November
Poem of the Month
Song for a Little House
by Christopher Morley
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This month we are focusing on
PERSONIFICATION
in our poem.
Do you remember what
PERSONIFICATION
is?
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This month we are focusing on
PERSONIFICATION
in our poem.
PERSONIFICATION
is when non‐human things are
given human qualities.
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Hey Diddle, Diddle, the cat and the fiddle.
The cow jumped over the moon;
The little dog laughed to see such sport.
And the dish ran away with the spoon.
‐ Mother Goose
What examples of personification
do you see in this poem?
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The Garden Hose
In the gray evening
I see a long green serpent
With its tail in the dahlias.
It lies in loops across the grass
And drinks softly at the faucet.
I can hear it swallow.
‐ Beatrice Janosco
What examples of personification
do you see in this poem?
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Our poem this month, Song for a Little House,
is by Christopher Morely.
• Born May 5, 1890 in Haveford,
Pennsylvania
• Died March 28, 1957
• Journalist, novelist, essayist, and poet
• Produced stage productions
• Gave college lectures
• Father was a math professor at Haveford College
• Mother was a poet and musician
• Graduated in 1910 from Haveford College as
Valedictorian
• Studied history at New College, Oxford
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Our poem this month, Song for a Little House,
is by Christopher Morely.
• Moved to New York and married Helen
Fairchild; they had four children
• Built a cabin in New York in 1936; wrote
many works there
• Had a series of strokes in 1951
• Sent this last message to his friends and family: "Read,
every day, something no one else is reading. Think,
every day, something no one else is thinking. Do, every
day, something no one else would be silly enough to
do..."
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Before we read, what
do you think the poem
will be about based on
the title?
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Song for a Little House
by Christopher Morley
I'm glad our house is a little house, Not too tall nor too wide:
I'm glad the hovering butterflies
Feel free to come inside. Our little house is a friendly house. It is not shy or vain; It gossips with the talking trees, And makes friends with the rain. And quick leaves cast a shimmer of green
Against our whited walls, And in the phlox, the dutious bees
Are paying duty calls.
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Song for a Little House
by Christopher Morley
I'm glad our house is a little house, Not too tall nor too wide:
I'm glad the hovering butterflies
Feel free to come inside. Our little house is a friendly house. It is not shy or vain; It gossips with the talking trees, And makes friends with the rain. And quick leaves cast a shimmer of green
Against our whited walls, And in the phlox, the dutious bees
Are paying duty calls.
vain ­ Having or showing an excessively high opinion of one's appearance, abilities, or worth
phlox ­ clusters of flowers
dutious ­ willingly obedient out of a sense of duty and respect
Let's paraphrase
(put into our own words)
this poem.
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Song for a Little House
by Christopher Morley
I'm glad our house is a little house, Not too tall nor too wide:
I'm glad the hovering butterflies
Feel free to come inside. Our little house is a friendly house. It is not shy or vain; It gossips with the talking trees, And makes friends with the rain. And quick leaves cast a shimmer of green
Against our whited walls, And in the phlox, the dutious bees
Are paying duty calls.
How many lines are in
this poem?
How many stanzas?
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Song for a Little House
by Christopher Morley
I'm glad our house is a little house, Not too tall nor too wide:
I'm glad the hovering butterflies
Feel free to come inside. Our little house is a friendly house. It is not shy or vain; It gossips with the talking trees, And makes friends with the rain. And quick leaves cast a shimmer of green
Against our whited walls, And in the phlox, the dutious bees
Are paying duty calls.
Label the rhyme scheme.
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Song for a Little House
by Christopher Morley
I'm glad our house is a little house, A
Not too tall nor too wide: B
I'm glad the hovering butterflies C
Feel free to come inside. B
Our little house is a friendly house. D It is not shy or vain; E It gossips with the talking trees, F And makes friends with the rain. E And quick leaves cast a shimmer of green G
Against our whited walls, H And in the phlox, the dutious bees I
Are paying duty calls. H
Label the rhyme scheme.
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Song for a Little House
by Christopher Morley
I'm glad our house is a little house, Not too tall nor too wide:
I'm glad the hovering butterflies
Feel free to come inside. Our little house is a friendly house. It is not shy or vain; It gossips with the talking trees, And makes friends with the rain. And quick leaves cast a shimmer of green
Against our whited walls, And in the phlox, the dutious bees
Are paying duty calls.
Locate examples of
personification in this poem.
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Song for a Little House
by Christopher Morley
I'm glad our house is a little house, Not too tall nor too wide:
I'm glad the hovering butterflies
Feel free to come inside. Our little house is a friendly house. It is not shy or vain; It gossips with the talking trees, And makes friends with the rain. And quick leaves cast a shimmer of green
Against our whited walls, And in the phlox, the dutious bees
Are paying duty calls.
What human qualities are
given to non‐human things?
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Song for a Little House
by Christopher Morley
I'm glad our house is a little house, Not too tall nor too wide:
I'm glad the hovering butterflies
Feel free to come inside. Our little house is a friendly house. It is not shy or vain; It gossips with the talking trees, And makes friends with the rain. And quick leaves cast a shimmer of green
Against our whited walls, And in the phlox, the dutious bees
Are paying duty calls.
What is the poet's
attitude?
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Song for a Little House
by Christopher Morley
I'm glad our house is a little house, Not too tall nor too wide:
I'm glad the hovering butterflies
Feel free to come inside. Our little house is a friendly house. It is not shy or vain; It gossips with the talking trees, And makes friends with the rain. And quick leaves cast a shimmer of green
Against our whited walls, And in the phlox, the dutious bees
Are paying duty calls.
Re‐evaluate the title.
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Song for a Little House
by Christopher Morley
I'm glad our house is a little house, Not too tall nor too wide:
I'm glad the hovering butterflies
Feel free to come inside. Our little house is a friendly house. It is not shy or vain; It gossips with the talking trees, And makes friends with the rain. And quick leaves cast a shimmer of green
Against our whited walls, And in the phlox, the dutious bees
Are paying duty calls.
What is the theme of this
poem?
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Assignment You are going to write your own shape poem about
•
your house.
• Your poem should be
one stanza.
• Your poem does not have to rhyme, but it may if
you'd like.
• You must use at least four examples of
personification in your poem. Circle them!
• Make sure to give your poem a title!
• Make sure to put a proper heading in the upper right
hand corner!
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