Midterm Reflection-Unit 6

ENGLI 1152-NET25

Britt Schumacher

Looking back, I am reminded of what I have gained from this class already.  Now, I have not successfully completed this course yet, however, I know I have been successful in learning a great deal.  That knowledge is mine now and there will be no returning it, only building upon that knowledge and using it to read and write great poetry.  Throughout my portfolio, I believe I have demonstrated understanding of the various objectives presented in English 1152-Poetry.  

In Unit 5, Poetry Analysis, I was able to apply terminology (https://sites.google.com/view/brittpoetryportfolio/unit-2/poetry-definitions?authuser=0) and practices associated with literary analysis in order to understand the text.  I also examined diverse poetry in terms of genre, culture, time period, place and conditions of publication.  For example, I now know that Welsh poet, Dylan Thomas wrote, “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Goodnight” written in 1947. It is a villanelle, a French verse form, consisting of five, three-lined stanzas, and a final quatrain.  A quatrain is a piece of verse complete in four lined lines.  The poem’s literary devices include a refrain, alliteration, enjambment and imagery.   Death and old age are his main themes. These objectives were also completed upon receiving full credit on the reading comprehension quizzes. 

I analysed poetry for its artistic complexity, unique formal elements and depth in Unit 3, our Sonnet Recording project.  I demonstrated this understanding by acquiring the differences between the Shakespearean and Petrarchan sonnets, reading all forms out loud, mapping out the rhyme scheme, breaking down the structure and studying the language.  I had to look up some of the prose and word choices, because in today’s world they are not used anymore, that brought more clarity to the meaning in each line.  After reading Shakespeare, Browning, Millay, and Wordsworth I felt the humour from Billy Collins poem to be more my style.  I recorded Collin’s “Sonnet''with all his lyrical nuances, attempting to highlight his playful tone with exaggerated attitudes. (https://sites.google.com/view/brittpoetryportfolio/sonnet-recording?authuser=0).  

Unit 4, Sonnet Form and Writing Assignment, taught me to formulate my own interpretations, grounded by evidence in the text.  By practising close reading and studying the iambic pentameter, I was able to create a sonnet of my own (https://sites.google.com/view/brittpoetryportfolio/sonnet-writing?authuser=0).  The theme I chose was astrology.  I simply couldn’t write fourteen lines of facts or the various astrological stories in fourteen lines.  A specific form was to be followed.  I had to take the facts and stories that I knew and transform them into three quatrains and a couplet with the abab pattern.  In addition to form, there is the iambic pentameter to consider.  I was very close to demonstrating the five stresses in each line.  It was fun interpreting these descriptions into poetry, the density of a single line can be quite impactful.

I was formulating interpretations and demonstrating close reading skills in Unit 2, Padlet, as well. I was able to recognize poetry in my world, out in the world, that was marketed in public spaces and even displayed in my own home (https://sites.google.com/view/brittpoetryportfolio/unit-2/padlet?authuser=0).

The spread of these forms of poetry allowed a wide range of reception in its publication.  Sometimes, the poem is butchered for reference or to outline a specific tone or meaning.  Or it is made to take on a new identity in order to influence the aim of propaganda, an example of that is the magnet I photographed, the words “breathe in, breathe out” are filled in by an ocean/beach theme symbolising relaxation and purity.

After examining many poets and their work, analysing diverse readings, providing pictures of poetry in my community, recording a sonnet and even writing one, I believe I have currently demonstrated an insight and articulation of the English 1152-Poetry objectives thus far.