Humorous: a funny story to entertain"Isms" and the Narrative Poem
Prepared by Mrs. Searle for her 8th Grade Students
JB Young Intermediate
1709 Harrison Street
Davenport, IA 52803-4811
searlek@mail.davenport.k12.ia.us
STUFF YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU BECOME A BUDDING POET!
A NARRATIVE POEM is a poem that tells a story--usually about a heroic or mock heroic person.
There are 3 kinds of NARRATIVE POEMS:
Humorous: a funny story to entertain
Historical: a true story to inform,
and
Autobiographical: a story about yourself
to share and enrich the reader.
A NARRATIVE POEM has two elements:
the narrative element &
the poetic element.
The NARRATIVE ELEMENT =
an introduction: this sets up the situation
for the reader
a complication: this is the problem
a resolution: this is how the problem
is solved.
THE POETIC ELEMENT:
1. Rhyme
2. Rhythm
3. Lines grouped into stanzas.
"Rhyme" means repeated word sounds.
Just outside the door
I spotted on the floor
A shiny new dime
Soon surely to be mine.
NOTICE that the rhyme
appears at the end of each line...
RHYME SCHEME refers to the pattern of rhyme at the ends of the lines. The four-line example above has a rhyme scheme of aabb. This means that the first two lines have the same sound, and the second two lines have the same sound, which is different from the sound in the first two lines. Confused? Don't be. "Door" and "floor" rhyme; "dime" and "mine" rhyme.
RHYTHM is the beat, which is determined by the combination of accented and unaccented syllables. By switching the order of words or choosing different word endings, you establish a pattern of beats called meter. You listen to music--you know what beat is.
STANZAS are like paragraphs in your papers. Poems DO NOT have paragraphs; they have stanzas or verses.
You need to arrange lines in phrases that belong together.
THAT DOESN'T
MEAN YOU WRITE
A
PARAGRAPH AND
SQUISH IT UP TO
LOOK
SKINNY LIKE A POEM.
You have to think about which words naturally belong together.
Don't end a line with a preposition
(to, on, at),
Don't end a line with a conjunction
(and, but, or), &
Don't end a line with an article (a,
an, the).
Grouping words is important. This would NOT be correct line division:
Once upon a
time, I
met a silly mime.
CORRECT line division:
Once upon a time
I met a silly mime.
Correct line division places words naturally in phrases so the rhyme appears at the ends of the lines.
You have several choices regarding how to group your lines in stanzas.
You can use couplets: two lines that end with the same rhyme. Couplets are usually not set off by space above and below, but you may choose to do that for this assignment.
Couplet Example:
Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)
Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace.--Leigh Hunt
You can use quatrains: four line that have a rhyme scheme.
Quatrain Example:
Belinda lived in a little white house,
With a little black kitten and a little gray mouse,
And a little yellow dog and a little red wagon,
And a realio, trulio, little pet dragon. --Ogden Nash
The rhyme scheme for Nash's poem is aabb. Listen to the rhythm as you read aloud.
You can use cinquains: five lines that have a rhyme scheme.
Cinquain Example:
She looked at him, and he looked at her.
They were English children, born and bred.
He frowned her down, but she wouldn't stir.
She shook her proud young head.
"You'll need a crew," she said. --Robert Nathan
The rhyme scheme for the verse by Nathan is ababb.
When using quatrains and cinquains, you need to double space after each set of four or five lines.
You have read Eve Merriam's "Elizabeth Blackwell," a narrative poem which tells the story of the first female doctor. Use it as a pattern. Pay attention to how the poem makes a statement about how limiting sexism is. Remember the class discussion which gave you some background information on isms.
To find out how this extremely unjust form of thinking (sexism) found support from the scientific community, explore the following link: 19th Century Science and The Woman Question. The reading might be difficult, but it's a riot. Ask for help. It's interesting to see what used to pass for science.
THE ASSIGNMENT:
You are going to write a narrative poem that makes a point about an ism--sexism, racism, ageism, and/or religious discrimination.
I would strongly recommend writing a historical narrative poem because the facts you uncover about your chosen, famous person will help you make a point about an ism.
REMEMBER the parts you need to include in your poem: an intro, a complication, and a resolution. Use rhyme, rhythm, and stanzas as you tell the story of your main character's life.
Don't panic. Take it one step at a time. The first step requires some research.
Click on the sites I've chosen for you: women, notable women, African-Americans, African American Inventors,Native Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Asian Americans.
Select the site that most interests you. Click on several names until you find the bio of an interesting person. Print the info so you have a hard copy to take with you.
Now, the tough part. START YOUR POEM. It's easy.
You'll need to translate some of the facts into your own words.
Here's an example to help you get started. By the way, you may NOT copy this example. DUH!
Little ol' Rosa Parks
her actions created such sparks.
To the back of the bus
she was supposed to go
but her heart was filled with woe.
After a full day of scrubbing on her knees
she turned a deaf ear to all the pleas:
Move to the back of the bus
and don't make a big fuss.
She held onto her seat.
Over this, she wouldn't be beat.
ETC.
Remember to keep writing until your poem says something about how limiting your "ism" is.
As a poet, you have many options. You can use formal punctuation and capitalization, or you may choose to use no punctuation and all lower case letters. Be consistent, however.
You can decide to indent a number of lines in spatial increments. You can decide to offset certain words to give them added impact. YOU DECIDE--you are the writer.
Respond and revise.
Edit.
Word process a final copy, and add an original graphic to illustrate your narrative poem.
You will be assessed on the basis of how well you meet the requirements set out for you at this site.
You did it. You're a poet,
and you didn't even know it!
Not too lame.
Hand in your assignment.