Far East
Book 6
Lesson 3
Poems of Wisdom
洪滿江
Reading
”Loss and Gain”
When I compare
What I have lost with what I have gained,
What I have missed with what attained,
Little room do I find for pride.
I am aware
How many days have been idly spent;
How like an arrow the good intent
Has fallen short or been turned aside.
But who shall dare
To measure loss and gain in this wise?
Defeat may be victory in disguise;
The lowest ebb is the turn of the tide.
Text Difficulty Level:


Elementary
Intermediate

Upper-Intermediate

Advanced
Mode(s) of Writing: Description
Teaching Focus: comparison and inversion
Teaching Procedure:
1. Briefly introduce Longfellow, his influence and works.
2. Have the class read the poem “Loss and Gain”
3. The teacher analyzes the poem and guides students to discuss the main
4.
5.
6.
ideas, imagery, metaphor and simile in the poem
Practice how to compare things
Practice using inversion
Lead the class to complete their first drafts step by step
7.
Have the class revise their drafts.
Introduction
Due to pressure to keep up with the syllabus, poems are usually ignored by
both students and teachers in senior high school. However, with proper
instructions, poems can be a good source of inspiration and thoughts. With
proper guidance, teachers can efficiently combine poem reading with guided
writing. By the time my students learn this lesson, they were in the beginning of
year 2008 with the graduation ceremony and college entrance exam just a few
months away. Many of them were under a lot of pressure studying for the
exam and, on the other hand, sentimental about saying goodbye to their
classmates. Therefore, I decided that Longfellow’s “Loss and Gain” could
serve as a good poem to help them reflect on what they had gained and lost in
2007.
Regarding the teaching procedure, as usual, I had my students read a brief
English biography of Longfellow to expand their background knowledge. After
that, I played a short film I found on Youtube to reinforce their impression of
Longfellow. When it came to the text itself, I led the class to discuss the main
ideas, simile and metaphor in “Loss and Gain”; moreover, I helped students
become more familiar with the use of “comparison” and “inversion” by doing
some grammar exercises, expecting them to use the two sentence patterns in
their writing. In addition, I pointed out the “present perfect tense” in the poem
and then asked students to practice using this tense in their later guided
writing.
When it finally came to turning their thoughts into words, I led the class to
complete their first draft by following a guided procedure with the help of some
handouts. This part will be further demonstrated in my lesson plan. The whole
idea about guided writing procedure is to help students collect their ideas,
elaborate their thoughts and revise their draft. The procedure may seem
time-consuming; however, from what I have observed in class, I believe it can
successfully provide students a more pleasant and active writing experience.
Lesson Plan
I. Raising Students’ Awareness
A. Before starting to read “Loss and Gain,” help students review some
good poems they have learned before, such as “The Road Not Taken.” Review
the theme, imagery, etc. (depends on the time limit) and briefly discuss the
dilemma the poet faces in the poem.
B. Prepare a short biography of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (see
Appendix I) as an extensive reading exercise and lead students to learn more
about “the poet of the people,” his works and his influence. To reinforce
students’ impression of Longfellow, play a short film about the poet. Resources
can be found on the Internet, such as Youtube.
C. Based on the line in the poem “Defeat may be victory in disguise,” lead
students to think of and discuss some real-life examples. This can be done in
pairs or groups. If the students are generally shy of speaking in public, the
teacher can ask every group/pair to write down their examples in English and
choose a reporter in the group/pair to read from the notes. If most of the
students feel comfortable speaking in public, just pick some groups to share
their thoughts. The teacher can help clarify examples reported by different
groups/pairs by writing down some key words on the board.
II.
Presenting the Text
This is a good poem to encourage third-year high school students to face
the adversities in life, especially when their current daily life is full of pressure
from study and tests, not to mention that they are about to face the demanding
challenge of their college entrance exam and make some important decisions
about their future.
The poem is divided into three stanzas. In the first stanza the poet indicates
he has lost a lot. In the second stanza, the poet explains the loss and
expresses how rueful he feels about wasting his time and good intent.
However, in the third stanza, the poet changes the tone of ruefulness and
questions whether he has really lost too much in the past. As enlightenment
strikes him, he realizes that all those assumed losses are actually gains. He
has learned and gained so much from the seeming defeat. At the end of the
poem, the poet gains a new perspective about his life; his ruefulness is now
replaced with hopefulness.
Before starting to discuss the content of the poem, the teacher can spend 5
minutes explaining some grammar and literary tactics used in the poem. If time
allows, the teacher can design some exercises to help students become more
familiar with these usages.
1. Inversion: “Little room do I find pride.”
More examples:
“Little does he realize how expensive the restaurant is.”
= He little realizes how expensive the restaurant is.
“Little do I know about the latest fashion trend.”
= I know little about the latest fashion trend.
2. Simile: “How like an arrow the good intent has fallen short or been
turned aside.”
