Poetry of War
Jessica Jensen
Sierra Nevada College
Summer 2011
1
Table of Contents
Introduction
Curriculum Standards
Grading Rationale
Grade Tracker
Lesson 1 – Intro to Poetry of War
Appendix 1-1
Appendix 1-2
Appendix 1-3
Lesson 2 – The Soldier
Appendix 2-1
Appendix 2-2
Appendix 2-3
Lesson 3 – At Home
Appendix 3-1
Appendix 3-2
Appendix 3-3
Lesson 4 – Current Issues
Appendix 4-1
Appendix 4-2
Lesson 5 – Poetry Final
Appendix 5-1
References
3
4
5-6
7
8-9
10
11
12-13
14-15
16
17
18
19-20
21
22-23
24
25-27
28
29
30-31
32
33
2
Introduction
This unit will be covering poetry. Instead of just diving into random poems, we will be
exploring specifically war poetry. The students will be able to see poetry as told through the
eyes of various people that were and still are affected by war. The unit will begin by discussing
the basics of poetry; how words describe feelings, the use of oxymoron’s and irony, and how to
decipher the tone and mood of the author. Next we will explore poetry through the eyes of the
soldier. Students will receive various poems that will be examined to understand the author’s
feelings toward the war they were fighting in. We will then move on to poetry written from the
view point of those left home while their loved ones are away fighting a war. War poetry will
come to an end with students examining current war issues as seen through poetry.
One item that will probably be new to students is learning about Found Poetry. Through
this type of poetry students are able to create poetry by using another poet’s words. This not
only allows students to create their own work, but helps them learn how to choose meaningful
words that play a role in describing the author’s tone, mood, and point of view. Eventually we
will end the poetry unit by stepping into of war of the student’s choosing and putting ourselves in
the shoes of the soldier during a particular war. Students will create a journal entry from which
they will then make their last Found Poem from their own words.
I’m hoping at the conclusion of this unit, students will have a new appreciation for the
power of poetry and come to a different kind of understanding for the power that words play in
describing thoughts and feelings.
3
Curriculum Standards
Content Standards
Lesson 1
Lesson 2
Lesson 3
Lesson 4
Lesson 5
Intro to
Poetry
The
Soldier
Coming
Home
Issues
Today
Poetry Final
3.12.5:
Identify the effects of rhythm
and rhyme on text.
3.12.7:
Analyze the influence of
historical events and culture
on author’s works.
4.12.2:
Analyze the use of
• figurative language
• analogies; Explain words
and phrases that reveal an
author’s tone.
6.12.3:
Write poetry
7.12.1:
Listen for and identify
• main idea
• mood
• purpose
• messages
• tone
• persuasive techniques;
Listen for and distinguish fact
from opinion.
7.12.3:
Expand vocabulary through
listening.
4
Grading Rationale
Class Participation:
Being in class is key to understanding and learning about the content will be discussing this
semester. For that reason every time a student is in class they will receive and automatic 5 points
just for being there. I will keep a list of students with me throughout the class period and if a
student is disruptive they will receive a minus mark next to their name that will remind me to
minus a point from their class participation. If a student has an excused absent, they can make up
the points by completing an alternative assignment.
Essays:
There will be 4 essays assigned during the first semester. Each essay is worth 100 points with a
total of 400 points for all essays, so it is very important that these do not get neglected. The
essays will cover various topics that will be chosen by the students with regards to their current
reading assignments. The length requirement will be 3-5 pages times new roman, double spaced.
Poetry Writing:
During our poetry unit, the students will be asked to create their own piece of poetry. This
assignment will be worth a total of 50 points. We will be discussing many different types of
poetry that the students will then be able to choose which type of poem they would like to
complete.
Homework Assignments:
These will vary greatly. Some will be questionnaires about their assigned reading while others
may have to do with class projects and smaller writing assignments. There will be 1 homework
assignment each week with a total of 20 for the semester. Each of these will count for 10 points.
I feel that smaller homework assignments are important and necessary as it helps keep students
on track and prepares them for bigger assignments.
Reading Quizzes:
There will be many assigned readings throughout the semester. To ensure that the students are
completing their assigned reading, I will be giving random reading check quizzes. There will be
a total of 10 of these and each will be worth 20 points for a total of 200 points. Again this helps
keeps students on track and prepared for topics we will be talking about in class.
Journals:
Everyday there will be a quote, idea, or other various writings written on the board. The first 5
minutes of every class students will come in and immediately sit down and write their thoughts
regarding whatever may be written on the board. This will hopefully get their minds churning
and ready to discuss and work. Each writing will be worth 5 points with 500 total points.
Journals can easily be made up by those who are absent by borrowing a friends journal or seeing
me for that days writing topic.
5
Vocabulary Tests:
I want my student’s vocabularies to continue growing so for that reason students will be given a
vocabulary list at the beginning of each month. These lists will be taken from the student’s
vocabulary organizers and from a list of words I feel are important to learn. Once a month they
will be tested on these words. Each test is worth 50 points with a total of 250 possible for the
semester.
6
Grade Tracker
Based on a semester approx. 20 weeks (100 class meetings)
Class Participation: 5 points a day- ___/500 possible
Essays: 100 pts each- ___/400 possible
Poetry Writing: 50 pts - ___/50 possible
Homework Assignments: 10 pts each - ___/200
possible
Reading Quizzes: 20 pts each - ___/200 possible
Journals: 5 pts each - ___/500 possible
Vocabulary Tests: 50 pts each - ___/250 possible
7
Teacher: Jessica Jensen
Subject Area: English
Grade Level: 9-12
Unit Title: Poetry of War
Lesson Title: Intro. to Poetry of War
Overview: Students will be introduced to a new unit on poetry. Poetry will be being taught by
looking at poetry of war as seen from the soldiers point of view at various phases and by also
looking at poetry of war regarding current issues - ie: during the war, at home, etc.
Connection to the Curriculum: This lesson can be connected to social studies
Connection to Standards (List local or national standards which will be met upon completion
of this lesson.):
3.12.5: Identify the effects of rhythm and rhyme on text.
4.12.2: Analyze the use of • figurative language • analogies; Explain words and phrases that reveal
an author’s tone.
6.12.3: Write Poetry
7.12.1: Listen for and identify • main idea • mood • purpose • messages • tone • persuasive
techniques; Listen for and distinguish fact from opinion.
7.12.3: Expand vocabulary through listening.
Time: 90 mins
Materials/Equipment Required:



