GROUP 3

Lesson: Reading a poem

(Abandoned House, Ted

Kooser)
Quarter 2-Week
3
OBJECTIVE/S:
1.Identify representative texts and authors from

Asia, North America, Europe, Latin America, and

Africa

2.Write a close reading analysis and critical

interpretation of literary texts applying a

reading approach

3.Create/perform a creative adaptation of the

studied literary text using ICT

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 What is a poem?
A poem is an exacting and tricky work of literature to read; for, usually, it can have
layers of meanings or interpretations. it is because poets usually use language
uniquely. sometimes they may defamiliarize (present unfamiliarly) simple
situations or objects. in Craig Raine's A Martian Sends Home a Postcard, he
described book as "mechanical birds with many wings." In the literary work to be
studied later, you will discover that mere description of an abandoned farm house
tells a lot more than the described farmhouse through the use of imagery. Moreover,
you will also feel a sense of identification; that is, as you read, you will sympathize
with the family for their fate. Afterward, as your written output, you will perform
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different activities showing your understanding and appreciation of the work.
Things to Consider in poetry

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 Theme
The theme of a poem is the message an author
wants to communicate through the piece. The
theme differs from the main idea because the
main idea describes what the text is mostly
about.
 1.) Love Theme
may possibly be the most popular theme in poetry because
love is a complex emotion that resonates with readers.
Love is usually coupled with another theme of the poem,
such as love lost, true love, enduring love, unrequited love,
and the love of a parent or even the love of a certain type of
food or animal.
 2.) Nature Theme
is a form of writing that focuses primarily on ideas,
emotions, situations, or images that have to do with nature
or the wilderness. Nature has always played a vital role in
poetry. Writers and poets have often used nature to
explain their emotions and their thoughts about life,
death, love and war.
 3.) Historical Theme
Historical theme is a subgenre of poetry that has its
roots in history. Its aim is to delineate events of the
past by incorporating elements of artful
composition and poetic diction.
 4.) Religion Theme
Religion Theme is generally considered the fruit of a
people's long reflection on their relationship with their
gods, with the ancestors, and with the partly seen and
unseen universe. It is used to celebrate events in the life of
the individual and the community, to express fellowship,
and as a powerful means of communication.
 5.) Death Theme
The theme of death is one of the most discussed themes
in pieces of poetry and prose. It can be associated with
the theme of life or be presented with the help of its
depiction through the analysis of the human values.
Death can be considered as the "eerie black figure" or
"holy".
 Language
Most important functions of language is to build

"homophily" or a sense of commonality with one's readers.

Language which is foreign and unfamiliar to the reader

tends to emphasize the differences between writer and

reader, and makes the message difficult to understand

 Structure
The structure of a poetry involves many
elements, such as the number of lines, the
number of syllables in each line, the rhyming of
certain words and phrases with others, and much
more.
 Context

Context can include: the time and place

the poem was written. how the poem
has been read at different times and in
different situations.
Elements Of Poetry
 METER
Meter: Meter is the rhythmic structure within a poem and is
dictated by the number of syllables and the pattern in which
these syllables are emphasized.
 Types Of Meter
Iambic Meter (First unstressed and second stressed syllable)

Shall I / compare / thee to/ a sum/mer’s day?

Trochaic Meter (First stresses and second unstressed syllable)

Then the / charm is /firm and/ good.

Dactyl meter (First & second stressed and third unstressed syllable.)

Cannon to / right of them,

Anapest Meter (First & second unstressed and third stressed

syllable.)

In the midst / of the word / he was try/ing to say,

Spondee Meter (Both first and second syllables are stressed.)

Slow slow, / fresh font, / keep time / with my / salt tears.

Pyrrhic Meter (Both first and second syllables are unstressed.)

When the/ blood creeps /and the /nerve prick.

 RHYME
Rhyme is created when the last one or more syllables within separate
words match. A poem is considered to rhyme when the last words of the
lines within the verse share this relationship.

