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"here is the deepest secret nobody knows / (here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life." e e cummings
Form & Function - a poem variation by Sir Phillip Sidney & e e cummings: So the overriding question that this poem asks is - does the form of a poem matter - and how does it matter? The first poem examined (the one the students read for homework is Sidney's Renaissance poem, "My true love hath my heart". Next the students will look at (and watch an Illuminated Text of) the modern poem (which was loosely based on Sidney's) "i carry your heart" by e e cummings. The structure and evolution of the poems old & modern is compared to what happened with the development of architecture. The Sidney poem with its restrictive sonnet format is likened to a Gothic Cathedral - the cummings poem - free versed and untethered is compared to a modern church - such as one built by the king of form following function - Frank Lloyd Wright. Which is the more organic? And then when the students think they've got it figured out, I throw a wrench into their collective gears: "Is it possible that a restrictive form - can, in reality, be more freeing?"
Lesson Overview
Lesson Overview
There is a lot here - and then of course, I undermine the thesis of the Group Work, at the very end - just to remind students that nothing is simple. The main point is to compare Renaissnace Poetry - namely a sonnet by Sidney to a modern poem by e e cummings ("i carry your heart"). The cummings poem is on the back of the Group Work and I've included the Sidney reading here as well. Begin by playing the "i carry your heart" Illuminated Text which can be found below. From that point on, the idea is to get students to see how the form of poetry can assist the poet in what they are trying to say.
Here are some of the ideas and points that the Group Work attempts to cover - see the actual Group Work handout for more.
students begin by summarizing each poem (they are pros at that by now).
Students are asked what "Form should follow function" means.
Students look at pictures of architecture - one gothic, the other a design by Frank Lloyd Wright. They are both Cathedrals (just like the two poems are on the same subject) - which one does a better job and why? OR how are they different?
How can a restrictive form actually be liberating for the creative artist? (big question!)
What does it mean for art to be organic?
comparing the relationship between these two poems with what we've read before: such as Beowulf to Grendel.
Extra Credit Assignment #1 on an excerpt from Sidney's "Defense of Poesy (Poetry)"
Extra Credit Assignment #2 on John Keats's poem "On the Sonnet"
icarryyourheartexcerpt.mp4An Illuminated Text of e.e. cummings's "i carry your heart"
An Illuminated Text of e.e. cummings's "i carry your heart"
The students have a copy of this poem on the back of their Group Works - I show this video before they being conferring.
Handout - Group Work
Handout - Group Work
This is a two-sided (and more) Group Work. Page 2 has the rest of the questions, "i carry your heart", some quotes about architecture, and some drawings to further illustrate the idea of Form and Function. Note the Banksy picture - a throw-back to "Exit Through the Gift Shop" and Literary Criticism - which is very much a part of this lesson. There is more on the Group Work on the Lesson Overview - and of course, for the most complete picture - see the Group Work itself - and my page on Group Works. There is also an excerpt from Sidney's "A Defense of Poesy" and an extra credit based on a poem (also included) by John Keats - "On the Sonnet"
Sir Phillip Sidney Reading
Sir Phillip Sidney Reading
Sir Phillip Sidney Reading PDF
This reading contains biographical material and four poems. It also contains the e e cummings poem, "i carry your heart".
Sidney, Thomas Campion, and Thomas Nashe Reading PDF
This lesson and the next are usually done back to back - and the next lesson is on the poet and composer Thomas Campion and we always try to at least do Nashe's poem "Autumn". This is the reading for all three of these poets
Most recent quiz
Most recent quiz
To my mind - it is crucial that students read most of these works - first, on their own. Then we talk about them (or they do a Group Work). Having them do the reading on their own - for homework - shows the value that is put into reading and reserves the classroom for a place where people come together and can learn from each other. This quiz is for all three writers from the reading.
Remote Enhancements
Remote Enhancements
This can all be done remotely of course - I've actually had great success with Group Work remotely - it does take some planning though.
Winter & Mortality - Campion & Nashe Group Work: Though I really never thought of it when I was teaching these lessons - this Group Work is a natural continuation of the previous one: Form and Function (with Sir Phillip Sidney and e e cummings). The first part addresses a mistake I made in the beginning of my teaching career about a word - which then led me to completely misinterpret a poem to the students. The next part is about the featured writer, Thomas Campion, who was a composer in addition to a poet. With that in mind the students will listen to very different versions of his song, "When to Her Lute, Corinna Sings". The first version will be conventional - and a reflection of the song as Campion wrote it - the second version is modern, atonal, with the notes reflecting the disharmony of the song lyrics.
WHAT CAME BEFORE:
WHAT CAME BEFORE:
Carpe Diem - Poems and a trip to see the flowers: (Note this really depends on when the flowers start blooming - this lesson may come long before or after "Form versus Function".
Thoughts on the Lesson
Thoughts on the Lesson
As a teacher, you often think that you have "things figured out." Nothing could be farther from the truth - and that's a good thing. Just when I thought about what a great point it was - of course cummings's poem is more organic and natural - I heard the quote from the dancer saying that restrictive forms can actually lead to a great deal more freedom when creating.
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