Creative Writing Unit 6-2

Creative Writing Unit 6-2

Poetry, Part 3 and Revision

Free Verse and Open Forms

6 - 1 Due Date 5/14

6 - 2 Due Date 5/17

6 - 3 Due Date 5/21

6 - 4 Due Date 5/24

6.5.2 CST 6.5.3 TST (Excused) Due Date 5/30

7.1.2 EXAM 7.1.3 Final EXAM Due Date 6/04

​6.2 Overview

​By now you have seen examples of poems written with a rhyme scheme, in meter, or in a set form. But not all poems follow a specific form or nameable structure. What's the difference between ending lines with rhyming words versus leaving them unrhymed? Or varying a poem's line lengths instead of keeping them all at a set number of syllables?

Poets think about these kinds of questions every time they write. Even when writing in ways that don't have an obvious rhythm or rhyme scheme, a writer has to be deliberate and meticulous about the lines' sounds and shapes. Poets may disagree about which poetic modes are "worn out," but almost all will agree that a poem should be "governed by some measure," as Williams says — even if that measure is an intuitive, unnamed form invented by the poet.

As we explore poems with more open or free forms in this lesson, keep your eyes open for subtle ways the poet can give shape to "structureless" poems

​Objectives

​

• Explore narrative, lyric, and prose poetry.

• Observe the variety of free-verse and open-form poems, exploring craft techniques in the writing through guided close reading.

• Explore the open-structured forms of the aubade, ode, nocturne, and two-voice poem.

• Create your own aubade, nocturne, or ode.

​6.2.1 page 1

​The phrase "free verse" is considered by many great poets to be something of a misnomer. Free verse is certainly free from set constraints of meter, rhyme, or form, and that freedom often feels very liberating to poets, especially as they start out.

Good poetry — even poetry that falls under the category of free verse — isn't actually "free." The free-verse poet must still carefully consider each word and the shapes and sounds the poem uses, sometimes even more so than a poet following a given form.

​6.2.1 page 2

​The lyric poem gets its name from its musical connection: Thousands of years ago, lyric poems were sung to an accompanying lyre, a stringed instrument similar to a small harp.

Although lyric poetry was once associated with a strict metrical form, modern writers use the term more generally now to refer to a poem driven by its musicality and personal feeling.

This isn't to say that lyric poems are like sappy love songs. The main thing to remember is that lyric poems focus on personal expression through the devices of language and imagery. They are also likely to focus on creating one vivid moment or striking emotional impression rather than trying to tell a complete story.

​6.2.1 page 6

​In contrast to a lyric poem, which is often short and does not necessarily contain a plot or well-defined characters, a narrative poem follows a character or characters through actions and events, telling a story (or part of a story) in poetic form.

It really is possible to write a poem this long!

Narrative poems have been around for thousands of years, as long or longer than lyric poems have existed.

Think The Iliad and The Odyssey or Beowulf. They don't have to be epics and can even be very short. They DO follow a plot or concentrate on action and events.... like a story does.

​6.2.1 page 9

​You've passed this way yourself many times, and can tell me,
      if you would, do the formal fields end
where the valley begins, or does everything that surrounds us
      emerge from its embrace?

—Campbell McGrath, American poet (1962 – present)

There isn't always a clear divide between lyric poetry and a narrative poem. A poem can contain elements of both, although it may lean more one way than the other. An interesting place to examine the ways that lyric and narrative qualities mix is in the prose poem.

​6.2.1 page 9 cont'd.

​At first glance, a prose poem may seem like a regular prose paragraph composed of sentences, often making the reader expect more narrative. Yet a prose poem is also characterized by its poetic techniques and content — the lyric qualities that make it a poem rather than a very abbreviated short story.

When you're reading a prose poem, look at how the poet mixes elements of poetry and prose. Notice if the author uses techniques such as repetition, rhythm, metaphor, or observation to raise the writing from the level of basic description. Does the prose poem evoke a vivid feeling or create a lyrical impression more than it tells a story? Or does it concentrate on characters and action, with just a few hints at poetic technique?

​6.2.1 Review

• Although free verse lacks many restrictions, remember that a good poem always includes some structure and technique, whether or not it follows a set tradition.

• Lyric poetry often emphasizes emotional content, but it doesn't need to be sappy. Just writing about something to which you have a personal connection is often enough to provide emotional drive.

• Narrative poetry tells a story, but that story doesn't have to be hundreds of pages long. You can tell (or suggest) a story in just a few lines.

• Having a good title can provide additional information, set the tone, or offer interesting contrast for a reader. This can be especially helpful for providing context for lyric poetry — but all types of poems benefit from a good title!

• Prose poetry can mix the features of narrative and lyric poetry in new and fresh ways.

​6.2.3 Read

​Read the following three poems:

• "103 Korean Martyrs"

• "Wash of Cold River"

• "The Simulacra"

They are embedded into the 6.2.3 module for easy access.

Please complete the Reading Guide to aid your

understanding.

​6.2.5 page 1

​Poems written in free verse can still be guided by tradition, even while remaining free of a strict meter or rhyme scheme. Some poetic forms are considered "open forms" because they carry certain associations that influence the style and subject of a poem but don't contain any structural requirements.

