Exercises & Assignment -- Week 14; Definition: "Refrain"

Read "The Lady of Shalott" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

Exercise 1:

Paraphrase each of the four sections of this poem.

Exercise 2:

This poem is considered a "ballad". Explain what is a ballad and why this poem is a ballad.

Exercise 3:

A refrain is a repetition of words, phrases or lines at regular intervals. When refrains follow a stanza they are called terminal refrains. When refrains are within stanzas they are called internal refrains. When a refrain changes a little with each repetition it is called an incremental refrain.

What is the refrain in the poem "The Lady of Shalott"? Where is it and what type(s) is it?

Exercise 4:

Listen to Loreena McKennitt's musical adaptation of "The Lady of Shalott". Which stanzas did McKennitt leave out and which stanzas did she use? Do you think that McKennit chose most appropriate stanzas or would you have included or excluded other stanzas?

Exercise 5:

Consider the "curse" of the Lady. What do you think was this curse? What triggered it to come into effect?

Exercise 6:

Identify the "liminal spaces" in this poem, and explain why you think they are liminal.

Exercise 7:

Discuss the similarities between the Lady's Castle and Plato's Cave.



Exercise 8:

It is possible that the Lady of Shallot is an allegorical figure. What do you think the Lady symbolizes? Keeping your answer in mind, what do you think the poem is about?

Exercises & Assignment -- Week 13b

Exercise 1:

Paraphrase Lord Tennyson's "Charge of the Light Brigade". Then, summarize your paraphrase into one or two sentences, focusing on the topic, theme and tone of the poem.

Assignment:

As a group assignment, write an analytical paragraph of Lord Tennyson's "Charge of the Light Brigade".

Exercises -- Week 13a

Exercise 1:

Identify all the types of rhyme (e.g. perfect rhyme & imperfect rhyme; end rhyme & internal rhyme; masculine & feminine rhyme) in Percy Bysshe Shelley's "The Cloud".

Exercise 2:

Read the poem "The Cloud" by Percy Bysshe Shelley.

What is the topic of this poem?
What is the main theme of this poem?
Summarize this poem in one or two sentences.
Which poetic devices does Shelley use most often in this poem?

Exercises -- Week 12b

Exercise 1:

Look at the following poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley: "England 1819", "Ode to the West Wind", "To a Skylark", "Ozymandias" and "Mutability".

Identify the forms that Shelley uses in each of these poems. If the form is a sonnet, identify the type of sonnet it is and take note of the closed forms (e.g. quatrains, octaves, sestets, and couplets) within it.

Exercise 2:

Compare the sonnets "To Wordsworth" and "Ozymandias" and the first stanza of "The Cloud". Are all of these sonnets traditional sonnets (i.e. English, Italian or Spenserian)?

Exercises -- Week 12a

Exercise 1:

Percy Bysshe Shelley's "Ozymandias" has one overarching metaphor. Identify this metaphor and describe the main theme of this poem.

Exercise 2:

How many personae / voices are there in Percy Bysshe Shelley's "Ozymandias"? Identify them. Which persona do you think is the most important? Explain your answer.

Exercise 3:

There are several "narrative layers" in Percy Bysshe Shelley's "Ozymandias". Describe these narrative layers. What do you think was Shelley's purpose with so many narrative layers?

Exercise 4:

Do an analysis of Percy Bysshe Shelley's "Mutability". What do you think is the main message of this poem? Summarise the main theme of "Mutability" in one sentence.

Exercises -- Week 11b

Exercise 1:

Read the poem "To Autumn" by John Keats and mark all the examples of alliteration and assonance.

Exercise 2:

Analyze the poem "On the Sea" by John Keats.

Exercise 3:

Compare and contrast William Blake's "To the Evening Star" and John Keats's "Bright Star".

Exercises -- Week 10 & 11a

Exercise 1:

Analyze the following poems by John Keats:

• To Homer
• On the Sonnet
• La Belle Dame sans Merci

Exercise 2:

Identify and discuss the archetypes in Keats's "La Belle Dame sans Merci".

Exercise 3:

Perform scansion on Keat's "La Belle Dame sans Merci". Do all the lines have the same metrical feet? How do they differ? What do you think is the significance of this?

Exercise 4:

The form of "La Belle Dame sans Merci" is a ballad. What is a ballad? How does it differ from a typical epic poem? How does it differ from a typical lyrical poem?

Exercise 5:

What might "La Belle Dame sans Merci" be about? For instance, the poem might be about the enslavement to sexual fantasy. Read the poem again and see if you can discover an alternative interpretation.

Exercises -- Week 9: Lord Byron

Exercise 1:

Discuss the irony in Lord Byron's "Stanzas: When a Man Hath No Freedom to Fight for at Home".

