Prompt #1: Paraphrasing Poetry
Choose a short poem rich in figurative language. Attempt to capture the meaning of the poem by paraphrasing it. Rewrite each line in your own words. Eliminate every figure of speech. Ignore rhythm and rhyme from the original. Simply attempt to explain the poem as a whole in your own words. Then, in a paragraph, comment on your result. How difficult did you find the process? How well do you think you succeeded in capturing the meaning of the poem? In conclusion, summarize what your revision tells you about the nature of the poem or of poetry in general.
Prompt #2: Poetry in Performance
There's a fine line between poetry and music. Often, there's no line at all. Some of the best poetry is meant to be performed, to be read for an audience. Check out this video of Joy Harjo performing "I Give You Back" Link to Video on HBO's poetry program "Def Poetry Jam." Comment on the video. How does her performance of the poem change your interpretation of the poem? How does it change your experience of the poem?
Prompt #3: DIY
As always, feel free to write your own response to poetry in general or to any of the texts that we're reading for this week. If there's any poem that you have found particularly striking, explore it and comment on it in your post.
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