Odes to Helen

Ode: 1. a lyric poem typically of elaborate or

irregular metrical form and expressive of exalted or enthusiastic emotion.

2. A kind of poem devoted to the praise of a person, animal, or thing. An ode is usually written in an elevated style and often expresses deep feeling. An example is “ Ode on a Grecian Urn,” by John Keats.

1. To the side of each stanza paraphrase what the writer is saying

2. Close Read– Mark/Underline figurative language (apostrophe,

metaphor, simile, hyperbole, etc.) and label what they are.– Mark/Squiggle line imagery.– Mark/Circle words that contribute to the tone of the poem– Mark/Draw Squares sound devices– Draw a bracket and question mark phrases you aren’t

sure of– Draw triangles around a diction pattern in each poem.– Draw three pictures of images in each of the poems.

3. Answer These Questions – How is the speaker in “Helen” different than the speaker in “To

Helen”? – Why does the speaker in “Helen” revile her?– List four images (quote the poems) that shows the speakers’

feelings about Helen.– How is beauty contrasted in these two poems? – How do the structures of the poems contribute to the meaning?– How do the sounds in the poems connect to the poems’ tones?– How does the allusion and the poems’ titles add meaning?

Write a paragraph…or two• Write a paragraph in which you contrast the two speakers’ views of

Helen.

• You will be graded on your selection of quotations, correctness and effectiveness of commentary as well as your writing skill (organization, word choice, sentence structure and grammar) and the overall completion of the assignment.

• Please be certain to include:

– Three short quotations (connected to a technique/pattern) from each poem.

– Commentary that explains the quotations’ effect/connotations and connections to the themes.

• Please be certain to:

– Keep quotations at 5 words or below

– Embed quotations

– Write in the present tense

– Write in 3rd person point of view

Poetry Outline

1. Write a thesis with a theme.

2. Define the tone of the poem. List the techniques and four words/phrases from the poem that create that tone.

3. Prioritize and create an outline for the 7 most important techniques. Include the techniques, line numbers, commentary for each of the 7 techniques.