Example:
Ask- Mask – Flask – Task – Bask
Above – Glove – Dove – Love.
Add – Glad – Sad – Mad – Lad – Dad – Bad – Had.
.
 SCHEME
A scheme refers to the rhyming pattern within a verse
of poetry. The scheme could contain words that rhyme
at each of every line throughout the stanza, or
alternating lines, or in couplets. We often signify the
rhyme scheme using an arrangement of letters.
 ABABAB
She walks in beauty, like the night (A)
Of cloudless climes and starry skies; (B)
And all that's best of dark and bright (A)
Meet in her aspect and her eyes; (B)
Thus mellowed to that tender light (A)
Which heaven to gaudy day denies. (B)
 ABABCC
Even as the sun with purple-colour'd face (A)
Had ta'en his last leave of the weeping morn, (B)
Rose-cheek'd Adonis hied him to the chase; (A)
Hunting he loved, but love he laugh'd to scorn; (B)
Sick-thoughted Venus makes amain unto him, (C)
And like a bold-faced suitor 'gins to woo him. (C)
 VERSE
The verse of the poem is a way to describe the
relationship between rhyme and meter in a poem.
 Examples
Rhymed verse
"Roses are red, violets are blue, / Sugar is sweet, and so are you."

Blank verse
Of man's first disobedience, and the fruit
Of that forbidden tree, whose mortal taste
Brought death into the world, and all our woe,
With loss of Eden, till one greater man
 Free verse
I have eaten
the plums
that were
in the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast
 STANZA

A stanza is a group of lines within the verse of a poem.

They often follow a similar pattern or meter or contain
a similar idea, but not always. They are separated
from other stanzas within the poem through the use of
a break or a blank line.
 EXAMPLE
I had no time to hate, because
The grave would hinder me,
And life was not so ample I
Could finish enmity.

Nor had I time to love; but since

Some industry must be,
The little toil of love, I thought,
was large enough for me.
What are poetic devices in poetry?

Poetic devices are a form of literary device

used in poetry. Poems are created out of
poetic devices composite of: structural,
grammatical, rhythmic, metrical, verbal, and
visual elements. They are essential tools that
a poet uses to create rhythm, enhance a
poem's meaning, or intensify a mood 2
or
feeling.
 Sound
Poetic devices that have a sonic quality achieve specific effects when heard.

Words with a sound-like quality can strike readers as soothing or dissonant

while evoking certain thoughts and feelings associated with them.

Alliteration–Repeated consonant
example: A good cook
sounds at the beginning of words
could cook as many
placed near each other, usually on
cookies as a good cook
the same or adjacent lines.
who could cook cookies.
Alliteration is used as a mnemonic

device to evoke feelings such as

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fear and suspense in poetry.
Assonance–Repeated vowel sounds in words
placed near each other, usually on the same or Example:
adjacent lines. These vowel sounds are usually •sUrf and tUrf
accented or stressed to give musical quality to
the poem. By creating an internal rhyme, this
•chips and dips
also enhances the pleasure of reading the
poem.

Consonance–Repeated 'consonant' sounds at Example:

the ending of words near each other, usually It will creep
on the same or adjacent lines. These should be
in sounds that are accented, or stressed, rather
and beep
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than in a vowel. while you sleep.
Cacophony–A discordant series of harsh,
unpleasant sounds to convey disorder. This
is often enhanced by the combined effect of
complex meanings and pronunciation.

Euphony–A series of musically pleasant

sounds that give the poem a melodious
quality, conveying a sense of harmony to the
reader.
Onomatopoeia–It is used in poetry to
create aural effects that mimic the
visual image described. A
combination of words may be used to
create an onomatopoetic effect. It is,
however, not imperative to use words
that are onomatopoetic in and of
themselves.
 Rhythm
Poetic rhythm is the flow of words within each
meter and stanza to produce a rhythmic effect
while emphasising specific parts of the poem.
Repetition–Repetition often uses
word associations to express ideas
and emotions indirectly, emphasizing
a point, confirming an idea, or
describing a notion.
Rhyme–Rhyme uses repeating Example:
patterns to bring out rhythm "Roses are red, violets are
or musicality in poems. It is a blue, / Sugar is sweet, and
repetition of similar sounds
so are you."
occurring in lines in a poem
which gives the poem a
symmetric quality.
 Caesura–A metrical pause or break Example:
in a verse where one phrase ends "To be, or not to be-that is the question:
and another phrase begins. In the Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer."
example , caesura is denoted by the
dash and colon:
Example:
Enjambment–The continuation of ''My little horse must think it queer
a sentence without a pause beyond To stop without a farmhouse near
the end of a line, couplet, or Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year. "
stanza.
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
BY ROBERT FROST
 Meaning
The use of figurative language as a poetic
device function to convey the poet's intended
meaning in various ways.
 Example

Chocolate cake is my Achilles

Allusion–A brief reference to a heel." The allusion here is to
person, character, historical event, "Achilles' heel," or the Greek myth
about the hero Achilles and how
work of art, and Biblical or
his heel was his one weakness. In
mythological situation. this case, the speaker's "weakness"
is chocolate cake
Analogy–Drawing a comparison or inference Example:
between two situations to convey the poet's
message more effectively. The plumbing took a maze of
turns where even water got
lost.

