TEACHERS
OF POETRY ARE READERS OF POETRY
A
study guide for Teaching Artists
with lessons on the poetry of Lucille Clifton
Created
by Laura Platino as part of an Internship at the
New
York State Literary Center
Note
to teachers
Good
poetry is a gateway to a world of passionate reading and writing,
intelligent thought and reflection, and appreciative learning
and knowledge. With this in mind, we must, as teachers, insist
that good poetry is read and studied in our classrooms. Students
memorizing poetic devices and counting iambs is important, for
we all know that a strict curriculum and a state regents exam
looms over us as much as it does our kids, but it does not sanction
negligence or frivolity concerning an art of such intellect and
with such potential to lead our students towards a life mental
inspiration.
Before
we can be teachers of poetry, we need to be readers of poetry.
We need to be conscious, precise, and careful readers of poetry.
We are the ones that need to scan poems, use a dictionary,
research historical context, know the author, recognize genre,
understand the extended metaphor, hear the rhythm, define hyperbole,
and see the imagery. We have to consider ourselves artists
and critics before we can subject our students to the profound
nature of poetry.
Furthermore,
we cannot be scared of poetry. We can not be intimidated by the
confrontational themes, harsh judgments, powerful imagery, and
intense words that embody exceptional poetry. This poetry represents
our world, past and present—from the dignity of everyday labor
to the atrocities of war—and to deny its truth is to deny our
students a reality that is necessary for them to confront. Seek
poetry that will open minds, for these are the minds that, with
time, will crave history, literature, and constant learning—including
the knowledge of sonnet form and satire…
Conjure
the artist in you to approach poetry, and you will find yourself
less intimidated by the collective groan of the wary classroom.
It is so easy to be discouraged by the attitude of your students—who,
it seems, have an innate preconception that poetry is the most
horrific of all subjects—but have continuous faith in the power
of poetry and remain confident that you can not only teach poetry,
but teach it well. Your loyalty to it as an art, and your excitement
for its influence will be heard in your voice, seen on your face,
and felt through your attitude.
Once
your artistry is mastered, be the teacher that your students need
you to be meaning, first and foremost, KNOW YOUR STUDENTS. Unlike
any other subject, literature can be discriminating. In other
words, it, unlike geometry, Bunsen burners, and timelines, can
be carefully tailored by you to relate to students. This distinctive
aspect grasps students attention because they are able to find
relevance in their study and it makes them see that their thoughts,
experiences, and values are of worth and consequence to you. Take
advantage of literature. Find a poem that students will feel
Remember, it is not okay to assume that if a work is a “classic”
or part of the literary canon it is right for any student. Authorized
literature is safe, but it is not always inspiring and it is not
all that is out there.
LUCILLE
CLIFTON
Lucille
Clifton has been writing poetry and literature for over thirty
years, earning herself countless awards and honors, including
the rarity of having two books of poems nominated for the Pulitzer
Prize in the same year. Her poetry is so teeming with raw personal
emotion that it inevitably becomes collective of human experience.
She encompasses this humanity by often stripping her language
of punctuation, capitalization, and standard form, which allows
the simplicity of her thoughts to shine though without distraction.
Her words are from the dictionary of everyday vernacular because
that is exactly what her poetry acknowledges. Her muse is experience—from
the love that we feel, to the loss that we endure; from the lies
that we have been fed, to the truth that we have discovered; and
from the myth of the American dream, to the trials and dignity
of womanhood. Clifton addresses that which many curriculums tend
to avoid—racism, abuse, illness, violence, hatred—and it is this
fear that harms students, for most of them are in the midst of
dealing with the issues that Clifton so sincerely bears from the
depths of her soul. Her poetry is not silent in any way and must,
it seems, be read aloud over and over again.
Following
a brief critical analysis of Clifton 's poems to accompany your
reading, are two lessons that can be used with your students.
These lessons are formatted to not only meet the ELA standards,
but also to enrich student's lives by opening their minds to creative
and higher level thinking. Both lessons involve interpretation
of the poem, but the first focuses on understanding the artistry
of the poem as poetry, while the second encourages students to
reflect on the poetry in regards to their own lives and experiences,
in order to rouse the writer in them . These lessons
assume that there has been some basic introduction to poetry as
a genre, and can be used for much of Clifton 's work. Although
they were created to reach students of grades 7-9, they are purposely
lenient to adaptation by you, based on your students' capabilities,
needs, and motivators. YOU know you're students, and lessons must
be tailored for them. Take from the lessons what you need, leave
what you don't, and add your own creative spark for your class.
