Tuesday, 10/28/08
Warm Up: 1-8. Click and Copy.
Poetry Mini-Lesson. Line length.
Much of the meaning in poetry comes from the way the poet arranges the lines. In poetry, each line is a unit of meaning. The words a writer uses at the end of each line are specifically chosen to build meaning. In the hands of a poet, one sentence can become a work of art. William Carlos Williams was inspired to write a poem as he was caring for a dying little girl (he was a doctor too). He looked out the window of her room, as he sat by her bed, and saw the scene he describes. This is one of the most famous and best-loved, as well as most analyzed poems of all time. Here it is as a sentence:

So much depends upon a red wheelbarrow glazed with rainwater beside the white chickens.

Try arranging this sentence into a poem.
Feel free to: chop it up into lines, chop up individual words, repunctuate, not punctuate, play with the capitals.
Just don't: rearrange the order, add or subtract any words.
Remember: you're trying to build meaning into the poem with your line arrangement. This could be from the arrangement of syllables to the way the poem looks.

We'll look at the poet's version in a bit. Then keep this poem in mind as we read chapter 3 and beyond, in The Giver.


"I'd rather be a free man in my grave, than living as a puppet or a slave."  Jimmy Cliff
Agree? Disagree? Why? What would you give up to be free?
What would a perfect world look like?
How could you have no crime, no unhappiness, no dissatisfaction, no jealousy, no etc?
What things would you have to give up? Would it be worth it?

The Giver. Q and A.

The Giver. Quiz on Chapters 1 and 2. Open book, closed mouth. 8 minutes.

  1. Being "released" is the ultimate punishment in this community.  a) True  b) False
  2. In order to get Lily to not be angry at the rude little boy, her parents...  a) explain to her that the boy won't be back anyway.  b) explain to her that he had some sort of illness.  c) try to get her to understand how he might have felt.  d) tell her her feelings of anger are natural.  e) NOTA
  3. What is Jonas's father’s job?  a) teaching  b) caring for babies  c) counseling  d) He doesn't have one.  e) NOTA
  4. Besides punishment, here are only three occasions when someone would be released from the community.  a) True  b) False
  5. Who makes any important, final decisions about the way the community is run?  a) The Elders.  b) The Committee of Seven.  c) The Giver.  d) The Receiver.  e) NOTA
  6. Why does everyone know that Lily's comment about keeping Gabriel has to be a joke?  Because Lily knows that...  a) Gabriel's parents will be taking him home soon.  b)  he is going to be released soon.  c)  her family isn't allowed to have another child.  d) Gabriel has to stay at The Center until he's a 5.  e) NOTA
  7. What happens at the Ceremony of 12?  a) You get assigned your real name.  b) You get assigned your bicycle  c) You are assigned the person you are to marry.  d) You get assigned to an institute of higher learning.  e) You are assigned your job.
  8. How is that decision made?  a) You take a test to see which is appropriate.  b) You are watched throughout your life.  c) You are interviewed.  d) All of the above.  e) NOTA
  9. Who is the main protagonist of our novel so far?  a) Lily  b) The Community  c) The Giver  d) Jonas  e) NOTA
  10. Nature and wildlife are important in this community.  a) True  b) False
  11. Jonas is _____ about the Ceremony of 12.  a) distraught    b) frightened  c) apprehensive  d) excited  e) distracted
  12. Why?  a) Because he knows what the decision will be, and he doesn't like it.  b) Because he doesn't know what the decision will be.  c) Because he wants to stay an 11 for a while longer.  d) Because he will never see his friends again.  e) NOTA
The Giver, chapter 3.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

so much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow
glazed with rain
water
beside the white
chickens
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

`