From Slam to Sonnet

This week, we have explored all kinds of poetry--from slam to sonnet and everything in between! It has been fascinating to watch you all channel your inner e.e. cummings, Robert Frost, Gwendolyn Brooks, Langston Hughes, and today, William Shakespeare.

We explored this sonnet by William Shakespeare:

We talked about the rules of a Shakespearean sonnet: 14 lines, following the rhyme scheme: abab, cdcd, efef, gg. And each line has ten syllables in it (iambic pentameter). Talk about structure! These sonnets are the very opposite of the kind of free ranging and far-flinging connections and possibilities of slam poetry, and yet both have a kind of power and beauty and purpose.

This weekend, your homework is to finish writing your own original Shakespearean sonnet. We spent some time in class crafting them and brainstorming ideas; now continue and have fun puzzling out this poem! 

We also watched this brief introduction to Shakespeare.

Our word of the day today was SONNET.

Finally, here is a website, RHYMEZONE, that can help you find great rhymes to complete your sonnet! I use it with my own poems and picture books!

Have a great weekend, and peace!

Mr. R

Complexity...or Simplicity?

Today in class we talked about how our word of the day, LUGUBRIOUS (i.e. mournful, gloomy, dark) connects to Picasso's Guernica painting and to our novel, Habibi.

We then segued (remember that awesome word from a while back!?) into a Quick Write for five minutes, and then a discussion of Poppy's actions with the woman who claimed to be a distant relative. You all shared insightful comments about why Poppy acted with malice or with wisdom--and each class tended to be split on opinions about Poppy's actions.

Which makes us ask: are characters (including ourselves!) simple or complex? Are the characters we read about in any novel clear, easy to understand, and consistent? Or are the characters we read about complex, inconsistent, and unpredictable? If we believe William Shakespeare, then we'd say, with him, "Nothing is either good or bad, but thinking makes it so."

However, can we judge Poppy's actions--or those of any character in our novel or in our lives--without really knowing what it's like to walk in their shoes.

Let's think about this together after you finish your reading tonight (up to page 140 in Habibi). Once you've read, share your ideas about this question below: Liyana responds to the Jewish boy she meets in the marketplace, "I am with myself," (128). What do you think Liyana means by this? And would you say the same about yourself? Do you know yourself, and do you see yourself as simple or complex? How do you see Liyana and Poppy--simple or complex? Why?

Whoa, dude! Loads of questions coming at you from Mr. R tonight. And they are all in bold font!? What is with the bold, Mr. Reynolds!? And what is with the copious amount of questions!?

Have fun exploring them. Share what comes to mind and heart. I can't wait to read.

Peace!

Mr. R.