A.Read Sylvia Plath’s 1971 poem “Blackberrying” (attached pdf below)
Identify all the sense impressions included in this poem; make sure to explain which sense each appeals to.
Based on the connotations of these sensory images, how does the speaker of the poem seem to feel about the blackberries compared to the sea?
B.Read May Swenson’s “Question” (attached pdf below)
To what does the speaker compare her body?
What is emphasized with each different comparison?
What difference does it make that the poem uses metaphors rather than similes?
C.Read Susan Glaspell's 1916 play, Trifles.
Describe the plot. What are the basic conflicts? Your book claims that the climax — defined as the point when the plot’s tension peaks — is when Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters discover the dead bird. However, this is not the only possible candidate for the climax in the play: for example, one could make an argument that the climax occurs near the end after it seems Mrs. Peters might be tempted to reveal the bird’s body. Explain where you see the climax occurring and why.
Describe the characters of Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters. What are they like, how do we know, and does either change during the course of the play? If so, how?
Why are the women able to solve the mystery of who murdered John Wright when the men aren’t?
How is Mrs. Peters eventually convinced to help protect Minnie Wright, even though she is “married to the law”?
What meaning does the word “trifles” take on throughout the course of the play?
D.Read Susan Glaspell's 1916 play, Trifles.
Mrs. Hale’s and Mrs. Peter’s decision to cover up the evidence of the dead bird could be criticized as interfering with justice being served. The county attorney would certainly think so! But can you argue that their decision serves justice in a different way? Why or why not?
E.Read Adrienne Rich’s 1951 poem “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers,”
Aunt Jennifer is creating a needlework tapestry in the first stanza. What are the tigers like? How do they contrast with Aunt Jennifer herself as portrayed in the second stanza?
What does “Uncle’s wedding band” symbolize? Consider both the conventional associations of wedding rings and the meaning that this particular ring takes on in this poem. (For example, what difference does it make that it’s described as “Uncle’s wedding band” and not Jennifer’s?)
Thinking back to what you learned about sound, examine the meter of “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers.” Where does it conform to iambic pentameter, and where does it deviate? How does the pattern of the meter contribute to the meaning of the poem?
F.Read Adrienne Rich’s 1951 poem “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers,”
The tigers arguably function as a more ambiguous symbol than the wedding band. What do you think they represent?
Does the fact that they outlive Aunt Jennifer make her death (and life) seem even sadder in contrast, or is their continued existence more positive? Why?
G.Read W.B. Yeats’ 1892 poem “The Lake Isle of Innisfree,”
Consider the following concepts:
Repetition, Meter, Alliteration, Assonance, Rhyme
Choose two of the uses of sound listed above and discuss how each reinforces images and/or ideas in the poem.
What does the Lake Isle of Innisfree mean to the speaker? Be sure to support your response with specific quotes and examples.
H.Read Emily Dickinson’s poem “Wild nights – Wild nights!” (attached pdf below)
This poem uses an extended metaphor comparing the speaker to a ship and the person to whom the poem is addressed to a port.
What are the implications of this metaphor for the speaker’s feelings about the other person?
What do you do with the seeming contradiction between the speaker’s initial desire for “Wild Nights” and the more peaceful images of a heart “in port” and “Rowing in Eden”?
I.Read William Shakespeare’s “My Mistress’ Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun”
Choose one image from the poem and explain what the speaker is saying about his mistress by using it.
In a Shakespearean sonnet such as this one, the last two lines (or couplet) typically pack a powerful punch, building on the rest of the poem by drawing a conclusion or even contradicting what has come before. How do the last two lines of this poem relate to the images used before, and what difference do they make to the overall impact of the poem?
J.Read Scott Momaday’s "Simile"
What does the comparison between the deer and “us” communicate about “us” and “what . . . we [said] to each other,” at least from the point of view of the speaker?
What does the way the poem is formatted on the page contribute to your sense of what it means to be like the deer?