Ode on a Grecian Urn

WHAT?

• Understand the tensions and conflicts presented in the poem
• Understand HOW I present these tensions/conflicts
• Understand how Keats uses rhythm and meter to create effects (review of last class)

HOW?

• Make a mock Grecian Urn, like the one which inspires the speaker in my poem using the evidence given in the poem, and the materials at hand
• Discuss our growing understanding of the ideas I present to the reader, after completing the Urn task

 READING AND DISCUSSION

1) First let's read my poem. 

2) You may want to remind yourself what an ode is, and how us romantics created our own new kind of ode. 

3) To begin with,  can you find anything which suggests why my speaker in this poem seems to be so moved by the Grecian Urn he describes??

MAKING THE URN

• In your assigned groups, you will use paper, scissors, glue, the bowls I give you (which you can use as support to create a suitable shape for your paper urn), pens, colours, selotape, etc to replicate the urn my speaker describes
• To do this well will require a CLOSE READING of the stanzas which describe the artwork on the urn, UNDERSTANDING the references I am making, and VISUALIZING the images described
• You have a limited amount of time, so TEAMWORK and DIVISION of tasks will be vital
• Remember there are many different scenes and characters described, so you will need to PLAN your design carefully beforehand to ensure everything will all fit on your urn
• As you read closely, I would like you to further consider the effects the urn has on the speaker in my poem, and will expect you to FEED BACK to the class about this after completing your urn
• Some tensions and conflicts I raise in the poem which you might like to consider as you create your urn are:
• the frozen images on the urn vs the dynamic life portrayed
• the human/changeable vs the immortal/permanent
• participation vs observation
• life vs art

Rhythm and Meter in La Belle Dame Sans Merci

What?
Establish how I cleverly subvert the traditional ballad form in La Belle Dame Sans Merci

Why?
So we begin to appreciate that FORM and CONTENT work together to create and extend meaning in literature.


Let´s start by hearing some of your readings of my poem. Lovely...

La Belle Dame Sans Merci

 Aims of today's class (Tuesday, 15th April):

• show how our investigations last week help us to understand today's poem

The poem of mine you will explore today is a ballad entitled "La Belle Dame Sans Merci"

Task 1: Discuss - what do you expect from a poetic ballad? (your work in the treasure hunt last week should hopefully give you some ideas). Feedback to the class.

Task 2: We will read the poem as a class. (You can use the link or the handout provided.)

Task 3: PLACEMATS - an exercise which will help generate discussion on the poem and synthesize key ideas you have:

• Before discussing the poem AT ALL, you will move into your "placemat" groups. 
• In your group, you will sit with a large piece of blank paper separated into sections.
• You will not discuss the poem with your group yet, but will write down your individual comments, thoughts, questions, and ideas on the poem in your section. You will write for four minutes on this, WITHOUT DISCUSSION.
• After the time is up, you will be able to share your comments with the others in your group.
• In the middle of your "PLACEMATS" there is a section to fill in. Here, you should put any major conclusions on the poem your group has come to, after sharing your thoughts. (For example:
• What ideas did members of your group agree on? 
• What seems striking and important about this poem? 
• What themes does it seem to address? 
• How does it seem to reflect the literary movement of the time? 
• How does it seem to reflect aspects of my life that you have investigated?)
• Remember: you can record thoughts and ideas using words and/or images: sometimes images help us to clarify our ideas better than words...
• When you have done this a spokesperson from each group will explain the group's findings of the poem (the centre of your placemats).

Groups:

Shelley´s Nightmares

Francisco
Josefina
Isabel
Jazmin
Carola

Byron's Broads
Valentino
Joaquin
Milagros
Ana

Coleridge's Coven
Rocio
Sofia
Thomas
Florencia

The John Keats Treasure Hunt

What?
In your first double lesson, you will all go on a virtual "treasure hunt" to find precious nuggets of information about 

• John Keats
• the context in which he writes
• his poetry
• EXT: how he fits into the IB Literature course

How?
1) You will work in pairs, using your own research skills to search for the required data on this marvel of modern information technology, the internet, as well as making a few trips downstairs to the library. (Hint: you will be able to find much of the info by using the "useful websites" on this blog!) 

2) You will then collate the information in a suitable way, perhaps using a word document to make notes as you go along.