More examples:
“My love is like a red rose”
“He is as busy as a bee.”
3. Metaphor: “The lowest ebb is the turn of the tide.”
More examples:
“She has a heart of stone.“
“I’ll make him eat his words. ”
To present this poem, go through the poem stanza by stanza. Lead
students to explore the poem and help them connect the poem to their current
daily life.
1. Stanza 1: Ask students what makes the poet feel not so proud of what he
has achieved so far. (The answer is actually in the second stanza. This
question is asked to help students see the connection between the first two
stanzas.)
2. Stanza 2: Ask students to write down some personal examples of “time
idly spent” and “unrealized good intent.”
3. Stanza 3: Ask students to write down a personal experience to explain
“defeat may be victory in disguise.”
III.
Bridging Practice to Writing
After reading and discussing the poem, ask students to find a partner and
work on the worksheet.
A. They have to think about what they have gained and lost in 2007, and then
fill out the following form.
What I have gained
(in complete sentences)
What I have lost
(in complete sentences)
B. After they finish the form, they exchange their worksheets with their partners
and start reading what their partners have written.
C. After reading what their partners have written, they have to conduct a peer
conference. By doing peer conference, they ask each other questions in order
to discover more about what their partners have written. By doing this,
students are “forced” to think about what they have written and elaborate their
thoughts and writing.
D. While conducting peer conferencing, students have to write down questions
and feedback from their partners. This serves as a reminder for students to
extend their writing content. In addition, positive feedback from their partners
can encourage them to write for their readers.
Peer Conference
Questions from your partner
Feedback from your partner:
E. Students review what they have written and what their partners have
contributed. They have to choose a word or phrase to describe their year 2007.
F. Students start writing their draft beginning with the sentence:
Comparing what I have gained with what I have lost, 2007 was a year full of
__________. (The teacher ask students to fill in the word or phrase they’ve
chosen to describe their year 2007)
or
Comparing what I have gained with what I have lost, 2007 was a __________
year. (The teacher ask students to fill in the word or phrase they’ve chosen to
describe their year 2007)
Ask students to write their drafts in class when their memories of the
discussion and peer conference are still fresh.
IV. Students’ Works
1. Worksheet
What I have gained
(in complete sentences)
What I have lost
(in complete sentences)
Peer Conference
Questions from your partner
Feedback from your partner:
Choose one word or a phrase to describe your year 2007. ______________
Topics:1. Comparing what I have gained with what I have lost, 2007 was a year
full of __________.
2. Comparing what I have gained with what I have lost, 2007 was a
__________ year.
2. Student’s finished worksheet (two other students’ works can be found in
Appendix V)
3. Student’s draft
4. Student’s revised writing
V. Conclusion
Writing process is indeed time-consuming. Under the pressure of
keeping up with the tight schedule, most teachers may have strong doubt
about conducting peer conference before writing. It may seem to be “wasting”
too much time having students spend a session on discussion. However, my
observation convinces me that this phase is necessary for the following two
reasons: First, most students enjoy discussing their thoughts with their readers
(other students). Writing becomes less intimidating and more fun. Second,
during the discussion, they actually help each other brainstorm more ideas. As
a result, some students are inspired to write more for their readers. I always
encourage my students to give their partners some positive feedback or
comments during peer conference so that together they can create a more
dynamic writing experience.
Appendix I: A short biography of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
( adapted from http://eclecticesoterica.com/longfellow_bio.html )
Young and old H. W Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow with his wife,
Frances Elizabeth Appleton, and two of
their five children, Charles and Ernest.
Many of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s lines are as familiar to Americans as
rhymes from Mother Goose or the words of nursery songs learned in early childhood.
Like these rhymes and melodies, they remain in the memory and accompany
Americans through life.
There are two reasons for the popularity and significance of Longfellow's poetry.
First, he had the gift of easy rhyme. He wrote poetry as a bird sings, with natural
grace and melody. Read or heard once or twice, his rhyme and meters cling to the
mind long after the sense may be forgotten.
Second, Longfellow wrote on obvious themes which appeal to all kinds of people.
His poems are easily understood; they sing their way into the consciousness of those
who read them. Above all, there is a joyousness in them, a spirit of optimism and faith
in the goodness of life which evokes immediate response in the emotions of his
readers.
Americans owe a great debt to Longfellow because he was among the first of
American writers to use native themes. He wrote about the American scene and
landscape, the American Indian ('Song of Hiawatha'), and American history and
tradition ('The Courtship of Miles Standish', 'Evangeline').
He was born February 27, 1807, in Portland, Maine. Portland was a seaport, and
this gave its citizens a breadth of view lacking in the more insular New England
towns. The variety of people and the activity of the harbors stirred the mind of the boy
and gave him a curiosity about life beyond his own immediate experience. He was
sent to school when he was only three years old. From the beginning, it was evident
that this boy was to be drawn to writing and the sound of words.