―The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner‖ poem
Vocabulary Organizer
Charles Bernstein’s ―Poem Profiler‖
Objectives: Students will be able to:



Discuss language used in the poem that reveals the author’s tone
Identity mood, purpose, and message that the author is sending
Define new words learned in the poem
Suggested Procedure
8
Opening: Discuss the uses of poetry with the students. Ask students if they ever rhyme on
purpose whether talking to friends, family, etc and why they would do this. Start explaining that
poetry is used to convey thoughts, feelings, and ideas that can be more easily written by using
the poetry form. Poetry is not a ―girly‖ thing, in fact there have been many poems written by
men fighting wars. This poetry unit will be based on war poems and the effect war had on the
writer.
Development:




Students will all receive a copy of Randy Jarrell’s poem ―The Death of the Ball Turret
Gunner‖
o Pick out unknown words to be added to their vocabulary organizers
o Pay attention to the figurative language and ask students questions like:
 What is your reaction to this poem?
 What do you know about the gunner?
 How would you describe the content of the poem?
 What is the author's attitude toward war as presented in the poem?
Discuss as whole group answers to the above questions
Students will all receive a copy of Charles Bernstein’s ―Poem Profiler‖
o Discuss what will be done to profile a poem
o Tell students that any words that are unknown need to be written on their
vocabulary organizers
o Have students rate words in comparison with Jarrell’s poem
Define Found Poetry
Closing:


