English 11 Poetry Project

This poetry project will not only give you

the opportunity to showcase some of your
own poetry but also include some of your
amazing analyzing (notice the alliteration)
skills. Class time will be provided but you
will also need to work on this on your own
time.
Please arrange your project in the following
order:
Cover/Title Page: make it nice! Please have at least one illustration.
Table Contents: All of the pages of your project should be numbered and coincide with the table
of contents. Include every piece of poetry. Dont forget that titles of poems go in quotation marks
and include all author names.
10 (Ten) Poems: Write the following original poems:
3 Found Poems - each poem should be on a 8.5 x 11 sheet
- make sure you have three different types (blackout, visual collage, and free form/remix)
2 Shakespearean Sonnets
5 others of your choice - these poems will show me your creativity; there is no required length
but make sure your poems reflect your EFFORT; these should be presented as nicely as possible
5 (Five) TPCASTT Poems: Please choose 5 poems written by established poets and analyze
them using TPCASTT. Ensure that you include a copy of the poem and poet.

Description of Poems
Found Poetry
A found poem uses language from non-poetic contexts and turns it into poetry. Think of a
collage -- visual artists take scraps of newspaper, cloth, feathers, bottle caps, and create magic.
You can do the same with language and poems.
Writing this type of poetry is a kind of treasure hunt. Search for interesting scraps of language,
then put them together in different ways and see what comes out. Putting seemingly unrelated
things together can create a kind of chemical spark, leading to surprising results.
You might end up rewriting the poem in the end and taking all the found language out, or you
might keep the found scraps of language almost in their original form. Either way, found
language is a great way to jolt your imagination.
There are no rules for found poetry, as long as you are careful to respect copyright.

Sonnets
14 lines (3 quatrains followed by a rhyming couplet) - sometimes there are spaces between the
quatrains and couplet
rhyme scheme of abab dede efef gg
iambic pentameter - 10 syllables per line
Line 1
Line 2
Line 3
Line 4

A
B
A
B

Line 5
Line 6
Line 7
Line 8

C
D
C
D

Quatrain Two/Stanza Two

Line 9
Line 10
Line 11
Line 12

E
F
E
F

Quatrain Three/Stanza Three

Line 13
Line 14

G
G

Couplet One/Stanza Four

Quatrain One/Stanza One

Iambic Pentameter da-DUM

This is the beat of your poem. You can only use 10 syllables per line with an accent on the 2nd ,
4th ,6th , 8th and 10th syllable. Do not confuse syllables with words. One word may have more
than one syllable. Its not as hard is it might sound. Iambic means foot or measure. The foot/
measure of a Shakespearean sonnet is 2 syllables with a da-DUM beat/accent. Pentameter is used
to describe 5 feet/beats. You can look at the da-DUM as unstressed (da) and stressed (DUM)
Here is an example:
My LOVE for YOU is LIKE the HARD est RAIN (10 syllables)
da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM
Notice all the words are single syllable words but HARDest. You can stress words with multiple
syllables as you wish within creative reason.
Telling a Story (Its not just 14 lines)
The 3 quatrains:
There are many explanations on how to tell a story using a sonnet. The first 4 lines or first stanza
be used to set the tone or mood. It should let the reader know what is on your mind. The next 8
lines or 2 stanzas to define the conflict, twist or point of tension. Remember conflict, twists, and
tension do not have to be negative

However you choose to use the first three stanzas is up to you. The 3 stanzas can also be looked
at as beginning/issue, middle/transition and conflict/dilemma.
The single couplet:
You are left with the couplet which is the resolution of the story presented in the poem. The
couplet is your summation and conclusion to your story. Have fun with it. You want to make sure
you try and tell a story with a couplet conclusion when writing a Shakespearean sonnet. Do not
write 14 rhyming lines that just describe love, anger, an object, a thought, etc. The
Shakespearean sonnet is not 14 lines of descriptive poetry. It has a beginning, middle and an end.
Punctuation:
You can use punctuation as you wish. I suggest you only use it to aid in the flow of the poem
when read aloud. Essentially, punctuation should provide a pause or bring an end to a thought.
Punctuation also allows you to break up your line. You dont have to write a continuous
sentence. Your 10 syllables can be broken up by punctuation to convey your idea and maintain
the form of the sonnet.
Creating the Sonnet
The theme can be anything you wish but Shakespearean sonnets often take on the realms of love,
beauty, immortality, or human life in general. I suggest doing a web search of sonnets to
stimulate your creative process.
The best way to write your Shakespearean sonnet is to grab a sheet of paper and write 10 dashes
on it with the da-DUM below the dashes.
_____ _____
da
DUM

_____ _____
da
DUM

_____ _____
da
DUM

_____
da

_____
DUM

_____
da

_____
DUM

TPCASTT Assignment Description

TPCASTT is a method of analyzing poetry and other forms of writing.
TITLE :Ponder the title before reading. Make up questions about the title. There are two kinds of
titles: interactive titles and naming titles. Interactive titles are have some sort of interplay with
piece itself and can affect its meaning. Naming titles may give less crucial information. If a piece
lacks a title, you can do this step with the first line of the poem or skip it if allowed to do so.
What do you think of whenever you first read the title?
PARAPHRASE (PLOT SUMMARY): In no more than three sentences explain the plot of the
story. At times, a thorough paraphrase of the selection will be required.
CONNOTATIONS :Contemplate the poem for meaning beyond the literal. Identify and figure
out the figurative language (Examples: simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole et cetera).
What sensory details, images, or figures of speech can you find and interpret in the writing?
ATTITUDE : After identifying a subject/topic of the piece, figure out how the speaker (and/or
the writer) feels about it. What is the speakers attitude, or tone, in the writing?
SHIFTS: Note transitions in the poem (e.g. but, however, then, since, so, etc.). Examine
punctuation (dashes, periods, exclamation points, etc.). Look at the white spaces. Note paragraph
and stanza divisions or changes in sentence length. Locate any sharp changes in diction (word
choice). All of these items may point to shifts in subject, attitude, tone, mood, or motif. Where
does the tone and/or mood change? How does it change?
TITLE: Examine the title again, this time on an interpretive level. Answer questions you may
have from the first evaluation of the title. Figure out how the title illuminates the piece.
Remember a "naming title" may not mean much. Remember you can do this with the first line of
a poem if it lacks a title or you can skip this step altogether if allowed. Does the title have any
special meaning? Does it have more than a surface-level meaning?
THEME: After identifying a subject/topic of the poem, determine what the author thinks about
the subject. Define his/her opinion. What is the selection really about? What universal experience
or truth does the selection convey?