Longfellow's father was eager to have his son become a lawyer. But when Henry
was a senior at Bowdoin College at 19, the college established a chair of modern
languages. The recent graduate was asked to become the first professor, with the
understanding that he should be given a period of time in which to travel and study in
Europe.
In May of 1826, the fair-haired youth with the azure blue eyes set out for Europe to
turn himself into a scholar and a linguist. He had letters of introduction to men of note
in England and France, but he had his own idea of how to travel. Between
conferences with important people and courses in the universities, Longfellow walked
through the countries. He stopped at small inns and cottages, talking to peasants,
farmers, traders, his silver flute in his pocket as a passport to friendship. He travelled
in Spain, Italy, France, Germany, and England, and returned to America in 1829. At
22, he was launched into his career as a college professor. He had to prepare his own
texts, because at that time none were available.
In 1834, he was appointed to a professorship at Harvard and once more set out for
Europe by way of preparation. This time his young wife accompanied him. The
journey ended in tragedy. In Rotterdam, his wife died, and Longfellow came alone to
Cambridge and the new professorship. The lonely [Longfellow] took a room at
historic Craigie House, an old house overlooking the Charles River. Longfellow
entered the beautiful old elm-encircled house as a lodger, not knowing that this was to
be his home for the rest of his life. In time, it passed into the possession of Nathan
Appleton. Seven years after he came to Cambridge, Longfellow married Frances
Appleton, daughter of Nathan Appleton, and Craigie House was given to the
Longfellows as a wedding gift.
Meantime, in the seven intervening years, he remained a rather romantic figure in
Cambridge, with his flowing hair and his yellow gloves and flowered waistcoats. He
worked, however, with great determination and industry, publishing 'Hyperion', a
prose romance that foreshadowed his love for Frances Appleton, and 'Voices of the
Night', his first book of poems.
From his friend Nathaniel Hawthorne, Longfellow got a brief outline of a story
from which he composed one of his most favorite poems, 'Evangeline'. The original
story had Evangeline wandering about New England in search of her bridegroom.
Longfellow extended her journey through Louisiana and the western wilderness. She
finds Gabriel, at last, dying in Philadelphia.
Longfellow died on March 24, 1882. "Of all the suns of the New England
morning," says Van Wyck Brooks, "he was the largest in his golden sweetness."
Appendix II: Grammar exercises of “comparison”
Lead students to practice the following sentence patterns.
compare A with B
compare A to B
in comparison (with sb/sth)
make a comparison between A and B
Appendix III: Grammar exercises of “inversion”
Use resources on the Internet:
http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish-central-grammar-inversion.htm
Questions
The most common use of inversion is in the forming of questions. We use the
auxiliary verbs be (for progressive and passive forms), have (for perfect forms)
and do (for most other forms). Modal verbs can also be inverted to form
questions:
★ Were they ready when you arrived?
★ Where was it made?
★ Have you ever visited France?
★ Where do you live?
★ What should we do now?
Negative and restrictive adverbs
In formal English, it is quite common to use inversion after negative adverbial
expressions and restrictive words such as only, never, hardly and little.
★
★
★
★
★
★
At no time did he get permission for what he was doing.
Not until the next morning did she realize how serious it was.
Only later did they learn his terrible secret.
Never before have I seen such awful behavior.
Hardly had we walked in the door when the phone started ringing.
Little do you know how much trouble you are in.
So, nor and neither
Inversion is common when using these words to expression agreement or
disagreement.
★ I'm from Turkey. So am I.
★ I don't like monsters! Nor/Neither do I.
Conditional clauses
In formal English, the if clause in conditional sentences can be rephrased
through inversion:
★ Were you to win the election, what's the first thing you'd do? = If you won
the election …
★ Had we known what the weather would be like, we wouldn't have come = If
we had known what …
May
When we are making wishes, we can use inversion:
★ May you both live happily ever after!
Exclamations
We can use inversion to make exclamations:
★ Aren't you a silly girl!
★ Isn't it a lovely day!
For a quiz on inversion, see the following web site:
Quizzes: http://www.cityu.edu.hk/elc/quiz/inverse.htm
Appendix IV:
A comparison between the poem”偶然” by the modern Chinese poet 徐志摩
and "Tales of a Wayside Inn" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
我是天空裡的一片雲，
偶爾投影在你的波心
你不必訝異，
更無須歡喜
在轉瞬間消滅了蹤影。
你我相逢在黑夜的海上，
你有你的，我有我的，方向；
你記得也好，
最好你忘掉，
在這交會時互放的光亮！
Ships that pass in the night,
and speak each other in passing,
Only a signal shown and a distant voice in the darkness;
So on the ocean of life we pass and speak one another,
Only a look and a voice, then darkness again and a silence.
Appendix V: Two more examples of students’ works
Student’s finished worksheet
Student’s draft
Student’s revised writing
Student’s finished worksheet
Student’s draft
Student’s revised writing