Tag Archives: onomatopoeia

Figurative Language, Sound Devices, and Paraphrasing

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First period worked on sound devices in “Cat!”, noting in particular the use of rhythm (the definition we included: a pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in writing), onomatopoeia, and alliteration, all added to our revised graphic organizer. I’ve simplified it from what I used last year, and students created their own based on my model:

Term Definition Examples
onomatopoeia
(sound device)		 words that imitate the sound of the thing they’re describing “psfts” in “Cat!”
alliteration
(sound device)		 repetition of initial consonant sounds  sleeky spitfire spatter
rhythm
(sound device)		 a pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in writing  Catch her! Get her! (stressed-unstressed)

We also worked on paraphrasing the poem “Silver.”

Second and fourth period continued the poetry unit, looking at figurative language after our detour into sonnet-ville and a day learning some tricks on how to write a sonnet. We focused on metaphors with their tenors and vehicles.

Sixth period also worked on sound devices and paraphrasing, though they worked with “Ring Out, Wild Bells.”

Seventh period worked on paraphrasing with the poem “Annabelle Lee.”

Homework
  • First period: paraphrase lines three and four of “Silver”
  • Second and fourth periods:
    • read “Mending Wall”;
    • complete step two for “MW” (determine the meaning of unknown words);
    • study for tone words quiz tomorrow.
  • Sixth periods: paraphrase one stanza of “Ring Out, Wild Bells” according to your row:
    Row Stanza
    1 Stanza two
    2 Stanza three
    3 Stanza four
    4 Stanza five
    5 Stanza six
    6 Stanza seven
  • Seventh period: paraphrase one stanza of “Annabelle Lee” according to your row:
    Row Stanza
    1 Stanza one
    2 Stanza two
    3 Stanza three
    4 Stanza four
    5 Stanza five
    6 Stanza six

 

Cat! Scat!

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Eleanor Farjeon (pronounced far'-zhun) (Februa...

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Second and sixth periods worked on sound devices (onomatopoeia and rhythm) and context clues, reading the poem “Cat!” by Eleanor Farjeon.

Cat!
Atter her, atter her,
Sleeky flatterer,
Spitfire chatterer,
Scatter her, scatter her
Wuff!
Wuff!
Treat her rough!
Git her, git her,
Whiskery spitter!
Catch her, catch her,
Green-eyed scratcher!
Slathery
Slithery
Hisser,
Don’t miss her!
Run till you’re dithery,
Hithery
Thithery
Pfitts! pfitts!
How she spits!
Spitch! Spatch!
Can’t she scratch!
Scritching the bark
Of the sycamore-tree,
She’s reached her ark
And’s hissing at me
Pfitts!Pfitts!
Wuff! Wuff!
Scat,
Cat!
That’s
That!

We’ll be working on it a little more tomorrow.

Fourth period had a little bit of a surprise: the first group began its presentation only to find they’d been guinea pigs. We got back into groups to look at how the first group could have presented better during the teaching (“After all, you’ll be presenting information all your life, and that’s essentially all teaching is,” I explained.) and how to apply those findings to their own presentations.

Homework
  • Second and sixth periods:
    • practice reading “Cat!”;
    • read Walter de la Mare’s “Silver” (page 604).
  • Fourth period:
    • sonnets (recitation and written) due Monday;
    • continue planning presentations (to begin Monday):

Onomatopoeia and a Test

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Fourth period had a test on the parts of speech. They claim it was difficult; the results so far belie their claims.

First, second, and seventh periods all worked on their first poem for their poetry project portfolio. It was modeled on “Cat!”. As such, it was to include onomatopoeia and meter. (I added a few new pictures to the Classwork 2009/10 gallery.)

Homework
  • First, second, and seventh: finish first draft of poem.
  • Fourth period: read through chapter 4 of To Kill a Mockingbird.

Sound Devices

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First and second period worked on sound devices, focusing on the use of rhythm and onomatopoeia in a poem titled “Cat.”

Second period finished up the ballad selection and poetry unit. We discussed a bit the portfolio (which will be turned in 2 December).

Seventh period finished up the test on The Diary of Anne Frank (we didn’t have class yesterday because of Career Day).

Homework
  • First period: none.
  • Second period:
    • re-read poems until mastered;
    • analyze “Drum” for onomatopoeia and meter;
    • analyze “Cat” and “Drum” for instances of  alliteration.
  • Fourth period:
    • parts of speech test Friday (November 13);
    • work on poetry portfolio.
  • Seventh period:
    • practice reading the poem until you’ve mastered it;
    • find the two passages that are most rap-like.

Poetry, the Odyssey, and a Mistaken Allusion

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First things first: I made a blunder during second period. We were looking at Odysseus’s journey to the underworld and his meeting with Tiresias. I mentioned the two famous victims of the underworld, Tantalus and Sisyphus; I elaborated on Sisyphus and the 20th-century French philosopher who designated him an “absurd hero.” I attributed this to Jean Paul Sartre.

551px-punishment_sisyphSisifo, olio su tela di Tiziano Vecellio

Sartre?! What was I thinking? Sartre is the heavily analytic, dense existentialist; it’s the man that wrote L’Être et le Néant (Being and Nothingness) — not exactly the easiest read in the world.

It was Camus who was more literary in his presentation of existenialism.

412px-johann_heinrich_fussli_063Johann Heinrich Füssli
Theresias erscheint dem Ulysseus während der Opferung

Naturally this is an oversimplification. Sartre wrote plays — No Exit and Nausea come to mind — as well as philosophical monographs. He wrote literature, but he wasn’t quite as literary as Camus.

All that aside, I wanted to make the correction. I’m sure Sartre would be flattered, but my philosophy professor from college would be horrified.

First period continued with sound devices; fourth and sixth periods began working with sound devices. All three periods working with sound devices are doing group work, and quite successfully, I might add.

Homework
  • First period: vocabulary handout.
  • Second period: five-panel storyboard of your vision of the meeting with Tiresias.
  • Fourth and sixth periods: write poem about your favorite animal.