Found+Poem+Assignment

===POETRY is as universal as language itself and almost as ancient. In all ages in all cultures, it has been enjoyed by everyone from the most educated to the least as a way of encapsulating the essence of an idea, a feeling, or an experience. Why have humans been attracted to poetry all these years? Mainly because reading poetry gives pleasure. But poetry also seems to be an art form that is central to our existence -- something that humans recognize as having a unique value for the fully-realized life.===

===Poetry may be defined as a kind of language that says //more// and says it //more intensely// than does ordinary language. For example, consider the eagle. If you looked up "eagle" in an encyclopedia, or online, what would you learn? Most likely you'd see a picture of an eagle, learn about its high mountain aeries, what it eats, how big one typically is, etc. But unless you have seen an eagle, experienced an eagle, this kind of information might be rather useless. Instead, consider this brief poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson, written in the 19th century:===

===What does Tennyson's poem suggest about eagles that is more powerful or subtle than simple facts on a page? How do his metaphoric devices and concrete details make the poem interesting? Perhaps only watching a video clip of an eagle soaring or diving could bring us this close to understanding the powerful presence of this majestic bird.===

===Poetry, then, employs **economy of language** -- using fewer words to say more by showing rather than telling about an experience. Poets use powerful verbs, concrete images, short phrases on the page, metaphors, and then possibly other devices like rhythm, rhyme, and alliteration to capture the feeling of the experience they are sharing.===

** Found Poem: ** Group activity, 20 pts.

===Using the text of your book, create a poem that focuses on one issue or moment in a character’s life. Keep the voice of the narrative consistent, but choose phrases and lines of the text that can tell a “back story” or clarify an issue from the story in a more concise way.===

===Note that poetry uses line breaks to allow the reader to focus on one idea at a time. You can use sentence structure in a poem, but use words economically and allow the lines to form effective phrasing or emphasis.===