English IV Life According II.1 (Love Poetry Creative Response)

English IV “Life According…” II.1 (Love Poetry Creative Response)

Directions:

Purpose: Write a “creative response” to the poetry of Catullus, Ovid, and/or Sappho
Reason: It is my hope that you will make a stronger connection to these poems and better understand the similarities and differences between our own attitudes about love and those of the Greeks and Romans.
What is a “creative response”? To qualify as a “creative response,” your must do one or more of the following with regard to the poetry we are studying:
Treat or expand upon the same themes
Echo their style, language, or substance
Parodyor subvert these poems in either style or content
Allude to the authors themselves, their works, their historical period, or the general milieu in which their poetry operates
How will I be graded? In addition to your ability to connect your writing to the poetry we are studying, you work will also be assessed on its own inherent, artistic and literary qualities. Please see the grading rubric on the next page for more details.
Anything else? You must be prepared to read and discuss your work with the rest of the class (if time allows).

Required Pre-Reading

Please read the brief introductory paragraph on Sappho from Greek Lyric Poetry. Look on page xiii (it’s page 2 of 9 on the PDF file) of the scanned file Sappho Poems (Greek Lyric Poetry).pdf shared with you in Google Drive.
Please read the brief introductions (about two pages + each) on Catullus and Ovid from Roman Poetry: From the Republic to the Silver Age. Look in the PDF file Intro to Roman Poets (from Roman Poetry—From Republic to the Silver Age).pdf. You will find the introduction to...
Catullus on pages 5-6 of the PDF file (textbook pages are not visible in the scan)
Ovid on pages 101-102 (it’s pages 17-18 of the PDF file)

Deadlines & Details

While I do not want to prescribe length and format, please submit a work that is at least 20 lines in length.
You may submit multiple short pieces as well if you find it easier to meet the goals of the assignment by writing more than one response. In such cases, your work will be evaluated as whole “portfolio” of responses.
Your work is due in both soft (i.e. electronic) and hard (i.e. print) copy by class on Tuesday, 4/1/14.
See the next page for some examples of creative responses by Mr. Chang. These are not meant to be the only types of responses you can write, but they are intended to give you an idea, in general, of how this assignment can be approached.

Grading Rubric

The poem appropriately alludes to, references, mimics, parodies, or otherwise connects to the style and content of the original work.

______x 2 = ______

Excellent!Very GoodGoodFairRequires ImprovementSeriously Lacking

10987654

The poem succeeds as a creative piece of writing (scored by embedded rubric below).

______x 4 = ______

Meaning: The poem or story has a complex and emotional impact on the reader, and functions on more than one level of meaning, avoiding sentimentality or sensationalism.

Structure: The submission has a clear beginning, middle and end, as well as a twist, a turn, or element of surprise, avoiding cliché or predictability. It also should suggest that the writer has an awareness of the traditional forms of the genre in which he or she writes.

Voice: The narrator or speaker feels authentic and confident, creating a sense of intimacy and familiarity with the reader.

Language: Literary devices, such as diction, syntax, imagery, rhythm, metaphorical language, etc., are used in service to the story or the poem, appealing to the reader’s five senses and supporting his or her understanding of the main characters, subject matter, and theme.

Conventions: The submission has been proofread and edited carefully, with almost no grammar, spelling, punctuation, or formatting errors.

Meaning: The poem or story has a complex and emotional impact on the reader, avoiding sentimentality or sensationalism.

Structure: The submission has a clear beginning, middle and end, as well as a twist, a turn, or element of surprise, avoiding cliché or predictability.

Voice: The narrator or speaker feels authentic and confident, creating a sense of intimacy and familiarity with the reader.

Conventions: The submission has been proofread and edited carefully, with few grammar, spelling, punctuation, or formatting errors.

Meaning: The poem or story has an emotional impact on the reader to a degree, but veers into the sentimental or the sensational.

Structure: The submission has a clear beginning, middle and end, as well as a twist, a turn, or element of surprise, but doesn’t entirely avoid cliché or predictability.

Voice: The narrator or speaker is authentic and in earnest, but his or her voice lacks confident language.

Language: Literary devices, such as diction, syntax, imagery, rhythm, metaphorical language, etc., are attempted, but aren’t used in the best or most successful manner. Although they may appeal to the reader’s five senses, they don’t fully support an understanding of the main characters, subject matter, and theme.

Conventions: The submission has been proofread and edited, but with several grammar, spelling, punctuation, or formatting errors.

Meaning: The poem or story attempts to have an emotional impact on the reader but fails, veering completely into the sentimental or the sensational.

Structure: The submission has a clear beginning, middle and end, but is clichéd and void of surprise.

Voice: The narrator or speaker communicates with an affected voice, lacking a degree of confidence or authenticity.

Language: Literary devices, such as diction, syntax, imagery, rhythm, metaphorical language, etc., are attempted, but aren’t used correctly or effectively. They don’t support an understanding of the main characters, subject matter, and theme.

Conventions: The submission has been proofread and edited, but with many grammar, spelling, punctuation, or formatting errors.

Meaning: The poem or story doesn’t attempt to move or appeal to the reader in anyway.

Structure: The submission doesn’t have a clear beginning, middle and end; and/or is filled in clichés and thin stereotypes.

Voice: The narrator or speaker has no confidence or authenticity.

Language: Literary devises, such as diction, syntax, imagery, rhythm, metaphorical language, etc., are ignored and go unutilized.

Conventions: The submission has been proofread and edited, but with abundant grammar, spelling, punctuation, or formatting errors, so much so that the writing is frustrating to read.

Score out of 40: ______

Here is a literal translation of Catullus 85, against which you can compare the three responses below.

Catullus 85

Odi et amo. quare id faciam, fortasse requiris.

I hate and love. Perhaps you ask how I do this

nescio, sed fieri sentio et excrucior.

I do not know, but I feel it happening and I am tortured.

Response #1: Free Translation

I loathe. I love. Perhaps you ponder my predicament, marvel

at my sensational mash-up. Simple: I suffer. I just can’t explain.

Response #2: Only Nouns, Verbs, Adverbs

Love you, hate you, I do. You ask why I do, you do.

I know not, I solely sense deeds, I carry crosses.

Response #3: Opposite

I came across you, felt nothing, as it happened. I didn’t even know you.

Now you ask me why I do these things? Easy: I love your hate.

Response #4: Comic Reinterpretation

I hate and love my chicken fricasseed.

How do I balance such polarity?

‘Tis not the taste nor texture

– for more batter the better –

O triglycerides, this heft on my thighs,

curse the calories!

Here is an even freer example of a creative response to the theme of “homecoming,” as seen in Catullus’ poetry (cf. poem 31):

Homecoming

In my mind you are a sepia snapshot, the first place,

where I slide in cotton socks across glossy new parquet,

where sacred soda bottles hibernate in the dining room,

where pewter airplanes freeze mid-flight,

where the living room proudly hoists VHS monuments,

where mason jars await my lips,

where friends’ knees schedule breaches in whitewall.

In my weaker moments, you shimmer into ever-receding

horizon, a kite I chase through fortresses of sand,

a footnote for family in albums

yet to come.