3) Individually, you will have to post all the material on your very own John Keats blog, having created the blog using www.blogger.com, following the instructions on that website.

When?
You will have all of this  lesson AND Friday's lesson to hunt for the treasure!

You will need to submit your finished treasure hunt on your own John Keats blog (having set up the blog using blogger.com by 9.30am, Tuesday 8th April).



Let The Treasure Hunt begin...
 (Note: Each section should be a new blog post in your blog!)


SECTION 1 - BIOGRAPHY

1) Find a suitable picture of me  to upload to your blog post. (Try to pick a flattering one, ok?)


2) Create a brief timeline of my life, including

•  birthdate, 
• important events in my life, 
• when I wrote famous poems, 
• a quote from me when I became ill.
• deathdate, 

At least eight different brief entries in your timeline!



3) Find a suitable picture of my sweet girl Fanny Brawne.
Give a brief explanation (no more than two sentences)  IN YOUR OWN WORDS as to why she was important in my life.

4) Find a letter that I wrote to Fanny Brawne in which I declare my love for her from a book of my letters downstairs in the library. 

• Take a picture of the letter. 
• Quote underneath or highlight in some way THE SENTENCE WHICH DECLARES MY LOVE.

5) Find the letter in a book in the library I wrote  to Charles Brown on  30th November, 1820. 

• Take a photo of the first page. 
• Underneath the photo, explain in two sentences who Charles Brown is/my relationship with him.
•  Also, quote the final THREE SENTENCES of the letter (before "God bless you!) 
• Try not to cry... 

SECTION 2 - CONTEXT

1) Find an image on the web which in some way (symbolically or literally) represents the Romantic Period. 

• Save the image
• Explain how it does.
• Give rough dates (in years) for the beginning and end of the Romantic period in English literature. 

2) Find ONE HISTORICAL EVENT (clue: allez!) that had a major impact in shaping the Romantic era.

•  Explain briefly what it is and how it did this. 
• Find a picture that in some way depicts this event. 
• Label it.

3) Provide brief diagram or bullet points outlining some of the key characteristics of Romanticism. You may find this useful. Or this.


4) Find a painter from my time known for his/her associations with Romanticism. 

• Find a painting of theirs in a book in the library (hint: look in The History of Art section). 
• Take a photo of it. 
• Label it with painter, title, date of production
• Then try to recreate a "living" version of it here or at home (you may need friends or family to act as models).  Take a photo of your living painting and post it next to the original picture.

5) Find a pictures of a rival of mine: Lord Byron. 

• Save it.
• Label it.
• Can you explain in two or three sentences IN YOUR OWN WORDS why we disliked each other??

SECTION 3 - POEMS

1) Give a brief, bullet-pointed explanation of what an Ode (in poetry) is.
List all the Odes I wrote, including the first line for each one, and the date (roughly) they were written. 

2) Select four themes I deal with a lot in my poetry that you find interesting. 

• List the themes.
• Find at least two poems of mine that include each theme. 
• (You could include a quotation from each poem that seems to allude to the theme).

3) I take great pride in my synaesthetic images. 

• Can you briefly explain IN YOUR OWN WORDS what these are? 
• What function(s) do they perform in my poems?
• Give the example from the link on Isabella, explaining the sensory images it combines.

4) What is a poetic ballad? 

• Give a brief definition IN YOUR OWN WORDS.
• Find my ballad entitled La Belle Dame Sans Merci.
• Perform a dramatic reading of it.
• Record the audio.
• Upload the audio file to your blog! 
• (If you have time, you could make it a video recording instead.)
• Find a suitable image to go with the reading.

Welcome to Northlands John Keats' Blog

 We're Live!
Hello and welcome! Cue trumpet fanfare and drum rolls...Northlands Keats' Blog is now up and running. This will be a valuable resource for helping you keep up to date with the course, sharing information, ideas and work.

How To Use the Blog?

A new post will be added each week. It will therefore be useful if you check out the blog every Monday - you will then be able to prepare appropriately. Each post will be labelled so you will be able to find relevant past lessons when needed.

You will also be able to find helpful resources, such as sites which give biographical details about the man himself, as well as analysis of his poems.

You will need to create your own Keats Blog to publish your work, thoughts and ideas. We'll make a link to your blog here. More on that on Friday.