A VALEDICTION: FORBIDDING MOURNING

ENGLISH 4

                                                            SEVEN STEP LESSON

                                                                   APRIL 29, 2013

                                         A VALEDICTION: FORBIDDING MOURNING

DO NOW: IF YOU WERE LEAVING SOMEONE FOR A LONG TIME WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO THE PERSON WHOM YOU LOVE AND WERE LEAVING BEHIND?  IF YOU WERE THE ONE BEING LEFT BEHIND WHAT WOULD YOU WANT YOUR LOVED ONE TO SAY TO YOU?  COLLECT YOUR THOUGHTS FIRST AND THEN DEVELOP A SHORT PARAGRAPH IN RESPONSE TO THIS.

DIRECT INSTRUCTION:  READ PAGE 340 AND TURN YOUR ATTENTION TO THE LITERARY FOCUS SECTION AND ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:

1. WHAT ARE METAPHYSICAL CONCEITS?
2. GIVE SOME EXAMPLES OF A METAPHYSICAL CONCEIT.
3. IN WHAT WAY DID THE METAPHYSICAL POETS USE THESE CONCEITS?
4. WHAT WOULD A METAPHYSICAL POET BE TRYING TO SAY IF THEY WERE USING THESE IMAGES IN A POEM:

• A LOVER’S TEARS  ARE NEWLY MINTED COINS
• THE KING’S COURT IS A BOWLING ALLEY
• A MAN IS A WORLD
• LOVERS ARE HOLY SAINTS

5. WHAT DOES THIS WRITER MEAN WHEN HE SAYS “IN THIS POEM, THE LOVERS ARE COMPARED TO THE TWO PRONGS OF A COMPASS (THE KIND USED TO DRAW CIRCLES IN GEOMETRY   
6. IN THE BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON PAGE 340 WHO DID WALTON SAY DONNE WROTE THIS POEM FOR?
7. WHERE DID DONNE TRAVEL AND WHAT TYPE OF JOB DID HE HOLD?
8. WHAT DID DONNE’S WIFE URGE HIM TO DO?
9. AS A RESULT OF DONNE NOT LISTENING TO HIS WIFE WHAT WERE THE RESULTS?
10. DESCRIBE THE VISION THAT DONNE HAD.
11. WHO WAS ROBERT DRURY?
12. IN WHAT WAY WOULD YOU SAY THAT THIS VISION IMPACTED DONNE?

GUIDED PRACTICE:   

1. READ THE FIRST TWO PARAGRAPHS.  WHY DO YOU THINK THE SPEAKER OF THIS POEM IS URGING HIS LOVED ONE (WIFE) TO DEPART FROM HIM?
2. READ THE THIRD STANZA.  WHAT IS THIS SAYING ABOUT THE PHENOMENON OF THE EARTH?
3. WHAT IS THE FOURTH STANZA SAYING ABOUT LOVERS?
4. WHAT SIMILE IS USED IN THE SIXTH STANZA?  
5. WHAT SEPARATION IS BEING REFERRED TO IN THE SIXTH STANZA?
6. DEFINE METAPHYSICAL POETRY ON PAGE 1423.
7. EXAMINE STANZA SEVEN.  WHAT ARE THE HUSBAND AND WIFE BEING COMPARED TO?
8. WHAT MAKES THE DESCRIPTION OR COMPARISON USED IN STANZA SEVEN A METAPHYSICAL CONCEIT?
9. WHAT DOES THE EIGHTH STANZA SUGGEST ABOUT COMPLETENESS AND COMING HOME?
10.                          A CIRCLE SYMBOLIZES COMPLETENESS.  IN WHAT WAY IS COMPLETENESS SYMBOLIZED HERE?

INDEPENDENT PRACTICE: EXAMINE THE EXAMPLES GIVEN UNDER THE CATEGORY METAPHYSICAL POETS ON PAGE 340.  SELECT A DESCRIPTION

SUCH AS “A LOVER’S TEARS ARE NEWLY MINTED COINS,” “THE KING’S COURT IS A BOWLING ALLEY,” “A MAN IS A WORLD” AND “LOVERS ARE HOLY SAINTS” AND THEN CREATE A POEM OF YOUR OWN CENTERING AROUND THESE DESCRIPTIONS.  YOU CAN ALSO THINK OF YOUR OWN METAPHYSICAL CONCEITS AND CREATE YOUR OWN POEM.

EXIT TICKET: ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS:

(1)   HOW WOULD YOU PARAPHRASE THE SIMILE IN LINES 1-8?

(2)   EXAMINE LINES 1-8 AGAIN.  WHAT EMOTIONS DOES THIS FIGURE OF SPEECH EVOKE?

(3)   THE SPEAKER TELLS HIS WIFE THAT THEIR LOVE IS DIFFERENT FROM THAT OF OTHER COUPLES.  WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES HE SEE AND HOW DOES HE EXPRESS IT.

(4)   WHY DO YOU THINK DONNE REFERS TO IRREGULAR EVENTS ON EARTH AND IN THE HEAVENS IN LINES 9-12?  WHAT KIND OF EVENTS ARE LIKE THE SEPARATION OF LOVERS?

(5)   HOW WOULD YOU EXPLAIN THE CONCEIT DONNE USS IN LINES 25-36

AND WHAT DOES IT SUGGEST ABOUT THE NATURE OF LOVE?