Directions
Voice & Syntax Poems
This week, read the following poems. They are also linked on the Voice & Syntax PowerPoints.
Voice & Syntax Poems
Edgar Allan Poe, “Annabel Lee” (Links to an external site.) (1849)
Maya Angelou, “Still I Rise” (Links to an external site.) (1978)
Naomi Shihab Nye, “Gate A-4” (Links to an external site.) (2008)
Robert Frost, “The Road Not Taken” (Links to an external site.) (1916)
Langston Hughes, “Mother to Son” (Links to an external site.) (1922)
Langston Hughes, “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” (Links to an external site.) (1921)
Jackie Kay, “Her” (Links to an external site.) (2005)
Jim Daniels, “Short-Order Cook” (Links to an external site.) (1985)
E. E. Cummings, “I Carry Your Heart with Me” (Links to an external site.) (1952)
Aracelis Girmay, “For Estefani” (Links to an external site.) (2007)
Denice Frohman, “Accents” (Links to an external site.) (2012)
Philip Larkin, “This Be the Verse” (Links to an external site.)(1971)
Optional videos of all poems are available on the next 2 pages. The poems are also linked there.
Preparing for the Discussion
Read and annotate the Voice & Syntax poems and watch the Voice & Syntax PowerPoints before beginning this discussion.
Then, choose your favorite of the poems we read this week and/or the one which gave you the most to think/write about. I recommend reviewing your poem annotations and your Voice & Syntax Journal before beginning the discussion.
Review all of the sources on the Voice & Syntax Discussion Resources page.
Creating the Initial Discussion Response
Consider the speaker of the poem and the way their character was established through word choice and word order.
Then, choose 1 of the following:
Write at least a 250-word description telling us more about the speaker of the poem. What do they look like? What kind of life do they lead? What is their history? Why do they feel the way they do in the poem? Use evidence in the poem and your own imagination to bring this character to life. For help with writing a character description, read this Wikihow article (Links to an external site.). Put the description in the body of your post or attach a Word file. OR
Write at least a 250-word short story inspired by the poem. This could be a prequel to the poem telling us how the speaker came to be in this situation or a sequel telling us what happened after the events of the poem. Did the speaker of Nye’s poem stay in touch with the Palestinian lady she met in the airport? Did the speaker of Poe’s poem ever get over Annabel Lee? You could also write your story from another character’s point of view: For instance, what would the son from Hughes’ “Mother to Son” say to his mother? What did the customers or the servers in the restaurant think about the speaker in “Short-Order Cook” who could fill a 30 cheeseburger/fries order? For help with writing a short story, read this Wikihow article (Links to an external site.). Put your description in the body of your post or attach a Word file. OR
Create at least 3 social media posts as the poem’s speaker (in other words, what would this character say/show in their Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, etc.)? To do this, you may put posts in your own social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, etc.). Or, you may go to Canva (Links to an external site.) and use its software to create fake posts. Link the social media posts in your reply to this discussion or embed them using the button at the top of the message.
Write a paper explaining how you came up with the content of your creative response and what you think it says about the poem’s speaker. Did creating your response make you see the poem and/or speaker differently? Why/why not?
Writing the Reply Posts
Once you have submitted your response, choose 2 of your classmates’ responses.
Choose responses that don’t have any replies. If all responses have replies, you may choose any responses you wish.
Read each response and compose a 1 paragraph (5-7 sentence) reply to it. Answer the following:
Do you think the description, story, or social media posts accurately reflect the speaker of the poem? Why or why not? Did reading this creative response make you see the poem and/or speaker differently? Why or why not?
Edit your explanatory paragraph for grammar and mechanical errors before submitting. Consult the Grammar Resources page for help.
Getting Help with the Discussion
Review all of the sources on the Voice & Syntax Discussion Resources page.
Edit your posts for grammar and mechanical errors before submitting them. Consult the Grammar Resources page for help.
If you need more help with the discussion, come to my office hours or consult one of the Writing Center tutors.
To see the rubric for the discussion, click the more options square in the upper-right:
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Purpose
Responding creatively to a poem is an excellent way to gain a deeper knowledge of it, as you must really understand and analyze the features of the poem to create the response. Also, for the upcoming Poetry Portfolio, you will be making and analyzing some kind of creative work related to one of the Unit II poems. Practicing creative responses now will make that paper easier. Finally, online discussions give you a chance to connect with your classmates and comment on their work. Studies have shown that interacting with classmates in an online environment increases your confidence as a student and promotes success in the course. Do you want to do well in your online courses? Completing the discussions is one of the best paths to success!
Last Completed Projects
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