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Literature

Big Idea Overview and Resources

Part 1: Nature Inspires
Part 2: Life Lessons
Part 3: The Strength of Family

Part 1: Nature Inspires

Overview

Nature has inspired many great poets. Human emotions are often more effectively expressed when compared to and conveyed through nature's colors and images. The poets in Part 1 demonstrate the ways in which they learn more about the human condition by meditating on the natural world.

Poets rely on form and structure to convey meaning in a poem. A poem's form, or the pattern it follows, may be prescribed, as in the case of sonnets, haikus, and limericks. Poems can also be free of any particular established form. Poetry by E.E.Cummings, for example, does not usually follow conventional rules or have an established form. The structure of a poem refers to the way the poet has organized the ideas, images, words, and lines of the piece.

Web Resources

The Poetry of Henry David Thoreau
http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/transcendentalism/authors/thoreau/thoreaupoems.html
This site contains many of Thoreau's poems, most of which were published in The Dial. Thoreau often used natural imagery to explore emotions and ideas.

A Brief Guide to Romanticism
http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/5670
This site provides a synopsis of the Romantic poetry movement, which reflected great respect for the natural world. From the site, follow links to information about poets from this period, including William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and Walt Whitman.

An Introduction to Haiku
http://www.toyomasu.com/haiku/
This is a brief introduction to the ancient Japanese form of poetry, known as haiku, and includes instructions on how to write one.

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Part 2: Life Lessons

Overview

Life lessons are often learned when we least expect them. The poets in Part 2 share truths they have learned about family, love, freedom, and most importantly, about themselves. The following selections remind readers that every experience—no matter how trivial, triumphant, or terrible—is invaluable when it leads us to wisdom.

The images in these poems are powerful because they evoke the reader's senses—sound, sight, smell, taste, and touch. Images, or word pictures, help capture an experience or sensation through a few words. These poems also use figurative language,or expressions that are not literally true but express some truth beyond the literal level. For example, William Shakespeare's comparison of his lover to a summer's day conveys layers of meaning that may not be accessible through mere description. Metaphor and similes,literary devices that compare two unlike objects, allow readers to better understand what the author is trying to express.

Web Resources

The Academy of American Poets
http://poets.org/index.php
This extensive site includes biographical information about over 500 poets, essays and articles about poetry, and 150 audio clips of poets reading their own poetry.

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Part 3: The Strength of Family

Overview

Family helps us connect to our cultural roots and heritage. The authors in Part 3 express their gratitude to those family members who bind the family together.

The authors in the following selection use different types of sound devices to enhance meaning. For example, the repetition of certain sounds, whether of particular consonants or vowels, can emphasize the idea or emotion the poet wants to communicate. Onomatopoeia is another sound device in which the words themselves imitate the sound they describe, such as “jingle” or “ring.” Sound devices also allow poets to create rhythm and mood. These devices work together with the imagery to help readers gain a better understanding of the poet's message.

Web Resources

The Poetics of Robert Frost: Examples of Sound Devices
http://www.frostfriends.org/sounddevices.html
This is an introduction to different types of poetic devices, using examples from Robert Frost's poetry.

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