Think like a poet, teach like an artist, and act like a teacher.
why
some people be mad at me sometimes
they
ask me to remember
but
they want me to remember
their
memories
and
I keep on remembering
mine
It
seems easy, this tiny poem by Clifton—and technically, it is—for
its use of simple, everyday language makes for an effortless read;
but despite this and the sparse length, Clifton is able to throw
a hefty punch with her powerful language and strong voice. This
is a minimalist work at its finest, for it is exactly that quality
that creates such a mind-blowing piece. Clifton purposely neglects
capitalization in much of her work, and does so here also, stripping
the importance from any particular word or person so that the
reader is undistracted by possible underlying meaning that could
attach itself, as it often does, by supposition. The intentional
use of the subjunctive form of “to be” is often characteristic
of “black colloquial” speech, giving a certain attitude to the
poem that could represent a sort of opposition or defiance towards
“their memories,” that continue, in the America of collective
historical memory, to be biased and untruthful. However, there
is also a childish innocence to the repetitive language of the
poem that is amplified by that same usage of “be” rather than
the grammatically correct “are.” The image of a young child relating
an experience of being told what to believe, what to remember,
what to think is sadly envisioned as she quietly and secretly
reflects on her own true memories. Either way, this poem, in all
of its succinct glory, is a conflict of truth. What have we been
told, what do we know? What are our truths, how have they been
suppressed?
Lesson
#1
“why
some people be mad at me sometimes”
PRE-INSTRUCTIONAL
Students
will:
Read__x__
Write__x__ Listen__x__ Speak__x__
—for
information and understanding —for
critical analysis and evaluation
—for
literary response and reflection —for
language and social interaction
OBJECTIVES
Students
will be able to:
Demonstrate
their interpretation of language and tone as poetic devices by
creating a narrator that they envision while reading into the
“voice” of Lucille Clifton's poem
Practice
their oral and presentational skills by reading poetry aloud and
discussing in small and large groups
Demonstrate
their knowledge of meaning and context of the poem by speculating
about who the narrator is addressing and why
DURING
INSTRUCTION
Materials:
Handout
of poem “why some people be mad at me sometimes” by Lucille Clifton
Opener
activity
Have
students write down a few reasons that some one has RIGHTFULLY
been mad at them before or a few reasons that they have been RIGHTFULLY
mad at someone else.
Share
answers with class
Sequence
of activities:
- Pass out poem “why some people be mad
at me sometimes”
- Give students a few moments to read
poem to themselves
- Ask students to write down who they
picture as the narrator of the poem (male/female? young/old?
race? manner? tone?) and what makes them see the voice this
way
- Put students in small pre-assigned
groups and have them discuss their answers with each other
- Have the leader of each group describe
their “character” on the board and give reasons for their choices
- Have another member of each group read
the poem aloud in that “voice”
- Have students re-group to class
- Ask students then—WHO ARE “THEY?” What
is the conflict between “them” and the narrator? Do they
have a right to be mad?
- Discuss answers as a class. Other questions
to guide discussion may include: Is what we learn always the
truth? Why do some people want to live untruths? Why do some
people want to suppress other people's memories? Guide
discussion but let it flow with the energy of the class.
- Read poem aloud again to class.
- Have students write one memory that
they will never let anyone take away from them and hand it in
to you on their way out the door.
POST
INSTRUCTION
Evaluation
of learning : Did student create a legitimate “voice”
based on the language and tone of the poem? Did students work
well in groups? Did students participate in class discussion?
Did students seem to understand the context of the poem?
oh
antic God
return
to me
my
mother in her thirties
leaned
across the front porch
the
huge pillow of her breasts
pressing
against the rail
summoning
me in for bed.
I
am almost the dead woman's age times two.
I
can barely recall her song
the
scent of her hands
though
her wild hair scratches my dreams
at
night. Return to me, oh Lord of then
and
now, my mother's calling,
her
young voice humming my name.
