Poetry

Create your initial post by selecting and responding to one question from each of the three prompt sets.

Set A: Choose one of the following questions and write a brief response to it.

Click on the name of the poet for one of our poems from the Poetry Foundation site, and read the poet’s biographical information. Then re-read the poem. In your post, tell your classmates what you learned about the poet and how the biographical information helped you to understand the poem itself better.
Discuss a word, phrase, or line which you found particularly striking in one of the poems. What was it about the language the poet used that resonated with you?

Set B: Choose one of the following questions and write a brief response to it.

In “Introduction to Poetry,” which of the metaphors in the poem best expressed how you personally would like experience poetry?
Looking at “Theme for English B,” what is the speaker struggling with in completing the professor’s writing assignment? Use specific phrases or lines from the poem to help support the point you’d like to make.
Looking at “The Contract Says,” what does the poem seem to be saying about the sorts of microaggressions that culturally marginalized individuals might experience in professional environments?
In “From Blossoms,” why does eating the peach mean more than just eating a peach? Discuss some of the ideas in the poem that extend beyond the immediate story in the poem.
Eating is a biological necessity. But looking at “Perhaps the World Ends Here,” what else happens around the kitchen table that is important and vital for life? Point out specific images or lines to explain your point.

Set C: Choose one of the following questions and write a brief response to it.

Using one of the spoken-word poems, discuss how the visual and vocal presentation of the poem enhances the meaning of the words.
In “When the Fat Girl Gets Skinny,” what kind of problems does the poem expose in the way we think about weight loss or in the way we think about “getting healthy”?
How do “Ken Doll” and “Beach Bodies” help to create space for more nuanced understandings of masculinity?
How do you think “10 Honest Thoughts on Being Loved by a Skinny Boy” works to challenge negative stigmas about weight or works to promote size-acceptance? Point out specific images or lines to support your point.
How does “The Type” both celebrate the body and point the listener to being more than just a body?