Go over words added to vocabulary organizers to define
Students will be assigned to create a Found Poem based on words seen in Jarrell’s poem
Student Assessment:


Collect vocab organizers to check for understanding
Assign found poetry homework
Extending the Lesson:


Ask your family members who have fought in a war what it was like for them.
Try collecting a sample of words they used to describe the war, to see if you are able to
define the tone of their experience.
9
Appendix 1-1
Randall Jarrell
The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner
From my mother's sleep I fell into the State,
And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze.
Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life,
I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters.
When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose.
10
Appendix 1-2
Vocabulary Word________________________________
Page Found_________________
Definition/Description__________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Sentence_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Draw
How well do I understand this word: 4
3
2
Well
1
Not Well
Vocabulary Word________________________________
Page Found_________________
Definition/Description__________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Sentence_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Draw
How well do I understand this word: 4
3
2
1
11
Appendix 1-3
Charles Bernstein
Poem Profiler: Check Levels
This is a list of rhetorical features of individual poems. Pick one poem and rate it for each of
these characteristics. Rate the levels of these features on a one to ten scale with one the lowest
level and ten the highest level. Be specific: give examples to support assessment. Compare two
poems based on these features. Also: compare any group of poems based on their
likeness/difference from one another. (NOTE: please provide additional parameters for the
Profiler, which is in development.)
For definitions of many key poetics terms, go to here (Wheeler's Liteary Vocabulary) or here
(classical rhetorical terms) or here (Representative Poetry Online glossary)
Stylistic Textures and Poetic Content
Political
Diction
Coefficient of weirdness
Liberal/conservative/radical
(wackiness quotient)
Urban
Ambiguity
Pastoral
Ambivolence
Moral
Irreverence
Sexual
Sobriety
Religious
Humor
Spiritual
Eloquence
Mystical
Plainness
Philosophical
Sincerity
Love
Smoothness (vs roughness, Family
bumpiness, striation)
Ethnic/racial
Neat (vs messy)
Nationalistic/patriotic
Pretentiousness
Gender
Subtlety (vs bluntness)
Mortality (death)
Indirect (vs straightforward) Illness
Intelligence
Conflict (war)
Visual imagery
Discontent
Dreaminess
Particularity (vs generality) of Developmental / Temporal /
details
Compositional Structures
Stylistic consistency
(What holds the poem
Innovation
together?)
Originality
Fragmentary / disjunctive /
Ornamental/decorative
nonlinear / discontinuity
Relevance
[parataxis]
Tastefulness
Logical/expository continuity
Speech-like
(linear 1/ hypotaxis)
Dialect
Narrative continuity
Mood/Tone
[rate the first term only]
Scary/reassuring
Dark/light
Impersonal/emotional
Engaged /disaffected
(alienated)
Affirmative/skeptical/ hostile
Elegiac (mournful) /
celebratory (panegyric)
Hot/cold
Angry/friendly
Cool/uncool
Turbulent/calm
Disturbed/content
Reckless/cautious
Happy/sad
Depressed/elated
Bright/dull
Meditative/unreflective
Bubbly/sober
Elusive/explicit
Erotic/dispassionate
Mysterious/apparent
Counting:
Syllables per line
Lines per stanza or for poem
Stanzas
Words per line
12
Sampling (use of found or
quoted material)
Comprehensibility
Coherence
Spontaneity
Exploratory
Density
Predictability
Abstractness
Sensuousness
Wearyness
Timidity
Bravado
Courage
Unusual vocabulary
Complexity
Repetitiveness
Self-consciousness
Artifice (vs ―natural‖)
Difficulty
Modern/contemporary (vs old
fashioned)
Referential Opacity /
Transparency Ratio
(outward/inward pointing)
Point of View
Direct POV of author as
speaker (monologic / lyric)
Persona
Narrator (epic)
Multiple POVs (dialogic or
polyvocal)
Textual Subjectivity
n/a
(beginning, middle, and end)
(linear 2 / hypotaxis)
Journey
Journal/diary
Stream of
consciousness/thought
process
Dream-like/surreal
Closure
Symmetrical
Fast paced
Jerky
Kinetic (moves from one
thing to another) vs. static
(continuous present)
Programmatic or procedural
Received form (sonnet,
ballad, etc.)
Devices
Irony
Paradox
Exaggeration
Understatement
Simile
Metaphor
Personification
Symbolism
Allegory
Enjambment
Metonymy
Literary or historical allusion
Persona
Programmatic or procedural
structure
Visual Shape/Form:
Flush left, justified/ragged
prose, overall ―field‖ design,
etc.
Sound
Dissonance/cacophony
(noisy, harsh)
Melodious/harmonious/
mellifluous (―pleasing‖)
Assonance
Alliteration
Rhyme
Off-rhyme
Metrical patterns
Obtrusive (vs not noticeable)
for performances:
accent
tempo
voice timbre
tone
intonation
rhythm
amplitude/dynamic range
Contexts
Author’s date of birth/death
Date of poem’s composition
Place of composition
Relevant socio-historical facts
Relevant biographical facts
Relevant ethnic, gender,
national, sexual orientation
Place/context of original
publication and significant
subsequent publication
Variant versions, including
performances
Title: yes/no; if yes:
use/connection to poem
13
Teacher: Jessica Jensen
Subject Area: English
Grade Level: 9-12
Unit Title: Poetry of War
Lesson Title: The Soldier
Overview: Now that students have an understanding of the importance of wording in poetry, we
will be focusing on the individual soldiers voice during war time. Through looking at various
poems, students will have a better understanding of the impact of war on the individual and how
poetry can be a cathartic tool
Connection to the Curriculum (Identify which interdisciplinary subject areas relate to this
lesson.): Social Studies
Connection to Standards:
3.12.5: Identify the effects of rhythm and rhyme on text.
4.12.2: Analyze the use of • figurative language • analogies; Explain words and phrases that reveal
an author’s tone.
7.12.1: Listen for and identify • main idea • mood • purpose • messages • tone • persuasive
techniques; Listen for and distinguish fact from opinion.
7.12.3: Expand vocabulary through listening.
Time: 90 mins
Materials/Equipment Required:




Vocabulary Organizer
"An Irish Airman Foresees His Death" by William Butler Yeats
"The Man He Killed" by Thomas Hardy
"The Soldier" by Rupert Brooke
Objectives: Students will be able to‖



Discuss language used in the poem that reveals the author’s tone
Identity mood, purpose, and message that the author is sending
Define new words learned in the poem
Suggested Procedure
14
Opening:
 As a class, prepare a list of 7-10 character traits that you would deem essential for
someone to be considered a good soldier
 Make sure students know to keep thinking about these words when reading and
discussing the 3 poems
Development:



Read the following three poems: "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death" by William
Butler Yeats, "The Man He Killed" by Thomas Hardy, and "The Soldier" by Rupert
Brooke.
Consider these questions about each of the speakers in the three poems:
o Why has the speaker gone to war?
o What is the speaker's attitude toward his own country?
o What is the speaker's attitude toward his enemy?
Add words to vocabulary organizer and discuss as whole group
Closing:


Look back on the character traits we came up with as a class and decide who you think is
the best soldier
Write at least 3, but no more than 5 paragraphs in which you defend your choice for best
soldier making sure to draw upon the character traits and using quotes directly from the
poem
Student Assessment:


Essay assignment
Vocabulary organizer
Extending the Lesson: Think about words that you would use to describe a best friend, great
athlete, good leader. Look around in school and see who you believe match these descriptions
Additional Resources.:

Allpoetry.com – is a great resource if you would like to look up more poems
15
Appendix 2-1
An Irish Airman Foresees His Death
I know that I shall meet my fate
Somewhere among the clouds above;
Those that I fight I do not hate,
Those that I guard I do not love;
My country is Kiltartan Cross,
My countrymen Kiltartan's poor,
No likely end could bring them loss
Or leave them happier than before.
Nor law, nor duty bade me fight,
Nor public men, nor cheering crowds,
A lonely impulse of delight
Drove to this tumult in the clouds;
I balanced all, brought all to mind,
The years to come seemed waste of breath,
A waste of breath the years behind
In balance with this life, this death.
16
Appendix 2-2
The Soldier
If I should die, think only this of me:
That there's some corner of a foreign field
That is for ever England. There shall be
In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;
A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,
Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam,
A body of England's, breathing English air,
Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home.
And think, this heart, all evil shed away,
A pulse in the eternal mind, no less
Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given;
Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day;
And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness,
In hearts at peace, under an English heaven.
by
Rupert Brooke
.
17
Appendix 2-3
The Man He Killed
By Thomas Hardy
Had he and I but met
By some old ancient inn,
We should have set us down to wet
Right many a nipperkin!
But ranged as infantry,
And staring face to face,
I shot at him as he at me,
And killed him in his place.
I shot him dead because—
Because he was my foe,
Just so: my foe of course he was;
That's clear enough; although
He thought he'd 'list, perhaps,
Off-hand like—just as I—
Was out of work—had sold his traps—
No other reason why.
Yes; quaint and curious war is!
You shoot a fellow down
You'd treat, if met where any bar is,
Or help to half a crown.
18
Teacher: Jessica Jensen
Subject Area: English
Grade Level: 9-12
Unit Title: Poetry of War
Lesson Title: At Home
Overview: The general focus of war is on the battle itself and the people who are involved in the
actual fighting. Casualties occur at the front, but the victims of any war would also include the
loved ones left behind. This lesson will be looking at poetry from the point of view of those left
to stay at home while loved ones have left to fight in war
Connection to the Curriculum (Identify which interdisciplinary subject areas relate to this
lesson.): Social Studies
Connection to Standards:
3.12.5: Identify the effects of rhythm and rhyme on text.
3.12.7: Analyze the influence of historical events and culture on author’s works.
4.12.2: Analyze the use of • figurative language • analogies; Explain words and phrases that reveal
an author’s tone.
7.12.1: Listen for and identify • main idea • mood • purpose • messages • tone • persuasive
techniques; Listen for and distinguish fact from opinion.
7.12.3: Expand vocabulary through listening.
Time: 90 mins
Materials/Equipment Required:




Vocabulary Organizer
"War Is Kind" by Stephen Crane
"Come Up From the Fields, Father" by Walt Whitman
"My Father Leaves for Vietnam" by Lenard D. Moore
Objectives: Students will be able to‖



Discuss language used in the poem that reveals the author’s tone
Identity mood, purpose, and message that the author is sending
Define new words learned in the poem
19
Suggested Procedure
Opening:
 As a class, discuss who is affected by war
 Draw attention to those waiting at home for their loved ones to return
 Ask for any personal stories
Development:




Read the following three poems: "War Is Kind" by Stephen Crane, "Come Up From the
Fields, Father" by Walt Whitman, "My Father Leaves for Vietnam" by Lenard D. Moore
Split class into groups with each group being assigned one of these poems
o Give each group a list of questions (using only the questions that apply to the
poem your group was given)
 Who is the speaker in each poem? (There may be more than one.)
 What is the time frame for what is being described in "My Father Leaves
for Vietnam"? For "Come Up From the Fields, Father"?
 Explain the irony of Crane's "War Is Kind"
 What is the tone of each poem?
 How do lines 3-10 of "Come Up From the Fields, Father"contribute to the
overall effect?
 Each group should identify the 5 most important words in each of their
poems, which they felt aided in understanding the author’s mood and
feelings about war
Have each group present what they found in their assigned poem
Add words to vocabulary organizer and discuss as whole group
Closing:



Compare what we noticed in the mood of the soldier and the mood seen at home. What
is the difference and what is similar?
Discuss how poetry was helpful in allowing us to see the author’s feelings.
Would it be better to write an essay about this or is poetry better? Why or why not?
Student Assessment:


Group Work
Vocabulary organizer
Extending the Lesson: Look for music related to wars and see what the song writer was trying
to say with regards to their feelings about war
20
Appendix 3-1
War Is Kind
Stephen Crane (1899)
Do not weep, maiden, for war is kind,
Because your lover threw wild hands toward the sky
And the affrighted steed ran on alone,
Do not weep.
War is kind.
Hoarse, booming drums of the regiment,
Little souls who thirst for fight,
These men were born to drill and die.
The unexplained glory flies above them.
Great is the battle-god, great, and his kingdom-A field where a thousand corpses lie.
Do not weep, babe, for war is kind.
Because your father tumbles in the yellow trenches,
Raged at his breast, gulped and died,
Do not weep.
War is kind.
Swift blazing flag of the regiment,
Eagle with crest of red and gold,
These men were born to drill and die.
Point for them the virtue of slaughter,
Make plain to them the excellence of killing
And a field where a thousand corpses lie.
Mother whose heart hung humble as a button
On the bright splendid shroud of your son,
Do not weep.
War is kind!
21
Appendix 3-2
"Come Up From the Fields, Father" by Walt Whitman
COME up from the fields, father, here’s a letter from our Pete;
And come to the front door, mother—here’s a letter from thy dear son.
Lo, ’tis autumn;
Lo, where the trees, deeper green, yellower and redder,
Cool and sweeten Ohio’s villages, with leaves fluttering in the moderate wind;
Where apples ripe in the orchards hang, and grapes on the trellis’d vines;
(Smell you the smell of the grapes on the vines?
Smell you the buckwheat, where the bees were lately buzzing?)
Above all, lo, the sky, so calm, so transparent after the rain, and with wondrous clouds;
Below, too, all calm, all vital and beautiful—and the farm prospers well.
Down in the fields all prospers well;
But now from the fields come, father—come at the daughter’s call;
And come to the entry, mother—to the front door come, right away.
Fast as she can she hurries—something ominous—her steps trembling;
She does not tarry to smoothe her hair, nor adjust her cap.
Open the envelope quickly;
O this is not our son’s writing, yet his name is sign’d;
O a strange hand writes for our dear son—O stricken mother’s soul!
All swims before her eyes—flashes with black—she catches the main words only;
Sentences broken—gun-shot wound in the breast, cavalry skirmish, taken to
hospital,
At present low, but will soon be better.
Ah, now, the single figure to me,
Amid all teeming and wealthy Ohio, with all its cities and farms,
Sickly white in the face, and dull in the head, very faint,
By the jamb of a door leans.
Grieve not so, dear mother, (the just-grown daughter speaks through her sobs;
The little sisters huddle around, speechless and dismay’d;)
See, dearest mother, the letter says Pete will soon be better.
Alas, poor boy, he will never be better, (nor may-be needs to be better, that brave and
simple
soul;)
While they stand at home at the door, he is dead already;
The only son is dead.
But the mother needs to be better;
22
She, with thin form, presently drest in black;
By day her meals untouch’d—then at night fitfully sleeping, often waking,
In the midnight waking, weeping, longing with one deep longing,
O that she might withdraw unnoticed—silent from life, escape and withdraw,
To follow, to seek, to be with her dear dead son.
23
Appendix 3-3
My Father Leaves for Vietnam
When my father let loose my mother
from his outstretched arms,
he stared into her eyes,
as if wanting to see his pain.
I had never seen him cry.
His eyes dammed the water.
I felt my mother's heart drumming in me.
He looked down and
whispered in my ear, "I'll be back,
don't be afraid,"
then he turned away.
He boarded the Greyhound.
I held my mother's hand and looked
at him climbing the steps.
He sat and hung his hand out the window,
I watched the bus fade.
I have never understood why he had to go,
although my mother cupped me in her arms,
as if she still could reach my father.
24
Teacher: Jessica Jensen
Subject Area: English
Grade Level: 9-12
Unit Title: Poetry of War
Lesson Title: Current Issues
Overview: This lesson will be going over poetry written about current issues regarding war.
Students will exam contradictory statements and their important place in poems.
Connection to the Curriculum (Identify which interdisciplinary subject areas relate to this
lesson.): Social Studies
Connection to Standards:
3.12.5: Identify the effects of rhythm and rhyme on text.
4.12.2: Analyze the use of • figurative language • analogies; Explain words and phrases that reveal
an author’s tone.
7.12.1: Listen for and identify • main idea • mood • purpose • messages • tone • persuasive
techniques; Listen for and distinguish fact from opinion.
7.12.3: Expand vocabulary through listening.
Time: 90 mins
Materials/Equipment Required:




Vocabulary Organizer
"Today is the next day of the rest of your life" by Charles Bernstein
"Palestine" by Lorna Dee Cervantes
―The Daisy Cutter" by Louise Rill
Objectives: Students will be able to‖




Discuss language used in the poem that reveals the author’s tone
Identity mood, purpose, and message that the author is sending
Define new words learned in the poem
Relate messages in current war poems with previous historical poems
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Suggested Procedure
Opening:


It is an understatement to say that the tragedies of September 11th have changed us. It has
also heightened our awareness and sensitized us to other conflicts around the globe.
These events have prompted outpourings that have expressed grief, outrage, comfort,
patriotism, compassion, restraint, and observations
Ask for any personal accounts of the effects of September 11th
Development:





Read the following three poems: "Today is the next day of the rest of your life" by
Charles Bernstein, "Palestine" by Lorna Dee Cervantes, "The Daisy Cutter" by Louise
Rill
"Today is the next day of the rest of your life" – discuss the following:
o How would you explain the seemingly contradictory statements in the last 2-4
lines?
o Discuss the mood and tone
"Palestine":
o What images speak to the events of September 11th?
o Discuss the mood and tone
"The Daisy Cutter":
o Describe the content of this poem. Explain the allusion to John the Baptist.
o Discuss the mood and tone
Students will choose one of the poems from today’s lesson and one poem from a previous
lesson
o Students will create a Found Poem using the chosen 2 poems making sure to use 5
words or phrases from each. Their Found poems can be treated meaning changed
if necessary.
o At the end of the Found poem, write 3-5 sentences explaining why you chose the
poems you did and what they have in common or if they were chosen for their
differences, what is different. What does the new poem try to convey to the
reader?
Closing:


Students will read their Found Poems to the class accompanied by their explanation.
Draw comparisons between current issues and past issues.
Student Assessment:



Found Poems
Interaction during discussion of poems
Vocabulary organizer
26
Extending the Lesson: Look for changes in our everyday lives that are a direct reflection of
what has happened since Sept. 11th and the war in Iraq. What are your feelings about the current
war issues?
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Appendix 4-1
―Palestine‖ by Lorna Dee Cervantes
a country you carry in your pocket
airport to airport, a country
that exists for you in a remembered
fragrance, an expired stamp, now the seal
of blood embossed upon someone's
sunstruck pavement. Who owns
this property? Who owns the right
to no way out but a busted window
a hundred flights up? Who owns the key
to Heaven's Gate? Did it open?
I open the newspaper, my computer,
an account, and need to account for all
the terror in the world, in crossing
the street with my child this morning,
our Indian heads and Palestinian shrouds.
With what do we pay? For what
attention? I want to draw its shape
―scattered in files and surprises....
flying on shrapnel and bird's wings....
trapped between the dagger and the wind.
I want to draw your shape
to find my shape in yours....‖
And what
if the source of death
is not the dagger
or the lie?
But both. Buried deep
in the human rubble.
Closer to God
than thee.
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Appendix 4-2
The Daisy Cutter by Louise Rill
Daisy, Daisy
give me the head of John the Baptist
or another bearded fanatic
The Taliban favor the hirsute
but we are good Christian folk
and our chosen are smooth-chinned
Daisy, Daisy
immolate the hairy ones
cleanse their ethnic dust of
hens, children, terrorists and unseen wives
vaporize their souls, their
spleens, eyeballs, tongues and
tender parts
collect the charred bone fragments
for the charity of the Red Cross
for the Cross is our symbol
We may not get our man,
but by God,
Daisy,
we’ll get someone
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Teacher: Jessica Jensen
Subject Area: English
Grade Level: 9-12
Unit Title: Poetry of War
Lesson Title: Poetry Final
Overview: Students will review what has been talked about over the last 4 lessons. Students
will be asked to pick a war and pretend to be a soldier or participant in some capacity of that war.
They will write a journal entry which will then be turned into a Found poem based on their own
words.
Connection to the Curriculum (Identify which interdisciplinary subject areas relate to this
lesson.): Social Studies
Connection to Standards:
4.12.2: Analyze the use of • figurative language • analogies; Explain words and phrases that reveal
an author’s tone.
6.12.3: Write Poetry
7.12.3: Expand vocabulary through listening.
Time: 90 mins
Materials/Equipment Required:



Vocabulary Organizer
Paper
3-2-1 assessment
Objectives: Students will be able to‖


Discuss language used in the poem that reveals the author’s tone
Construct a poem of their own that illustrates their point of view regarding chosen war
Suggested Procedure
Opening:

Ask students to picture a war that they have learned about that they feel connected to for
one reason or another.
30

Explain that the war they choose will be the premise for their journal entry and found
poem
Development:






Lay out all the poems (and add more if needed) that the class has been studying
Have students take a few minutes to look over them again and choose which war they
want to right about
Give students time to write what would look like a soldier’s journal entry. Students
should discuss feelings they would be having, where they might be, and what they have
been going through.
o Make sure that students have their vocabulary organizers out from this unit. They
will be required to use at least 2 of the new words they learned in their journal
entries
Have a few students read their entries. Try to find different wars as examples.
Students will now work again individually creating their found poems based on their own
soldier journal entries
o They need to choose at least 12 words or phrases
o The words chosen from their vocabulary organizers need to be used in their found
poetry
o Make sure to give ample time for students to complete this
Students will present their Found poems to the class.
o Discuss as whole group after each poem the mood and point of view the author is
trying to convey
Closing:


Touch on what students learned throughout this unit
Ask what they liked before this unit about poetry and what, if anything changed, they like
about it now
o Have them complete a 3-2-1 assessment regarding the above
Student Assessment:



Found Poems
3-2-1
Vocabulary organizer
Extending the Lesson: Poetry can be seen in many different areas. Look at other topics poetry
is used, and other ways poetry can be seen.
31
Appendix 5-1
3-2-1 Assessment
3. (write 3 things you have learned about poetry in this unit):
2. (write 2 reasons why poetry is useful in your life/or to the world):
1.(write one idea for how this lesson could have gone better):
32
References
(2011). Retrieved August 4, 2011, from BookRags: http://www.bookrags.com/
Bengtsson, G. (2004, February 7). Walt Whitman-Come up from the fields, father. Retrieved
August 2, 2011, from American Poems:
http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/waltwhitman/13258
Bernstein, C. (2008). Poem Profiler. Retrieved August 4, 2011, from
http://writing.upenn.edu/library/Bernstein-Charles_Poem-Profiler.html
Starbuck, H. (1997-2011). The Literature of War. Retrieved August 1, 2011, from Poets.org:
From the Academy of American poets:
http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/17109#assignment5
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