In
prayer, people often address the supreme deity of their religion
with utmost respect, but there are times when our bitterness at
the seemingly unjust experiences that have corrupted our lives
leave nothing in our hearts but anger and resentment. Clifton
does not spare her feelings as she juxtaposes a call of consonance
to her “antic God” with the soft images of her mother. This poetic
plea speaks for more than it seems, for Clifton 's language leaves
room for various interpretations and her tone flows in and out
of assonance to represent her confusion of emotion concerning
her Maker and the memory of her mother. What a cruel joke it seems,
to bestow the comforting “huge pillow of her breasts,” and “her
young voice humming my name,” only to take it away when that maternal
security and love is needed most. He is “antic,” then—but He did
also leave these glorious pictures imprinted in her mind for decades
beyond her mother's untimely death. As the narrator herself ages,
the images of her mother begin to fade and she needs every sense
to be constantly refilled with her mother's warmth and grace by
God himself. He created her mother and then took her away, and
he must give her mind strength to remember forever. She is not
asking God to bring her mother's physical form back from the dead,
for she has already lived her life without her mother's actual
presence. She begs the Lord, whose action seemed so ludicrous
to begin with, to not prank her again, for all she has left is
etches of a life that she only got to experience for a short time.
He is her God now, as He was then, and as bitter as she may be,
she knows that He is her ultimate savior and can save her memory
forever. The poem touches on love and loss, religion and faith,
and memory that must persevere. The themes reach deeply into the
human soul, and the poetry itself—technically—is worth examining
before presented to a class.
Lesson
#2
PRE-INSTRUCTIONAL
Students
will:
Read__x__
Write__x__ Listen__x__ Speak_____
—for
information and understanding —for
critical analysis and evaluation
—for
literary response and reflection for
language and social interaction
OBJECTIVES:
Students
will be able to:
Demonstrate
their understanding of imagery as a poetic device by using it
to create a poem of their own
Recall
their own experiences relatable to the theme of the poem by discussing
their memories
Express
their thoughts and reflections by free writing
DURING
INSTRUCTION
Materials:
Handout
of poem
Opener
activity
Tell
students about the memory of elephants. Relatively, elephants
temporal lobes, which are responsible for recognition, and storage
and retrieval of information related to sight, touch, smell, and
hearing are more complex and larger than humans. They often respond
to voice or smell alone of a human after over a decade. Their
memory far exceeds that of a human.
Have
students try to recall their first memory. What is the earliest
age that you can remember? Who was there? What stands out? What
were you doing? Etc. Talk to your nearest desk neighbor about
it.
Sequence
of activities:
- Tell students that today they will
be poets. They will use their memory to write a poem.
- Have student's take out their journals*
- Ask students to think of a person that
they miss and write it down. You can give an example of someone
you miss. It could be a family member that has passed away or
a friend that has been lost…
- After a few minutes, pass out Clifton
poem and read it aloud to class.
- Have students close their eyes. Tell
them you are going to read it again and you want them to envision
the speaker's memory—the imagery —or “photograph” that
the poem creates
- Have students' open their eyes, talk
about the poem for a few minutes—the narrator's wish, memory,
experience…
- Return to their journal. Free write
about a memory of the person that you miss. Write everything
down you can—colors, scenery, situation, words, sounds, smells.
Judge the amount of time you give them based on class timeframe
and how they seem to be progressing. Walk around and help them.
- Have them finish up. Read the poem
again.
- Tell students to read their own free
write and circle words that stand out for them. Tell them to
keep in mind Clifton 's poem and the words she uses to create
such a vivid image.
- Say “Now, write a poem.” They will
probably look at you, panic forming across their faces. Tell
them to use their free write to write a poem. The circled words
can be helpful. They must be encouraged at this point because
many of them will just be confused. Read Clifton 's poem again
if you need to. It doesn't rhyme; its power is in its imagery!
Create an image, draw a picture with words!
- Some students may take to this lesson
really well, ask for volunteers to read their poem aloud. Have
a poem that you wrote handy in case you need to be the first
volunteer.
- HOMEWORK IS TO FINISH ROUGH DRAFT OF
POEM. Take this lesson as far as you want with editing and revisal.
Work on it a little at a time in days to come and then hold
a class just for reading poems aloud. Dedicate the day to the
memory of the people that the poems are about.
POST
INSTRUCTION
Evaluation
of learning: Were students' engaged in “imagining” Was
students' free writing on point with lesson? Did poems begin to
form?
*Journals
are an excellent component to any literature or language arts
curriculum. They are especially successful with poetry writing
lessons and workshops because poems often begin with seemingly
random thoughts. Students have few boundaries when it comes to
their journals, but do have guidelines to structure their writing.
For instance, they do not have to be concerned with grammar or
spelling; but they do have to write within a subject or on topic.
This channeled freedom encourages students to think, reflect,
and create.
About
this Teaching Guide's Creator
Laura Platino developed
this teaching guide for BOA Editions while working as a New York
State Literary Center Intern. She is currently a Teaching
Artist and Administrative Assistant for The New York State Literary
Center: www.nyslc.org .
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