Students will read extensively in poetry from British literature, will learn literary forms and terms associated with selections being read, and will interpret the possible historical context on a literary work.

Section 3: Objectives

Students will:

1. Read to be entertained, to appreciate a writer's craft, to be informed, to take action, and to discover models to use in his/her own writing
2. Read British literature, including classic and contemporary works
3. Interpret the possible influences of the historical context on a literary work
4. Recognize distinctive and shared characteristics of cultures through reading
5. Compare text events with his/her own and other readers' experiences
6. Establish a purpose for reading such as to find out, to understand, interpret, enjoy, and to solve problems
7. Draw upon his/her own background to provide connection to texts
8. Monitor his/her own reading strategies and modify when necessary
9. Draw inferences and support them with textual evidence and experience
10. Use study strategies such as note taking and using study-guide questions to better understand texts
11. Read silently with comprehension for a sustained period of time
12. Expand vocabulary through wide reading, listening, and discussing
13. Apply meanings of prefixes, roots, and suffixes in order to comprehend
14. Research word origins as an aid to understanding meanings, derivations, and spellings as well as influences on the English language
15. Use reference material such as glossary, dictionary, thesaurus, and available technology to determine precise meanings and usage
16. Use elements of texts to defend, clarify, and negotiate responses and interpretations
17. Evaluate text through critical analysis
18. Analyze the melodies of literary language, including its use of evocative words and rhythms
19. Connect literature to historical contexts, current events, and his/her own experiences
20. Understand literary forms and terms as appropriate to the selection being read

Topic 1 - Pastoral Poems

Pastoral poems idealized the simple lives of shepherds in a rural setting. These poems exaggerated rural pleasure and the innocence of country people living in harmony with nature. Pastoral poems were not meant to be realistic. By exaggerating the innocence of country life, the pastoral poem criticized the pursuit of fame and fortune.

Literary Terms

To be able to understand a poem, it is essential that you understand the terminology used to describe the elements of the poem. Study the following terms until you are familiar with them.

Alliteration - the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words

Example: "many, moist and drops of dew"

Assonance - the repetition of vowel sounds within words

Example: "cold, bold winter snow"

Imagery - language that makes an object or experience so real that we can imagine it with our senses

Example: "tall, slender blades of grass"

Metaphor - a figure of speech that says one thing is another

Example: The sun is a flower.

Mood - the feeling you get as you read a selection

Example: Moods can be cheerful, sad, angry, etc.

Personification - a figure of speech in which human qualities are given to animals, objects, or ideas

Example: The tree waved to us with its branches.

Rhyme - the repetition of sounds at the end of words

Example: Shy, sky, try, deny

• End rhyme - rhyming words at the end of lines of poetry

  Example:
  The lonely sky
  has said goodbye

• Internal rhyme - rhyming words located within lines of poetry

  Example:   The lonely sky has said goodbye.

• Rhyme scheme - the pattern of end rhyme in a poem

  When identifying the rhyme scheme of a poem, use a different letter of the alphabet for each different ending.

  Example:
  Roses are red,     a
  Violets are blue,   b
  Sugar is sweet,    c
  And so are you.    b

Rhythm - the “beat” of a poem

Example:
Some poems have a regular beat in which every other syllable is accented. Others are accented on every third beat. Some rhythm patterns are less regular.

Simile - a figure of speech comparing two unlike things using "like" or "as"

Example: The sun is like a flower.

Stanza - a group of lines within a poem, similar to a paragraph

Structure - the structure of the poem consists of the line breaks, the line length, the number of lines in the stanzas, and the number of stanzas in the poem

In some poems, the structure is consistent from stanza to stanza. In other poems the structure changes from line to line, stanza to stanza.

Theme - the main idea or concern of the selection

Tone - the author's attitude toward what is being said in the poem

Example: Tone can be serious, humorous, sarcastic, etc.

Christopher Marlowe's poem “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love” is considered one of the greatest pastoral poems ever written. In 1600, Sir Walter Raleigh wrote “The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd.”

"The Passionate Shepherd to His Love"
by Christopher Marlowe

COME live with me and be my Love,
And we will all the pleasures prove
That hills and valleys, dales and fields,
Or woods or steepy mountain yields.

And we will sit upon the rocks,
And see the shepherds feed their flocks
By shallow rivers, to whose falls
Melodious birds sing madrigals.

And I will make thee beds of roses
And a thousand fragrant posies;
A cap of flowers, and a kirtle
Embroider'd all with leaves of myrtle.

A gown made of the finest wool
Which from our pretty lambs we pull;
Fair-lined slippers for the cold,
With buckles of the purest gold.

A belt of straw and ivy-buds
With coral clasps and amber studs:
And if these pleasures may thee move,
Come live with me and be my Love.

The shepherd swains shall dance and sing
For thy delight each May morning:
If these delights thy mind may move,
Then live with me and be my Love.

Study Guide #1

1. Explain what the shepherd asks his beloved.

2. Describe what the shepherd promises to do if she agrees.

3. Identify the things the shepherd promises to give his beloved.

4. Explain why the shepherd makes these promises to his beloved.

5. Describe the lifestyle the shepherd promises his beloved.

6. Evaluate the shepherd's promise. Is it realistic? Why or why not?

7. Analyze the promises that reflect the elements of pastoral poems.

8. Identify examples of alliteration in the poem.

9. Describe the structure of the poem.

10. Identify the tone of the poem.

11. Identify the theme of the poem.

On a sheet of paper, answer each question above. When you have finished, review your work with your Red Comet Contact Person.

Click Here for Sample Study Guide Answers

"The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd"
by Sir Walter Raleigh

If all the world and love were young,
And truth in every shepherd's tongue,
These pretty pleasures might me move
To live with thee and be thy love.

Time drives the flocks from field to fold,
When rivers rage and rocks grow cold;
And Philomel becometh dumb;
The rest complain of cares to come.

The flowers do fade, and wanton fields
To wayward winter reckoning yields;
A honey tongue, a heart of gall,
Is fancy's spring, but sorrow's fall.

Thy gowns, thy shoes, thy bed of roses,
Thy cap, thy kirtle, and thy posies,
Soon break, soon wither, soon forgotten,
In folly ripe, in reason rotten.

Thy belt of straw and ivy buds,
Thy coral clasps and amber studs,
All these in me no means can move
To come to thee and be thy love.

But could youth last and love still breed,
Had joys no date nor age no need,
Then these delights my mind might move
To live with thee and be thy love.

Study Guide #2

1. Explain what the nymph implies about the shepherd in the first stanza.

2. Describe how the nymph feels about the shepherd's offer.

3. What does her response reveal about the nymph?

4. What does the nymph claim might convince her to love the shepherd?

5. Based upon her request, do the think the nymph could ever love the shepherd?

6. Identify examples of alliteration in the poem.

7. Compare the structure of Raleigh's poem to the structure of Marlowe's poem.

On a sheet of paper, answer each question above. When you have finished, review your work with your Red Comet Contact Person.

Click Here for Sample Study Guide Answers