry line by line in order to construct an understanding of the poem as a whole.) In a small group you will be explicating one of the longer works by either of these two poets in order to teach the poem to the class.

ASSIGNMENT:

In your groups you will need to teach one of the following five poems to the class: “Ode to a Nightingale,” “Ode on a Grecian Urn,” “To Autumn,” “History,” or “Modotti.” Your presentation should be between 25 and 30 minutes long and include the following:

1. Handout: This needs to be used as a teaching tool and should follow along with your presentation. There should be sections that students fill out as your teaching. Keep it concise and simple, no more than one page front and back.

2. Visual Aids: For this assignment we will be using Power-Point. You will be given class time to prepare your ideas for the power-point presentation, and we will use a Wednesday Block to go to the computer lab so you can put the power-point presentation together. You will use the power-point to explicate every line of your poem, though you may chose to do this stanza by stanza or every few lines by every few lines. EACH GROUP WILL NEED A DISK TO SAVE THE PRESENTION!!!

First one group member will read the poem through once. This person must rehearse the reading of the poem, pronounce each word correctly and use the punctuation, line breaks, and other structural elements to present the poem professionally. After the reading of the poem, each group member must explicate an equal portion of the poem, explaining the ideas within the context of the rest of the poem and in relation to the potential cultural, philosophical, and biographical influences we have already discussed. Each group member must also involve the audience, by both asking questions and having the class fill out sections of the handout. Your group’s conclusion should briefly review the development of ideas within the poem and explain the tone(s), and the overall theme.

ASSESSMENT:

You will be graded individually based on the following criteria:

Quality of Explication: Do you explain the content of each line? Do you explain the ideas in relation to the rest of the poem and to external influences when appropriate? (10 points)

Audience Involvement: Do you ask questions and do your best to involve the audience in the discussion? Do you have the audience use their visual aid in some way? (10 points)

You will be graded as a group based on the following criteria:

Quality of Visual Aid: Are your pages well organized? Did you incorporate sound, color, and composition in an effective way? (10 points)

Quality of Handout: Is your handout professional looking? Does it follow along with your presentation? Is all the information covered in an orderly fashion? Is the class expected to take meaningful notes? (10 points)

Quality of Conclusion: Does your conclusion summarize the development of the poem? Does the conclusion address the elements of tone and theme? Do you ask for any final questions and/or comments? (10 points)

Name: ______________________