Describe the poem, identify some of its meaningful techniques or elements (metaphor, meter, images, etc).

Choose one poem from the reading for this week. Describe the poem, identify some of its meaningful techniques or elements (metaphor, meter, images, etc). How would you state its theme? (Remember, theme is the ideathe poem tries to leave you with and should be stated as a full sentence, not just a word or two. So, “war” is a topic or subject, but not a theme. But “war is horrible and violent, but deeply entrenched in human nature” could be a theme.)
Re-read either “Richard Cory” by E.A. Robinson, (p. 735) or “Nebraska” by Bruce Springsteen (p. 743). Then go and listen to either Simon and Garfunkel’s adaptation “Richard Cory” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgMZNJ8VD80) or Sprinsteen’s rendition of his song “Nebraska” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTHc_ZXsqXU). How are the songs different from the printed versions? Did they change the way you understood the lyrics? What does this tell you about the relation of printed and oral (or sung) poetry?
What, if anything, makes poetry hard for you. Pick a poem from this week and talk about some of the elements of the poem that seem difficult or off-putting?

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