Friday

Today we are going to discuss the student essays that you were suppose to read last night, and then we will look at Chapter 4 - Imagery in your textbook. 

We will particularly look at "After Apple Picking"

HW: Questions 1-5 on "After Apple Picking" 

 

 Advice for reading a poem according to Pierrine in Sound and Sense

1) Read the poem more than once. A good poem will no more yield its full meaning on a single reading than will a Beethoven symphony on a single hearing.
2) Keep a dictionary by you and use it. It is futile to try to understand poetry without troubling to learn the meaning of the words in which it is composed. A few other reference books should also be invaluable. Particularly desirable are a good book on mythology and a Bible.
3) Read as to hear the sounds of the words in your mind. Poetry is written to be heard: its meanings are conveyed through sound as well as through print. Every word is therefore important.
4) Always pay careful attention to what the poem is saying. One should make the utmost effort to follow the thought consciously and to grasp the full implications and suggestions. Because a poem says so much, several readings may be necessary, but on the first reading you should determine the subjects of the verbs and antecedents of the pronouns.
5) Practice reading the poem aloud. A) Read it affectionately, but not affectedly. B) Read it slowly enough that each word is clear and distinct and that the meaning has time to sink in. C) Read the poem so that the rhythmical pattern is felt but not exaggerated. Remember that poetry is written in sentences, just like prose is, and that punctuation is a signal as to how it should be read.