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Jump to Poetry 102
Poetry 101
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In the beginning was the Word, and
the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1 |
Age range: 9 and above
Objective: Beginning to learn about poetry
Do not put off for years what you can start today. Unfortunately,
many put off learning about poetry until the teen years. Rather
than doing that, start your scholar with what they know. The
lyrics of Christian tunes are poetry put to music.
Introducing
Two new liteary items are added in Poetry 101. The
terms are imagery and figurative language. These
Literary Special Effects helps the reader form pictures of what
the author is trying to present. In order to aid your scholar
in mastering what these terms mean, you may want to make flashcards
for them.
Christian Worldview
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"... It is written, Man shall not
live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of
the mouth of God." Matthew 4:4 |
A poem is an essay in verse form expressing an experience,
an event, thoughts and feelings. The composition of poems
frequently illustrate great beauty of language or thought. Words
and how they are expressed are of vital concern to the Christian.
God created the heavens and the earth by the power of His
Word (see Genesis1). According to
Holy Writ we are made in the image of God. His very Name is Logos
or The Word. In the Bible, as in poetry, we see the use
of word pictures or imagery. Jesus, for example, said "I
am the true vine" to drive home a point and not to present
to the hearer or reader that He was literally a vine.
Prior to presenting poetry by humanists to our young, we
need to teach them what poetry means from a Christian Worldview.
In this way, Christian youth will be equipped to ...
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Casting down imaginations, and every
high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God,
and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of
Christ. 2 Cor. 10:5 |
1) Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
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2) Hear this, All Ye People, Hear
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3) Sound the Battle Cry
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4) Silent Night
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5) Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
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6) Come Ye Saints, Look Here and Wonder
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7) Amazing Grace
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8) Fight the Good Fight With All Thy Might
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9) Dare to Be a Daniel
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10) Speak, O Lord, Thy Servant Heareth
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11) And Dost Thou Say
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12) Awake, My Tongue, Thy Tribute Bring
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13) Go, Tell It On the Mountain
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14) All Creatures of our God and King
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15) Trust and Obey
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The PDF file poem worksheets available for you
above, will cover the following areas ...
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Vocabulary |
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Word Pictures (Imagery) ... This is used to bring
a picture or image to the mind of the reader. This figurative
language is not to be taken literally since it was written to
create a special effect or to drive a point home. |
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Mechanics |
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Comprehension Questions |
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What Does the Bible Say? |
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The Author/Poet |
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Geography |
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Activities |
An Additional Word about
Mechanics
Mechanics are the nuts and bolts of a poem. Each
of the bold questions below will appear on each PDF poem worksheet.
The non-bold statements below bold will help you answer each of
the questions. Therefore you may want to refer back to this
page.
Who is the speaker?
Does the speaker have a specific personality or has the author
remained in the background so the message of the poem will be
more clear?
What does the poem reveal about the speaker’s character?
Sometimes, poems reveal nothing about the speaker's personal
thoughts, feelings, or attitudes. Yet, the poem may demonstrate
those character traits that are important to the author like courage,
loyalty, perserverance, etc.
Is the speaker addressing someone in particular or is it
to anyone?
Sometimes poems are not directed to anyone in particular,
but to anyone that may read it.
Does the poem have a setting?
Does the author tell where the poem occurs? Is the poem
about a specific event?
Is the poem about a particular event? Is the event past or present?
If it is about a past event, does the remembrance of the event
have a particular meaning to the speaker?
Is the theme of the poem stated directly or indirectly?
Some poems are straightforward and are meant to be taken literally.
In songs, the theme may be presented in the refrain or in
the last few lines. Sometimes the theme is a little bit
more difficult to discern as it is made with figurative language
or symbols.
What point of view or perspective is the speaker?
What meaning do you think the poem has for the author?
How did you respond to the poem when you read it the first
time?
Did your thoughts and feelings change after you took time to study
it?
Special Note: You
may want your child to memorize a scripture verse that deals directly
with the poem.
The files are in Adobe Acrobat .pdf file format.
Request: Do you have recommendations for Poetry 101?
If so, e-mail us your ideas by clicking here
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