Friday, December 3, 2010

Do Now: Prepare for laptops. Open to the blog and read today's assignment. You will also find the assignment on PB works:
http://mrswillisenglish3.pbworks.com. Click on Assignments. Click on "Caged Bird" Project.

Read the Paul Lawrence Dunbar poem, "Sympathy"
Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906)
                            Sympathy
    I KNOW what the caged bird feels, alas!                         
        When the sun is bright on the upland slopes;
    When the wind stirs soft through the springing grass,
    And the river flows like a stream of glass;
        When the first bird sings and the first bud opes,
    And the faint perfume from its chalice steals —
    I know what the caged bird feels!
(Note from Mrs. Willis: Notice the imagery. What do you see? Where is the bird? Why does Dunbar end the first line with "Alas!"? Keep reading.)

    I know why the caged bird beats his wing
        Till its blood is red on the cruel bars;
    For he must fly back to his perch and cling
    When he fain would be on the bough a-swing;
        And a pain still throbs in the old, old scars
    And they pulse again with a keener sting —
    I know why he beats his wing!
(Note: Did you notice the difference in images Dunbar uses? What does "old, old scars" tell you about the bird? Keep reading.)

    I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,
        When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,—
    When he beats his bars and he would be free;
(Note: Dunbar was a black poet. Why is this poem a metaphor? Keep reading.)

     It is not a carol of joy or glee,
        But a prayer that he sends from his heart's deep core,
    But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings —
    I know why the caged bird sings!
(Note : Can you extend the metaphor beyond Dunbar and this poem?)
Think About It:

1.     What can you see, feel, understand about the bird as a result of simile, metaphor, personification and imagery?

2.     The bird is a metaphor for Dunbar's life. Do you know a "caged bird"? Who do you feel "Sympathy"for?

The Assignment:
Open to you workspace and create a new page. Make sure to put the page in your folder!
1. On your wiki page, create your own “caged bird” poem or essay.
2. Extend the metaphor to your life and/or experience.
3. Use imagery, a simile, and personification in your work. Let us see your caged bird's surroundings, his/her pain, his/her desires, etc.
4. Illustrate your poem or essay with an image that reflects the meaning of your extended metaphor.
This assignment is due by the end of class today, but you may put finishing touches on until 12/5. It will be graded 12/5 at 6:00 P.M.