[TEA-DG] ENG3U, Engl ...

The goal for this activity is to help you understand the way all writers meet the challenge of making you see and feel what they are seeing and feeling in their imagination as they write their poem. The challenge for a writer is to “pull you into” their world using only words. It is not a movie or a piece of music which would give you more clues. Writers only have their words –and they choose the right ones very, very carefully!

Slowly and carefully read the poem London’s Summer Morning by Mary Robinson. Be aware that every line has 10 beats so read it out loud with that beat in mind.

Notice also that the poem does not rhyme. In the 19th century when this poem was written it was very unusual to find poems that didn’t have a rhyme scheme and pattern.

Read the poem again and make some notes to answer the following 2 questions:

1. Identify 4 examples of imagery used in the poem, and explain how they help you to visualize or understand what is happening in the poem. 
2. In your own words, describe what is happening in London on this summer morning.

Now, read the poem a third time and make some notes to answer the remaining 2 questions:

3. What do you like about the poem? What problems do you find with the poem?

4. How does the imagery in this poem help you to understand the ideas and emotions the narrator is experiencing?

NOTE: IMAGERY is the way the narrator guides you to see, hear, smell, taste, touch what he/she is seeing, smelling, hearing. It appeals to our 5 senses to enhance the experience and stimulate our imagination.  

In the next lecture the teacher will analyze the poem line by line so that you can compare your notes and apply new ways of thinking, understanding, communication and application in analyzing other poems in this unit.