Symbolism means to imbue objects with a certain

You have to be as busy as a bee
meaning that is different from their original
to get good grades in high
meaning or function. It is a representative of
school.
other aspects, concepts or traits than those visible
in literal translation. Other literary devices, such Finding that lost dog will be
as metaphor, allegory, and allusion, aid in the like finding a needle in a
development of symbolism. haystack.
 EXAMPLE:

Oxymoron–A combination of two •Almost exactly.

words that appear to contradict •Awfully good.
•Loyal
each other.
opposition.
•Old news.
•Only choice.

Example:

Paradox–A statement in which a The more I hurry the more behind I

get.
contradiction may reveal an
unexpected truth The more you fail, the more likely you
are to succeed.

The more you try to impress people,

the less impressed they’ll be
 Example:

The days crept by slowly,

Personification–Attribution of a personal sorrowfully.

nature or human characteristics to something The world does not care to hear your
non-human, or the representation of an sad stories.

abstract quality in human form. Money is the only friend that I can
count on.

Example:
Pun–a joke exploiting the different
possible meanings of a word or the fact Like a firefly in the rain,im delighted

that there are words which sound alike

but have different meanings. I was struggling to figure out how lightning
works, but then it struck me.

The grammarian was very logical. He had a lot

of comma sense.
What is a poetry analysis

Poetry analysis is the process of investigating a

poem's form, content, structural semiotics and

history in an informed way, with the aim of

heightening one's own and others' understanding

and appreciation of the work. The words poem

and poetry derive from the Greek poiēma and

poieo.

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 Discussion

To interpret poetry is difficult because poet's

pack in a lot of information making use of
carefully chosen words expressing any
human experience or Ideas. So when reading
you have to be attentive to the details of the
text.
 Discussion
Writing a literary study of a poem requires

knowledge of its form, poetic devices, and a lot

more. For this reason, take your time to

Understand the following steps and things to

consider in analyzing a poem.

THIS IS OUR EXAMPLE
OF A POEM BY:
JOHN COOPER CLARKE
 Full Name

1. Read first the poem to familiarize yourself with the

language and literal meaning.

I think there is someone in your life that you're willing to do anything

for "Let me be your vacuum cleaner, breath in any dust."(Let me take
your problems away)"if you like your coffee hot, let me be your coffee
pot" (I'll keep you warm) just a few examples of what I interpret. I'll do
whatever you need me to do or be what ever you want me to be because
I just wanna be yours. 3
2. Reread the whole poem to clarify unfamiliar
words to get your first impression of it. .

• Reread the whole poem to clarify

unfamiliar words.

• to get your first impression of it.

 EXAMPLE OF

UNFAMILIAR WORDS

"I wanna be your

raincoat "I wanna be the electric heater you'll get

for those frequent rainy cold without"

days"

This line is less about Again the narrator

the desire for intimacy emphasises how important he

and more about a wants to be in the other

desire to protect the person's life. Heat is

important and as humans, we

other person. The

associate the cold with being

raincoat is a metaphor
alone. The narrator is once

for taking care of the

again offering comfort.
other person.
3. While reading, figure out the speaker, who tells the

story, and who is the adressee.

The speaker of a poem is the voice of the poem, similar to a narrator in fiction.

While the person who tells the story is what you call a narrator.

Who is the Addresse?

 tone signifies an author's point of view,
4. Clarify the tone and
mood of the poem. What the mood of a piece of writing is the

is the author's attitude atmosphere of a piece and the overall feeling

it conveys to the reader.

about the subject of the
poem? Is he nostalgic,
What is the author's attitude toward's the

brooding, regretful?
subject of the poem.
Also, what feeling does
the poem create in you. Is he nostalgic, brooding, regretful, etc..?

What does the feeling does create in you?

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 5. Pharaphrase the poem, especially the figurative

languages you don't understand.

