High School of Math Science and Engineering

Writing Poetry Elective

Ms. Hesseltine: khesseltine@hsmse.org

The Poet Activist:

Fighting Social Injustice with Words

(or…How Poetry Just Might Save the World)

INTRODUCTION: THE POET WARRIOR

Why do we read poetry? Why do we care about poetry? What possible application can poetry have to life outside of English class? What do poets have to tell us and why should we listen?

• “The poet does not invent. He listens.” --Jean Cocteau
• “The poem is the point at which our strength gave out.” --Richard Rosen
• “Poetry is the opening and closing of a door, leaving those who look through to guess about what is seen during the moment.” --Carl Sandburg

Since the days when Homer examined the conditions and motivations for war and the subsequent destruction of Troy (and even before that!), poetry has been used to proclaim the human condition and elevate the experiences of the few to the empathy and understanding of the many. This summer while walking through the Warsaw Uprising Museum, I learned about the poorly armed Polish resistance army of men, women, and children who died opposing German and Soviet occupation. I was surprised to find that many of the freedom fighters were listed as “poets” in addition to soldiers. I examined the grainy black and white pictures plastered on the museum walls and I wondered: Who are these men, women, and children who fought injustice with their guns, their lives, and their poetry? Who are the other poet warriors in this world?

Poetry throughout time (and even now) has served as a vehicle for calling attention to the prevailing social problems of the poet’s time. Walt Whitman recorded the devastating effects of a Civil War on his country. Sylvia Plath examined her role as a woman in the 20^th century. Alexie Sherman laments the lost identity of an entire race of people. Nikki Giovanni probes the lingering hiding places of racism and discrimination. Individual poets often give voice to displaced portions of a larger population and call mass attention to a pressing social problem that has been ignored or muted.

In this project, you will examine Poets who use(d) their poetry as a means for heightening awareness of a social situation/problem and thus facilitate social activism. Such poets use their work to speak on behalf of a specific social issue and thus advocate for a silenced portion of the community. In glancing over your list of Poet Activists you will find that they all dissect Social Injustice in its many forms, including (but not limited to): Immigration—both Voluntary and Involuntary, Cultural Assimilation, Political Exile, Drug and Alcohol Abuse, Illness—physical and mental, Gender Inequities, Sexism, Domestically and Culturally Imposed Community Roles, Racism, Homophobia, Poverty, Education (and lack thereof), Intolerance, Xenophobia, Historical Perspectives, Violence, War, Genocide, Imperialism, Urbanization, and Death of a Language/Community.

THE TASK:

In short, your study of the ways in which Poet Activists affect public policy in the world around you will demonstrate the strength of poetry in giving a voice and identity to those who have been unable to politically or culturally assert their identities and rights heretofore. You will examine and understand the ways in which Poetry champions awareness—a first step towards affecting policy and change.

You will examine one Poet Activist, his/her poetry, and his/her role in advocating for change through social awareness or public policy. Your project will include the following components (each of which will be guided by various PPA worksheets):

60 points total

• Poet Analysis (a two paragraph examination of the poet’s biographical details and life as an activist) 20 points
• Poem Analysis (annotations and an examination of the issue dealt with in one specific poem--How is the theme/message developed through poetic devices and word choice?) including PPA Worksheet #1/2.

Annotation: 5 points; Analysis/Worksheet #1: 10 points

• Your own poem examining an aspect of Social Injustice or calling attention to an Activist issue including brief responses to PPA Worksheet #3. 10 points

· Presentation of Poet as Activist—a reading of one selected work by your poet and a brief explanation of your poet as an Activist to include an illumination of the issues treated by this writer (to include brief responses to PPA Worksheet #4/5/6). 15 points

*The PPA Worksheets are located at the bottom of this Web Quest.

THE PROCESS:

1. Choose one of the poets below. Use the provided links (as well as others you may discover on your own) to research the life, poetry, and activism of this poet. Write two paragraphs explaining this poet’s general biographical information and role as an activist.

· Margaret Atwood

· Amiri Baraka

· Joseph Brodsky

· Gwendolyn Brooks

· Charles Bukowski

· C.P. Cavafy

· Sandra Cisneros

· Lucille Clifton

· Billy Collins

· Victor Hernandez Cruz

· Ralph Waldo Emerson

· Allen Ginsberg

· Nikki Giovanni

· Robert Graves

· Homer*

· Langston Hughes

· Rudyard Kipling

· Yusef Komunyaka

· Czeslaw Milosz

· Pablo Neruda

· Sylvia Plath

· Wilfred Owen

· Adrienne Rich

· Sonia Sanchez

· Alexie Sherman

· Gary Soto

· Edna St Vincent Millay

· Gertrude Stein

· Wislawa Szymborska

· Derek Walcott

· Walt Whitman

· You may choose your own poet but please see me before starting your project.

RESOURCES: Using the links below (you may use others that you come across in your research but avoid using Wikipedia as a source and be sure to CITE CORRECTLY), explain in two-paragraphs your findings on your poet, his/her brief biographical information, and his/her role as an activist. 20 points

· www.poetryfoundation.org

· www.poets.org

· www.loc.gov/poetry/

· www.poetrypoetry.org

· http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets.htm

· http://www.smith.edu/poetrycenter/readings/fall02spring03.html

*Note—you may have to draw your own conclusions as to how this poet advocated on behalf of a specific social issue and how this might have affected public policy given the time period. Some poets may be activists for several causes simultaneously. Feel free to choose a single issue or topic in relation to the poet.

