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WHY WRITE/READ POETRY?
Leonard Cohen interview with Adrienne Clarkson.
Hallelujah
Dance Me to the End of LoveFirst we Take Manhattan

Leonard Cohen "A Kite is a Victim". Leonard Cohen recites the first verse and the last verse of his poem "A Kite Is A Victim" from the book "The Spice-Box Of Earth", published in 1961.

A KITE IS A VICTIM

By Leonard CohenFrom: The Spice-Box of EarthMarch, 1965


A kite is a victim you are sure of.


You love it because it pulls
gentle enough to call you master,strong enough to call you fool;because it liveslike a desperate trained falconin the high sweet air,and you can always haul it downto tame it in your drawer.


A kite is a fish you have already caughtin a pool where no fish come,so you play him carefully and long,and hope he won’t give up,or the wind die down.

A kite is the last poem you’ve written,so you give it to the wind,but you don’t let it go until someone finds you something else to do.


A kite is a contract of glory that must be made with the sun,so make friends with the field the river and the wind,then you pray the whole cold night before,under the travelling cordless moon,to make you worthy and lyric and pure.


Interview with Suzanne
Link to Cohen's discussion of how he lost the rights to Suzanne. Why does he say it's fitting that he not make money from this song?
 

SLAM POETRY
Vancouver Slam Poetry
Youth Slam: Hullaballoo

 

 

MS. K'S SAMPLE POETRY PARAGRAPH ANALYSIS 

The Four Horsemen: emotional poetry

Allen Ginsberg & Paul McCartney: "The Ballad of the Skeletons"
 

Tom Waits: Bronx Lullabye

Leonard Cohen: "Hallelujah"
 

SLAM POETRY

Shane Koyczan: "We Are More" for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics
(he performed this during the opening ceremonies of the Olympics)

Taylor Mali: "On What Teachers Make"

http://www.joebower.org/2010/03/taylor-mali-is-joke.html. Is Mali's poem to be taken literally? Interesting backlash from educators.

Englishman, former English Teacher, Musician...Gordon Sumner (Sting)

E-LITERATURE: RICE
Inanimate Alice
 

some further links to past winners of the Slam Poetry contest:


SLAM POETRY


e.e. cummings BIO
"spring is like a perhaps hand" by e.e. cummings


SOME USEFUL LINKS FOR YOUR GROUP PROJECT/POETRY THEATRE ASSIGNMENT:

SOME USEFUL LINKS FOR YOUR GROUP PROJECT/POETRY THEATRE ASSIGNMENT:


READINGS:
Canadian Literature:

QUESTIONS FOR "DAVID" HERE

POETRY ANALYSIS INSTRUCTIONS:
1. READ THE POEM ONCE FIRST, before doing any analysis. Read again for analysis.
2. READ POET'S BIOGRAPHY, IF YOU CAN
3. READ ANY FOOTNOTES

ANALYSIS:
INSTRUCTIONS FOR ANALYSIS OF A POEM:
DISCUSS THE FOLLOWING:
1. STRUCTURE/PHYSICAL
-free verse?
-stanzas? rhyme scheme?
2. POETIC DEVICES
-rhyme
-similes/metaphors/alliteration/onomatopoeia
-repetition
-sound devices
-capitals=>apostrophe?
-spacing/use of space?
3. READING DEEPER
-theme: what is poet saying about the topic? life?
-title
-setting/atmosphere/mood
-imagery
-allusions

"next to of course god" by e.e. cummings

William Carlos Williams BIO
"The Red Wheelbarrow"
"This is Just to Say"

ROBERT FROST BIO
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
The Road not Taken

E.J. PRATT BIO
"The Prize Cat"

IRVING LAYTON BIO
"The Bull Calf"

SONNETS: read about the types of sonnets HERE
WILLIAM WORDSWORTH BIO
"Upon Westminster Bridge"
"The World is Too Much With Us"
ELIZABETH BARRET BROWNING BIO
"How do I love thee"
JOHN MILTON BIO
"On His Blindness"
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE BIO
"Shall I Compare Thee" click here to see how to analyze a Shakespearean sonnet.
EDMUND SPENSER BIO
"Amoretti, Sonnet #75"









E-LITERATURE.
Billy Collins' Action Poetry
Moving Poems
e-literature.org some good e.g.'s: code movie

How to Create your OWN Animated Poetry using Powerpoint/Keynote
Create your OWN VIDEO POEM.
1. Write your original poem first (You can use this for your Beatnik Presentation)
2. Use your smartphone to record video clips or take pictures to illustrate your poem
3. Use some free apps to splice together your video clips, music and your own voice reading your poem. (an example of free easy to use video editing app that I've tried on my iPhone4: Splice). If you have video editing software already, you can also use that.
4. Upload to your creative writing blog so you can share it.

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