Weekly Journal Topics

Write one complete page (approximately 250-350 words) in response to each topic. You will be expected to read aloud from your Journal on a regular basis.

Week One

What differences in tone do you hear between Walt Whitman’s "To a Locomotive in Winter" and Emily Dickinson’s "I like to see it lap the Miles"? Point out the diction in each poem that contributes to those differences.

Week Two

PART ONE: Describe a pinecone, using concrete, specific diction. Don’t compare it to anything.

PART TWO: Using the words you created to describe the pinecone, write a poem about your best friend (or your mother). In other words, indulge yourself in comparison!

Week Three

Read silently to yourself Sylvia Plath’s poem “Daddy” (Gwynn & Lindner pages 197-200). Then read the poem aloud. Describe the effect of Plath’s use of sound and rhythm to underscore the tone of voice. In what ways do the poem’s sonic effects help communicate the poem’s central theme?

Week Four

Compare three sonnets: Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 116,” Millay’s “What lips my lips have kissed,” and Addonizio’s “First Poem for You.” How does each poet conceive of love? How does the sonnet form help each poet (renaissance, modern, and post-modern) express their conception of love?

Week Five

Reread Anne Sexton’s poem, “Cinderella,” (Gwynn & Lindner pages 159-162). Like Sexton, write a poem in which you retell a famous myth or fairytale to reflect your personal worldview.

Weeks Six & Seven

Include the detailed outline of your Oral Presentation.

Week Eight

Find a reliable definition of the poetic term ode. Using that definition, explore two of Ellen Bass' odes as exemplars of the genre. What similarities do you see in tone, mood, and manner that these poems share? How do these odes interact with the other poems in her book?

Week Nine

Write a poem of approximately 20 lines in the voice of a fictional, historical, or imaginary character. Try to replicate the rhythms and habits of that character's manner of speech. Give them a reason to talk: an impetus or inciting incident that compels speech. Use the title to help your readers know who is speaking (and perhaps the context of the utterance). Models of this kind of poem include Denny's "The Chief Gardener in Retirement," "Body Double, " or "Call Me Virgil."

Week Ten

Compare the poetry of Bass, Denny, and Herrera. What major similarities do you see? What key differences? Examine their characteristic styles, thematic preoccupations, and poetics. What sort of poetry is each trying to write, and how well does each succeed (as you define success)?

Week Eleven

Examine each of the contemporary movies we watched together in light of what you've learned in this course. How does each filmmaker attempt to dramatize the life and work of the poet? What is the role of the poet in society according to each filmmaker? Freely explore similarities and differences between the film's subjects as you see fit.

Final Journal Preparation

Assemble all 10 of your journal entries into a booklet, including a title page with cover art and a table of contents (please also include your name on the front cover). Submit your booklet to your professor at the Final Exam. 100 points possible.

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