2. Choose one poem from your chosen poet’s body of work that is indicative of their thoughts or ideas concerning a social issue or injustice. Annotate this poem (using our class annotation handout from the beginning of the year—this technique should be familiar to you by now!) for Meaning, Function, and Structure/Device/Word Choice. Complete PPA Worksheet #1/2 to explain what Social Issue is addressed by the poem and how it reveals the poet’s attitude/stance/examination of it. 15 points

3. Now, you are the POET WARRIOR. Considering the ways in which your chosen poet used his/her poetry to call attention to a social issue/problem, write your own poem that likewise addresses a social issue. (For inspiration, complete PPA Worksheet #3 and see the list in the introduction for ideas or look around you, what issues arise in your daily life?) You might want to readdress the issue chosen by your poet and consider it from your (possibly) more contemporary perspective. You might want to readdress the issue from a new point of view. You also might want to raise awareness for another completely different social problem or injustice that you feel is largely muted in society or school. Be creative and be sure to draw upon the skills you’ve acquired over the course of this elective.

10 points

4. Lastly, upon returning to school you need to be prepared to help your poet in his/her activism. You will recite your selected poem to the class, briefly identify significant use of structure or device, and explain the social issue/problem voiced by this poet. You will also need to be prepared to answer questions about your chosen Poet Activist, especially in regards to his/her biographical information and role as an activist. Complete PPA Worksheet #4/5/6 in order to prepare yourself for this presentation (it should only last about five minutes). For the love of Amiri Baraka, don’t forget your Recitation techniques! 15 points

EVALUATION: The following rubrics will be used to evaluate your work and each step of your project. Please be sure to arrange each component in the order demonstrated here. All work must be typed, edited, and should follow standard formatting (12 point font, Times New Roman, etc). Be neat! Be creative! Be a poetic rockstar!

Poet Analysis:

20-18	17-16	15-14	13-0
Displays extensive knowledge of poet’s biographical information with consistently CORRECT CITATION. Fully explores poet’s role as an activist with fresh insights.	Explains key biographical information about poet with mostly correct citation. Describes poet’s role as activist.	Includes some key biographical information. Flawed citation. Lack of student’s voice. Weakly examines poet’s role as activist.	Inaccurate or lacking biographical information. Missing citation. Evidence of plagiarism. Fails to explain poet’s role as activist.

Poem Annotation and Analysis:

Annotation

5	3	1
Poem is thoroughly annotated for meaning, function, and structure/device/word choice. Student makes clear connections between meaning and structure/device.	Poem is annotated for meaning, function, and structure/device/word choice. Some connections are attempted between meaning and structure/device.	Poem is sparsely annotated, demonstrating little understanding of meaning, function, or device.

Analysis

15-14 points	13-12 points	11-10 points
· Identifies the social issue or problem voiced in the poem. · Examines the poet’s use of structure/device to convey meaning. · Explores the poem’s use as a tool for activism--drawing thoughtful and defendable conclusions. · Connects poet’s biographical information with social issue addressed in poem.	· Attempts to identify the social issue/problem. · Attempts to connect meaning to structure/device. · Briefly discusses the poem as a tool for activism. · Attempts to connect poet’s biographical information to social issue but is somewhat unconvincing.	· Fails to identify the social issue/problem voiced in poem. · Fails to connect meaning to any structure/devices. · Unclearly explains how poem may function as a tool for activism. · Fails to connect any of the poet’s biographical information to the social issue.

Your Own Poem:

10-9	8-7	6-5
A creative, thoughtful poem that demonstrates a knowledge and sophisticated use/consideration of form, device, word choice, structure, and poetical function. Heightens public awareness of a social issue or problem.	An original poem that attempts to demonstrate and use knowledge of various forms, devices, word choice, structure, and function. Attempts to address a clear social issue or problem.	A poem that demonstrates very little knowledge/use of the forms, devices, word choice, structure, and function explored in class. Appears hurried and not fully developed—unclear connection to a social issue or problem.

Presentation:

15-14	13-12	11-10
Recites poem demonstrating a mastery of recitation techniques. Astutely explains poet’s biographical information and connects it to his/her role as activist. Deftly fields questions about poem and poet.	Recites poem demonstrating an awareness of recitation techniques. Attempts to explain poet’s biographical information. Is somewhat able to connect this information to the role of activist. Adequately fields questions about poem/poet.	Poor recitation demonstrates unfamiliarity with techniques or poems. Fails to demonstrate a cursory knowledge of the poet’s biographical information. Unable to adequately field questions about poem/poet.

Standards:

E2a: Produce a report of information.

E2b: Produce a response to literature.

E3c: Prepare and deliver an individual presentation.

E3e: Listen to and analyze a public speaking performance.

E4a: Independently and habitually demonstrate an understanding of the rules of the English language in written and oral work.

E5a: Respond to poetry using interpretive and critical processes.

E5b: Produce work in poetry that follows the conventions of the genre.

Conclusion: Having researched and explored your chosen Poet Activist, you should now be forming your own ideas about the power of poetry and its role in shaping the world around us. Do you believe that poetry can give a voice to those who have been traditionally marginalized? Can poetry save the world? Is poetry really activism? Are you a Poet Activist? Remember, Percy Blyshe Shelley tells us, “Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world,” while Aristotle reminds us, “The distinction between historian and poet is not in the one writing prose and the other verse…the one describes the thing that has been, and the other a kind of thing that might be. Hence poetry is something more philosophic and of a graver import than history, since its statements are of the nature rather of universals, whereas those of history are singulars.” Who is the poet to you?