Home » Religious Education » Tapestry of Faith Curricula » Youth Programs » Exploring Our Values Through Poetry » Workshop 6 » Activities » Alternate Activity 2

Alternate Activity 2: Perfect And Imperfect Love (20 minutes), Workshop 6: Conscious Love: Better than any Fairy Tale, in the Exploring Our Values Through Poetry Program

Materials for Activity

• Handout 2, "To a Young Girl," by William Butler Yeats
• Handout 3, ".05," by Ishmael Reed
• Journals and pen or pencils

Preparation for Activity

• Photocopy Handouts 2, "To a Young Girl" and 3, ".05," one for each participant.

Description of Activity

Participants analyze two poems—one from the beginning of the twentieth century and one from the end of it—that paint different pictures of love.

Introduce this activity by noting that love is a topic about which almost every poet writes. Tell the group that they will look at two very different poems about their experiences in love. Distribute copies of Handout 2, "To a Young Girl" and Handout 3, ".05." Ask for volunteers to read the poems aloud, allowing thirty seconds of silence to pass after each reading.

Lead a "What do we have here?" discussion. Use these questions:

• What is the story behind the poems?
• In Yeats' poem, who is the speaker? Who is being addressed? Who else is in the poem, and how are all the people connected?
• How are the poems similar in style? How are they different in style?

Lead a "What's the big idea?" discussion by asking:

• Is the speaker in Reed's poem just talking about his lovers or is he using the poem as an opportunity to comment on something else? What?
• By reading the poems, can you tell something about the speakers?

Ask participants to generate ideas about what these two poems have in common and how they are different—in both subject and style. Distribute pen/pencil and journals. Invite participants to either rewrite Yeats' poem in a Reed-like style or rewrite Reed's poem in a Yeats-like style. Reserve at least five minutes for participants to share their work at the close of the session.

This work is made possible by the generosity of individual donors. Please consider making a donation today.

Last updated on Thursday, October 27, 2011.

Sidebar Content, Page Navigation