Exercise 2:

It what ways reflects "Stanzas: When a Man Hath No Freedom to Fight for At Home" Lord Byron's own life? Would you consider this poem biographical? Motivate your answer.

Exercise 3:

Perform scansion on Lord Byron's "The Destruction of Sennacherib". What do you think is the purpose of the meter used in this poem?

Exercise 4:

Read 2 Kings, chapters 18 and 19, from the Bible (English / Korean). Why do you think Lord Byron based a poem ("The Destruction of Sennacherib") on this passage from the Bible?.

Assignment:

In groups of 3-6 members, do an analysis of "The Destruction of Sennacherib". What do you think was Lord Byron's purpose with this poem? Submit your group's assignment.

Extra Credit Assignment:

For extra credit, write an analytical paragraph for Lord Byron's "So We'll Go No More A-Roving". This is NOT a group work assignment.

Exercises -- Week 9

Regarding Samuel Taylor Coleridge's epic poem "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner":

Exercise 1:

Summarize each part and identify the main themes in each part.

Exercise 2:

What Christian and/or Biblical references are present in this poem. Look, for instance, for symbols referring to baptism, crucifixion, and original sin.

Exercise 3:

How does "nature" change after the Ancient Mariner kills the albatross? Look at symbolism, metaphor, and rhyme scheme to support your answer.

Exercise 4:

What types of imagery are present in this poem? Which senses do you think is emphasized in this poem? Why?

Exercise 5:

Find examples of "imprisonment" in the poem. Discuss how these instances contribute to greater themes of imprisonment, like imprisonment to fate or sin.

Exercises -- Week 7

Exercise 1:

Read Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" and locate examples where the major themes in this poem are clear.

Exercises & Assignment -- Week 6

Exercise 1: Paraphrase

Write a paraphrase for William Wordsworth's poems "She Was a Phantom of Delight" and "My Heart Leaps Up" (aka "The Rainbow Poem").

Exercise 2: Analytical Paragraph

Write an analytical paragraph about the themes in Wordsworth's "My Heart Leaps Up".

Assignment: Comparison

Compare William Blake's poem "London" and William Wordsworth's poem "London, 1802".

Exercises & Assignment -- Week 5

Exercise 1: Analysis

Do an analysis of William Wordsworth's "I Wondered Lonely as a Cloud".

Assignment: Analysis

Do an analysis of any of the following Lucy-poems:

"She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways", "The Years She Grew"; "A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal".

Part of your analysis should also include scansion.

Exercises -- Week 4

Exercise 1: Paraphrase

Paraphrase William Blake's "A Poison Tree".

Exercise 2: Symbolism

• Identify the symbolism in William Blake's "A Poison Tree".
  
• Is it an example of metaphor or simile?
  
• Interpret the symbolism.

Exercise 3: Comparison & Discussion

Compare William Blake's "The Lamb" with "The Tyger" and discuss in groups.

• Make a list of the differences between the poems and discuss them.
  
• Is the rhythm in these poems the same or different? What does this indicate?
• Find the intertextual reference in "The Tyger" to "The Lamb". What is the implication of this reference? How would you answer the speaker's question?

Exercises & Assignments -- Week 3

Exercise 1: Meter

Determine the meter in William Blake's "The Tyger" and "London".

Exercise 2: Scansion and Meaningful Variation

What is the significance of the change from an iambic to a trochaic rhythm in line 4 of "London"?

Exercise 3: Scansion

Perform scansion on the poem "Song" by William Blake.

Exercise 4: Combine Imagery, Symbolism, Apostrophe, Personification and Rhythm

Do a short analysis of "Song" and "A Poison Tree" by William Blake.

Exercise 5: Writing a Paraphrase

Paraphrase the poems "London" and "Song" by William Blake.

Assignment: Interpretation

Interpret the poem "Song" by William Blake.

Exercises & Assignments -- Week 2

Exercise 1: Imagery, Symbolism, Simile, Metaphor, Apostrophe and Personification

William Blake's "To the Evening Star"

Mark all the examples of imagery (and their types), symbolism, simile, metaphor, apostrophe and personification.

Exercise 2: Imagery (and apostrophe and personification)

William Blake's "The Tyger"; "London"; "Song"; "The Lamb"; "A Poison Tree"

Identify and discuss the imagery in these poems. Also identify examples of apostrophe and personification.

Exercise 3: Denotations & Connotations

William Blake's "The Tyger"; "London"; "Song"; "The Lamb"; "A Poison Tree"

What is "said" (denotations) and what is "suggested" (connotations)?

Assignment: Symbolism

William Blake's "The Sick Rose"

Discuss the symbolism in this poem.

• Is the poem about England that is corrupted by politicians (the "worm")?
• Is the poem about a prostitute that is infected with a sexual transmitted disease?
• Is the poem about a virgin, that lost her virginity, maybe through rape?
• Do you have another interpretation?

Motivate your answer.