Homework Due Wed., Dec. 2 (Alpha) / Thur., Dec. 3 (Omega)

Whitman final assignments and annotated packets due Wednesday at Churchill and Thursday at Sheldon!

Homework Due Fri., Nov. 20 (Alpha) / Mon., Nov. 23 (Omega)

Type up your Civil War ballad and bring it to class.

Read "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomed" and annotate/take notes.

“When Lilacs Last in the Door-Yard Bloom’d” Notetaking Exercise

1. Find as many examples as you can of the poetic devices we have seen Whitman using in other works: alliteration, assonance, parallel structure, cataloguing/listing, juxtaposition, macrocosmic/microcosmic imagery, etc. Mark and label these examples.

2. Find places where Whitman uses panoramic imagery and/or montages. Mark these.

3. At the beginning or end of the poem, or at points where they appear in the poem, write down your interpretation of the following symbols: the star; the bird (or the bird’s song); the lilac.

4. How is this poem thematically similar to other Whitman works we have read? Write your response to this question at the end of the poem.

5. Based on this poem and other Whitman works, what do you think is Whitman’s attitude toward death? Write your response at the end of the poem.

Homework Due Mon., Nov. 16 (Alpha) / Tues., Nov. 17 (Omega)

Homework: Compost Poems

Whitman’s poem “This Compost” marvels at one of the great paradoxes of nature: how life springs out of the decay and corruption of death. Write your own compost-inspired poem or a poem that reflects some other process in which something that is corrupt, diseased, or deathly is transformed into something sublime. Try to express your ideas through sensory imagery rather than through “telling.”

This assignment must be typed. It is worth 10 points; you will automatically get full credit if you bring a typed copy of the poem to class with you on Monday, Nov. 16 (Alpha) / Tuesday, Nov. 17 (Omega).

Homework Due Tues., Nov. 10 (Alpha) / Thur., Nov. 12 (Omega)

Read "I Sing the Body Electric" and annotate/take notes on your copy of it.

Notetaking Exercise for “I Sing the Body Electric”

Specific notetaking tasks (in addition to marking your own notes and questions as you read and re-read the poem):

1. Find at least one example of macrocosmic imagery and mark it. In the margin, make a comment about why Whitman uses this imagery or how it affects your interpretation of the lines around it.

2. Find three examples of parallel structure and mark them. On at least one of them, make a comment in the margin about the purpose or effect of using parallel structure at this point.

3. Color-mark one section of the poem, using different colors to mark things (types of imagery, types of words, etc.) that you notice. Include a key, and write some notes about what your color-marking made you notice.

4. Look for and mark devices such as alliteration, sibilance, assonance, and repetition. Comment on the effect of these techniques--how do they affect your reading of the poem? Why does Whitman use them?

5. At the end of the poem, write a brief statement summarizing your interpretation of Whitman's attitude toward the human body.

6. Review “I Sing the Body Electric” and “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry.” (Better yet, re-read them.) What generalizations can you make about Whitman's style? Somewhere in your packet, start keeping a list of typical Whitman techniques, subjects, and ideas.

Homework Due Fri., Nov. 6 (Alpha) / Mon., Nov. 9 (Omega)

Continue working on "Song of Myself."

Homework Due Wed., Nov. 4 (Alpha) / Thur., Nov. 6 (Omega)

Homework: “Song of Myself” Notes

1. Read the excerpts from Whitman’s “Song of Myself” (pages 1-5 in the packet).

2. After you have read the poem through once, re-read it. This time, keep a pencil/pen in hand and annotate it as you read. Underline unfamiliar words; look them up in the dictionary and jot down their definitions. Bracket passages you find intriguing; put question marks next to things you don’t understand. Write brief summaries to help yourself do your own comprehension check. Ask questions. Jot down notes about literary devices such as alliteration, sibilance, parallel structure, etc. Write down observations about sensory imagery. In other words, read actively and record the thoughts, questions, and observations that arise from your active reading.

3. Ponder these questions:

• What kind of idea of America does this poem project? What types of imagery are associated with America? How does it portray American people?
• The poem is entitled “Song of Myself.” Who is the “self”—the “I” who is speaking in this poem? Is it consistent throughout, or does it change?