Be able to translate the poem into a much understandable

language.

[I wanna be your vacuum

A vacuum cleaner picks up all the leftovers, the mess, the
cleaner unwanted, and the forgotten. For the artist to assume this
Breathin’ in your dust] role, he is taking on the responsibility to deal with what
Beginning with these lines and
most would not, and in a way taking all the bad, that comes
continuing throughout the with the good. A great expression of the potential devotion
song, Alex pleads to be used like he is trying to portray. Indicating both a desire to be close
an object by his lover.
to his lover and a desire to give up or sacrifice things (such
as breathing clean air), the lines reveal an almost
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masochistic love.
6. Last, you focus on the central idea conveyed by the
poem and identify the theme. Ask yourself: What does
the poem try to tell you about the subject and its
significants to human life?

The speaker asks to be let into every aspect of their lover's life by listing

the different mundane, everyday objects they want to replace.

What is the theme of the poem?

What does the poem try to tell you about the subject and its

significants to human life?

 ACTIVITY 1
A. DIRECTIONS: Let's see how much you have understood the poems by answering the
following questions.

1. In the first stanza, what inference can you make about the man and his physical
characteristics and skills as a farmer?
2. What description of the man and his family are given by the speaker? From what is
his conclusion based?
3. In the last stanza, to what does the speaker based his inference on why the family
left the house?
4. Do you know of anyone who had no choice but "to leave"?
5. Were you able to relate to the poem? Do you think it is wise to just leave and give
up when you know that it's useless to struggle? Explain.
6. What do you think is the message of the poem? What did you realize about life
based on the message of the poem?
 ACTIVITY 2
B. DIRECTIONS: Read and answer the statements carefully. Write the letter of the correct
answer on the space provided.
1. He was a big man, says the size of his shoes
on a pile of broken dishes by the house;
a tall man too, says the length of the bed
in an upstairs room; and a good, God-fearing man,
5. says the Bible with a broken back
on the floor below the window, dusty with sun;
but not a man for farming, says the fields
cluttered with boulders and the leaky barn.

_____ 1. The speaker of the poem guessed that the man is tall through
A. His shoes
B. His bed
C. His dishes
D. His trousers
_____ 2. What detail in the poem says that the man could not be a good farmer?
A. Lines 1-2
B. Lines 3-4
C. Lines 5-6
D. Lines 7-8
_____ 3. Though not directly stated, it can be guessed that the man is religious.
What detail in the poem tells this?
A. Lines 1-2
B. Lines 3-4
C. Lines 5-6
D. Lines 7-8
_____ 4. What description is the poem suggests that the man fairly read the
Bible?
A. Broken
B. Cluttered
C. Dusty
D. God-fearing
_____ 5. In line 5, what sound device is used?
A. Alliteration
B. Assonance
C. Consonance
D. Onomatopoeia
1. Something went wrong, says the empty house
in the weed-choked yard. Stones in the fields
say he was not a farmer; the still-sealed jars
in the cellar says she left in a nervous haste.
5. And the child? It's toys are strewn in the yard
like branches after a storm—a rubber cow,
a rusty tractor with a broken plow,
a doll in overalls. Something went wrong, they say.

_____ 6. What figure of speech is used in the last 4 lines?

A. Apostrophe
B. Metaphor
C. Personification
D. Simile
_____ 7. To what is the child's toy compared?
A. Scattered branches after a storm
B. a cow
C. a neglected child
D. Simile
_____ 8. What does the storm symbolize?
A. The hardships and failures of the family
B. Lost opportunities
C. Loneliness
D. Abandonment
_____ 9. What figure of speech is used in line 1?
A. Apostrophe
B. Hyperbole
C. Metaphor
D. Simile
_____ 10. In This line, 'money was scarce, says the jars of plum

preserves' what sound device is used?

A. Alliteration
B. Assonance
C. Consonance
D. Rhyme
 ACTIVITY 3
B. DIRECTIONS: Re-read the poem critically then paraphrase it below using the provided
writing prompts.

• In Ted Kooser's poem Abandoned Farmhouse, the person has keenly observed the life of a
family through __________________________________________.

• He inferred that the head of the family _______________________________.

• From the belongings that they have left, the speaker added that _______________.

• What I like about the poem is ________________________________.

• Although I feel for the father for his fate, I think that in the same circumstances ___
___________________________.