MODULE 3: KINDS OF POETRY

HAIKU

If Not for the Cat. by Jack Prelutsky. Ill. by Ted Rand

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Prelutsky, Jack. 2004. IF NOT FOR THE CAT. Ill. by Ted Rand. New York: Harper Collins/Greenwillow. ISBN: 0-06-059677-5.

2. SUMMARY AND CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Ted Rand's mixed media paintings are so striking and captivating, that one may forget about the text! But that would be a shame because the poems are the riddles and the pictures are the answers! Experts in the field say that Haiku is one of the least popular forms of poetry for children; -but surely putting this book in the hands of children could change this! A delight to read and a delight to view, the poems in If Not for the Cat, describe in seventeen syllables the essence of the animal it is about.

3. POEM AND CONNECTIONS

As an exercise in listening closely to the poems, ask the children to guess what animal the poem is describing without looking at the pictures. Some could guess after the first two lines of these short, but succinct Haiku: "How foolish I am./Why am I drawn to the flame..." or "Boneless, translucent/we undulate, undulate..." A challenging exercise that introduces new vocabulary as well as emphasizing the strict structure of this poetic form.

VERSE NOVEL
Learning to Swim. by Ann Turner

1.BIBLIOGRAPHY
Turner, Ann. 2000. LEARNING TO SWIM: a memoir. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN: 9780439528313

2.SUMMARY AND CRITICAL ANALYSIS

In this first person account, Ann Turner, in the voice of the child that she was at the time this occurred, relates the tragic experience of being sexually molested by an older neighbor boy. Written in vignettes, entitled, "Sailing," "Sinking" and "Swimming," the narrator describes the excitement of learning how to swim in the pond at her summer house, then the repeated assaults, and finally, releasing the secret and beginning the healing process. It is amazing that in 113 short pages, Ann Turner is able to convey the tragedy of the loss of innocence, the girl's (her own) fear and shame, the courage to tell and the power of parental love to replace rebuild trust. This book does for victims of molestation, what Laurie Halse Anderson's, Speak, does for victims of rape: give children and teens the power of voice. Turner says, "By taking something so painful and transforming it into words, rhythm, and images, the experience changed inside. It became a gift instead of a tragedy."

3. POEM AND CONNECTIONS

The Last poem in this book gives this book wings and a halo, in my opinion! "...but pulling the words up/and out, spilling them/across the floor, the table,/dropping them into someone's surprised face that/is what matters/and after this time/and the next one day/you will feel so/light and airy/your stomach will uncoil/your face/unclench/and you will feel like yourself/again."

This poem can be used in a health or sociology or psychology class to encourage a discussion about the terrible dynamics of abuse.

FREE VERSE

A Rose that Grew From Concrete. by Tupac Shakur

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Shakur, Tupac. A ROSE THAT GREW FROM CONCRETE. New York: Pocketbooks. ISBN: 9780671028459

2. SUMMARY AND CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This collection of poems, written by rapper, Tupac Shakur, is an intimate expression of a very young man's passions. Tupac Shakur was murdered at the age of twenty-five and the poems were published posthumously. The poems are reproduced from his notebook in his handwriting, accompanied by a typewritten version. The handwritten poems seem like illustrations to the typewritten text in that they reinforce his youthful and naive voice. The love poems are not deep or profound, but purity of the expression is what stands out. The fact that this young man, who grew up under so much duress, was so engaged in the act of writing poetry, is what stands out in this collection. The later poems speak more about his experience as a black man in a racist society. This is when his voice becomes more powerful and the writing less indulgent. He continues to use numbers and letters as abbreviated words: "u taught me to be strong/but I'm confused 2 c u so weak...." , but the writing gets more sophisticated in the last two sections. This collection would be appealing to teens who write poetry or keep a journal.

3.POEM AND CONNECTION

In the poem How Can We Be Free, the reader gets a glimpse of Tupac, the rapper: "Sometimes I wonder about this race/Because we must be blind as hell/2 think we live in equality/while Nelson Mandela rots in a jail cell..."

This book could be used as an introduction to song writing in a music class.

This book would pair well with Nikki Giovanni's Hip Hop Speaks to Children: a celebration of poetry with a beat, because like Giovanni's collection, this book shows the power of rhythm in expressing universal experiences like love, oppression, joy, and redemption.