In this study, we'll look at three kinds of open forms, each of which corresponds to a general theme. As you read examples of these forms and try writing your own, consider how each form guides the content of the poem. How can a writer write something new and exciting when the themes have already been decided?

​6.2.5 page 2

​Although each person may have different perspectives, certain times of day often evoke certain feelings. Some open forms of poetry draw their themes from these associations, such as the aubade, a poem about or set in the early morning.

The poet writing an aubade draws on the feelings and images of this particular moment — as nighttime comes to an end and the sun rises at the beginning of a new day — to immerse the reader in a certain frame of mind.

Traditionally, the aubade was used to express, among other things, the tiredness and sadness of lovers having to leave each other as the day begins. However, the form has evolved over the years to mean anything a poet associates with the morning and waking

​6.2.5 page 5 The ODE

​Another type of open-form poem is the ode, a poem written in praise of (or dedicated to) a person, place, or object that dramatically captures the poet's attention. Originally an ancient Greek form, the ode grew in popularity in England as early as the 16th century; some of the best-known and most beloved poems in the English language are odes.

Traditionally, odes represent moments of uncontrollable inspiration sparked by intense beauty, such as the natural scene pictured above, a cherished person, or a magnificent treasure.

Although the early ode tradition followed a rigid rhyme scheme, the lines were sometimes written in varying lengths to reflect the wild emotions felt by the author.

As the ode has evolved over the years, however, the traditional rhyme scheme has been used less and less. Most modern odes focus primarily on the tradition of inspiration, using an exalted tone to describe a central object, place, or figure.

Many authors have written beautiful odes to everyday inanimate objects, feelings, or ideas. Don't feel as though you have to write about a cherished person or stereotypically "beautiful" things — an ode can be about anything you find valuable.

​6.2.5 page 8

​The nocturne is an open form in poetry that takes its inspiration from an open form in music. In classical music, a nocturne is any song that makes the listener think about nighttime. Musical nocturnes range from lullabies to much more complicated pieces.

Similarly, nocturnes in poetry aren't governed by many restrictions, as long as they're about the nighttime in some way.

They could convey a feeling about this time of day, or perhaps make the reader think about darkness, sleep, or the heavens.

​6.2.5 page 11

​In a two-voice poem, the author expresses a dialogue between two characters. The two-column format gives the poet the unique ability to express the exchange of words visually. This form even allows two characters to speak at once.

​ Opposites Attract

Batman Joker

I am Batman.

I am the Joker.

I am a Hero.

I am a villain.

I have secrets. I have secrets.

Every day I fight crime

caused by the Joker.

Everyday I perpetrate crimes

which are solved by Batman.

We are total opposites. We are total opposites.

I am humble.

I crave attention.

People admire me

for my work.

People fear me for my work.

I have a loyal sidekick

I wish I had a sidekick.

Without the Joker...

Without Batman...

I AM NOTHING! I AM NOTHING!

​6.2.5 page 11 cont'd. and page 12

​The double exposure is a slightly more complicated variation of the two-voice poem, consisting of two complete poems that can be read separately — each on its own — or read together, alternating a line of one poem with a line from the other and back again.

​from "Double Exposures" by Greg Williamson

III. Visiting Couple Kissing and Halved Onion

                                           Unjustly I’ve imposed upon my friends
This? It’s an onion that’s been cut in half
                            When they’re (how shall I say?) making amends
Right in the middle of the photograph,
                                   After a night of words, and here they stand
Less like those pure, textbook transparencies
                                   Wrapped up in one another, hand in hand,
Than layered and opaque identities,
                                         An arm around a shoulder, face to face,
Developed in the dark to this full kit
                                        And captured in this rapturous embrace.
Which has so many tears inside of it.

​6.2.5

​

• The aubade, a morning poem, explores themes of morning, change, and departure.

• The ode, traditionally a love poem expressing a wild and inspired passion, can be about anything the poet admires, from a piece of china to a lemon to a person.

• The nocturne, a night poem, involves the emotions and experiences the author associates with what happens after the sun goes down: excitement, adventure, melancholy, or even terror.

• The two-voice poem is a poem written as a dialogue between two characters and usually structured in a two-column format.

• The double exposure is a complex form that also uses two overlapped columns to create two individual poems that can be read together as one longer poem with its own meaning.

​For this activity, you'll write a poem that is an aubade, a nocturne, or an ode, with a few specific guidelines to help you achieve interesting and fresh images within that form. Your poem should reflect an understanding of the specific form you've chosen, focusing especially on setting the appropriate mood, tone, or time of day. Feel free to use material you've written in previous studies for ideas, images, or a starting point — or start fresh with new ideas as you work on this piece.

Make a list of at least 10 words you will NOT use.

To give yourself enough room to explore your form, your finished poem should be at least 14 lines long (and you're welcome to make it longer, if you want). Try and use seven surprising words that wouldn't normally be associated with your topic.

Refer to the Checklist in lieu of a rubric!!

​6.2.7 Practice