Using Poetry to Explore Relationships

Last week, we used Carl Leggo's poem "Tangled" to explore a relationship between a father and his child. In the poem, Leggo uses the symbol of a tangled line to represent the tension in this relationship, and the untangling of the line suggests a reconciliation of sorts. We discussed the extended metaphor present in the poem: that of the line as a bond between the parent and child. At times, it is a bond that is tested; however, at the conclusion of the poem, the child implies a strength to the relationship that reaches the "bottom of the ocean." Students were asked to try writing a poem about a relationship, one that has changed over time. I will collect these poems tomorrow, and we will use them as a starting point for future poem writing. Additionally, I will distribute a set of poetry terms to peruse. This package can be used as a resource, anytime we are studying a poem in class. I don't expect you to memorize the list, but the Ministry of Education will test you on a number of them... so make sure you read it over a couple of times! We will read a new poem about relationships tomorrow in class, and I will give you a set of guiding questions to answer. This will help prepare you for the quiz that is happening at the end of next week! Finally, keep reading and thinking about your novel! We will group together this week to touch base with others who are reading the same book, to give some support to you as you read.