Critical read summaries part 2

GUIDELINES FOR SECOND “SET OF THREE” CLOSE, CRITICAL READS

Critical Reads – Second Set of Three ~ Due: 12/9

Three different works your focus for this second set of critical reads. Choice: 1) Poetry: Locate three (3) poems from the Norton text or another anthology

of poems by a publicly recognized poet with whose poems you resonate; or

2) Mixed: Two (2) poems and a third (3rd) work: a one-act play, or a non-

fiction selection, such as a chapter from a memoir.

POETRY SELECTIONS

• Read over your selected poem(s) at least twice. Consider the title of the poem as you begin to read. The first time, read it slowly to yourself for content,

sound, and the ‘sense’ of the compressed form and poetic qualities of the poem. Is

there a specific setting integral to the poem and its meaning? Re-read the poem to

appreciate its nuances, figurative language (diction), lines, pauses, white space,

repetitions, and emphases. What is proffered or implied? Return to the title of the

poem and re-consider how it relates to the meaning of the piece.

• Read the poem again, this time aloud. As you read the poem aloud, listen for its rhythmic patterns and how the words and syllables shape the rhythm. It can also

help to hear someone else read the poem. Look online and find a recording of the

poem, if you can. Listen to how the words flow from line to line, where the breaks are,

which words are stressed, and where words are repeated.

• Note rhyme or ‘free verse’ scheme. You’ll notice right away if a poem rhymes or is written in free verse. How does this style befit the poem?

• Break down the structure. Take a step back and look at the poem on the page. Notice the white space around the words. Some poetry makes a visual statement as

well as an emotional one. Look at the details of this structure—e.g., how many lines

are in each stanza. Notice where the line breaks are. Does the end of every line

coincide with the end of the thought? If not, the poet may be using enjambment, where

one line continues into the next.

• Determine the form of the poem. In your poem analysis, note what type of poem you’re reading based on the elements you’ve examined. For example, if a poem

has three quatrains (four-line stanzas) followed by a couplet, the poem is a sonnet.

• Study the language in the poem. Poets make deliberate word choices to craft their poems. Examine each word and its significance in the line and the poem. How

does it contribute to the story? If there are words you don’t know, look them up. See

how the poet plays with language through the use of metaphors, similes, juxtaposition,

and figurative language. Note any literary devices used, like alliteration, allusion, that

help sculpt the poem’s language.

• Study the content of the poem. As you wade through the language of the poem, look at the content and message of the piece to uncover the theme. Learn when it was

written to learn the historical context of the poem. Find out where it was written, and

GUIDELINES FOR SECOND “SET OF THREE” CLOSE, CRITICAL READS

what language the poet used. If you’re reading a translation, see if there are other

variations that can show how different translators interpreted the original work.

• Determine who the narrator is. Try to identify the speaker of the poem. Is the poetic voice from first-person point of view, second-person, or third-person? What

tone does the narrator convey? The speaker’s identity influences the telling of the

poem based on their personal perspective.

• Paraphrase the poem line by line. Finally, go through the poem again. Beginning with the first line, paraphrase each line. In other words, interpret the

meaning, writing down your summary as you go. Once you’ve gone through the entire

piece, read your words to grasp the meaning of the poem.

MIXED OPTION (TWO POEMS, plus a short dramatic selection or a non-fiction work)

DRAMA or Creative Non-fiction (CNF)

Drama. Schedule an Appt. with our course embedded librarian, Cristy Moran,

[email protected] (or, email her within our course shell) for help in obtaining ONE-

ACT Plays by famous dramatists. (Note: Many websites offer 7-day trials for access, but I

would avoid providing your credit info). A dramatic work (two monologues) available in

the Norton text is “from Talking With,” 851-855.

Creative Non-fiction. For Chapters within memoirs of accomplished persons across many

fields, you can access these books at the campus Libraries and also online, similar to “Aria”

by Richard Rodriguez.

In addition to chapters from Memoirs, other types of creative non-fiction (CNF) include:

Indigenous peoples’/ancient creation

myths

Personal Essays (on every subject

under the sun!)

Diaries or journals by the oppressed

War stories

Refugees’ stories

Slave narratives

Autobiographies

Biographies

Journalistic prose

If you go this route, email me your consideration and the URL to the piece.

This second “set of three” CRs is due Dec. 12/9.

Please Email me by or before Nov. 11th the Titles, Author names, and, if not included in our

text, the pdf or URL for each of your three (3) selected works.

Good going forward!