Download Shape and Meaning The shape of a

ENGLISH
Ms. LeCren, La Jolla High School Name:________________________________________
Period:____ Date:______________________________
Poetry Worksheet: Shape and Meaning
The shape of a poem can enhance its meaning.
CLASSWORK: Read the following sentences: Star, if you are a love compassionate, you will walk with us this year. We face a
glacial distance, who are here huddled at your feet.
These are pleasant sentences, but they do not attract the eye particularly. On the other hand, by rearranging the lines like this:
Star,
If you are
A love compassionate,
You will walk with us this year.
We face a glacial distance, who are here
Huddld
At your feet.
-William Burford
All of a sudden, the shape or form explains what the poem is about: “A Christmas Tree.”
1. Why does the poet put the word “Star” on top and the words “At your feet” at the bottom? What/how does the poetic form add
to the meaning of the words?
2. Suggest reasons why the word “huddled” is spelled differently in the poem than in the prose version.
ASSIGNMENT: Write a shape poem and a concrete poem.
1. Using “A Christmas Tree” as a model, write one of your own in the shape of:
a. a church
c. another kind of tree
e. a car or bicycle
b. a lit candle
d. a sunset
f. some object of your choice
Be sure to relate the form to the meaning.
In “A Christmas Tree”, the words suggest the shape of an object. In a concrete poem, the words in the poem dramatize their
meaning by the way they look.
Here are some simple examples of concrete poetry:
2. Write a concrete poem. Your topic may be:
a. a tall story
b. upside down
c. infinity
d. square root
e. your own idea