April 12th, 2018

Today's class was an introductory to poetry. The lesson started with Mr. Rivers going over the meaning of tone and symbols, and how articles are different from  poetry. We were given two poems, but we only analyzed one. That one poem being "I Hear America Singing" by Walt Whitman, written in 1855.
We found specific tonal words and symbols throughout the poem and used them to decipher the meaning of the poem. For example, we searched for key words that showed the happiness of the poem, such as "The delicious singing of the mother," and "...blithe and strong,". `We were able to conclude that Walt Whitman was trying to show unity and happiness through his words. We also mentioned the American dream, since everyone described in the poem is doing a job they love to do, and we also spoke about the time period this was written in. 1855 was just before the civil war, and Walt Whitman's idea of unity and the American dream that is displayed in this poem would not apply to people of color nor women. This complicated the poem and allowed the class (or maybe just me) to see a different perspective on the meaning of this poem. The following are the notes I took during today's class:

, Thursday, April 12th

Obj: Analyze tone and symbols in poetry that create themes about a common topic; understand how to navigate PARCC

How is poetry different from articles?

• Poetry is focused on feelings/articles focus on facts
• More imagery, rhetorical devices in poetry
• Poetry--stanzas instead of paragraphs
• Poetry has a specific structure or form
• Some can be very free-form, some can be very strict and structured
• Articles are more straightforward, IMPLICIT

Tone & Symbols: How are they used

• Tone: created by the writer, attitude toward topic (positive or negative), has a range
• Symbols: have a greater/abstract/figurative meaning, also has literal meaning, concrete

Practice with Poems:

I Hear America Singing

Walt Whitman, 1855

I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear,
Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe
    and strong,
The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam,
The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off
    work,
The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat, the
    deckhand singing on the steamboat deck,
The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench, the hatter singing
    as he stands,
The wood-cutter’s song, the ploughboy’s on his way in the
    morning, or at noon intermission or at sundown,
The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at
    work, or of the girl sewing or washing,
Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else,
The day what belongs to the day—at night the party of young
    fellows, robust, friendly,
Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.