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Alexis Dennis
Meg Goldner Rabinowitz
Secondary English Methods
9 February 2015
My Hearts Canon of Poetry
1. Simile: Willow and Ginkgo by Eve Merriam
I would teach the poem Simile: Willow and Ginkgo by Eve Merriam by pre-teaching or
reviewing similes and metaphors, and the clues or signal words that often precede each one. The
poem contains multiple similes describing a willow and a ginkgo, and I would have students
compare and contrast the use of similes as they pertain to each. The willow is generally described
using words and phrases that have positive connotations, whereas the ginkgo is defined with
words and phrases that suggest it is crude, unfinished, and not worth of admiration. After
completing a Venn diagram to compare and contrast their descriptions, I would ask students
discussion questions about the ending of the poem and the larger theme surrounding physical
appearance or beauty. After our reading of the poem, I would then show them pictures of each
flower and have them circle similes they agree with in regards to the way Merriam described
each flower. To extend their understanding of similes and metaphors, I would conclude by
modeling how to rewrite a simile as a metaphor, and assign a stanza to groups of students and
have them rewrite the similes as metaphors.
2. Daddy by Sylvia Plath
I would teach the poem Daddy by Sylvia Plath by first beginning with an introduction to Plath
as an individual, discussing details of her tumultuous upbringing and dysfunctional marriage as
her personal experiences became the foreground for much of her poetry. The poem also has some
historical allusions and implications, which would allow me the opportunity to connect this poem

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to a lesson or text from U.S. or World History about Nazi Germany. I would focus our discussion
of the poem on characterization, activating prior knowledge about Germany and Hitler, and how
Plaths use of comparisons between her father and Hitler characterize him. I would extend our
discussion of characterization to Plath herself, who grows and matures as a character throughout
the poem, gaining agency as the poem progresses. I would conclude with an individual activity
asking students to journal about the historical allusions, thinking about why her choice of
comparison to Nazi Germany was or was not effective. I would extend the question by asking
students to think about another time period that could also be as effective, and begin writing
some descriptions alluding to their chosen time period.
3. The daisy follows soft the sun by Emily Dickinson
I would teach the poem The daisy follows soft the sun by Emily Dickinson by first reading
through the poem as a class, then asking students to think about Dickinsons subtle change in her
use of pronouns. I would pose questions to the students such as: Who or what is being described
as a he? Who is the collective we pronoun referring to? The questions would allow us to
start unpacking the gender and power relations at the root of this poem. Once we establish the
sun as the male figure and the daisy, or flower, as representative of the female, I would push
students to examine the language used to describe both the sun and the daisy, paying close
attention to the actions attributed to each. Lastly, I would have students journal about the ending
line concerning nights possibility and think about what possibilities or opportunities Dickinson
may be referring to, and why the night provides the daisy and the other flowers with such
opportunity.
4. Siren Song by Margaret Atwood

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I would teach Siren Song by Margaret Atwood by beginning with an opening activity that asks
students to write down a song they find irresistible or catchy, and what elements of the song
make it irresistible. I would write student responses on the board, creating a running list of
elements such as word choice, meaning or message behind the song, the artist or group
performing the song, and the grammar and syntax at play in the song. I would connect this
activity to a broad description of sirens, showing pictures of the mythological creatures and
modern-day references to sirens and their implications. As we read through the poem, I would
highlight the song qualities of the poem, including its varying stanza lengths, the break
between ideas and sentences, and the poetics of repetitions of short phrases and words. The
language and structure also build suspense throughout the poem, drawing the reader into the
poem in the same manner that sirens drew men into the sea. We would conclude our exploration
of the poem by returning to the opening activity and I would ask students to work in groups to
rewrite, or use language and syntax techniques like Atwood, verses and choruses from popular
songs today.
5. Still I Rise by Maya Angelou
I would teach Still I Rise by Maya Angelou by connecting our study of the poem to another
one of her acclaimed poems, Caged Bird, as both poems offer the reader triumphant
perspectives on issues of oppression due to race and gender. I would provide half of the students
with copies of Still I Rise and the other half Caged Bird, passing them so every other student
would have matching copies. After providing students a brief biographical sketch of Maya
Angelou and her commitment to equality, I would ask them to read their poem silently and
annotate the poem in relation to Angelous life commitment and instances where we see equality
being discussed. Students would then turn and talk to a partner with a different poem, and use

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their understanding of both to write their interpretation or understanding of the theme(s) present
in the poems. We would conclude by closely examining the rhetorical strategies used by Angelou
in her poem, and the effect of rhetorical questions upon the tone and mood of the poem. I would
read the poem aloud once more without the rhetorical questions and ask students to journal about
the differences and the effects of the questions.
6. The Prologue by Anne Bradstreet
I would teach The Prologue by Anne Bradstreet by first providing students with a list of
allusions used by Bradstreet, and providing resources (dictionaries, computers, other resource
books) to allow them to begin building knowledge around the allusions. I would ask students to
write two sentences defining or explaining the what, a sketch of the person or object being
alluded to, and one to two sentences hypothesizing the significance of each within the poem we
will read. As a class we will read the poem, and pause after each stanza to have students fill in
the meaning of each allusion and discuss the explicit and implicit meaning in each stanza. Given
the regular meter and rhyme scheme of this poem, I will also discuss the poetics of the rhyme
scheme and work with students to chart out the pattern (ababab). Given that Bradstreet is
discussing her power as a writer, and a female, throughout the poem, I will ask students to
consider what larger theme or concept she is exploring in relation to writing, as she uses very
formal conventions of writing despite claiming she is unworthy of writing about such grand
historical and social movements.
7. Captive by Rose Terry Cooke
I would teach Captive by Rose Terry Cooke by focusing on the binary that emerges between
the you and the I perspective present in the poem. We would read the poem aloud as a class
and listen to the audio as well, as multiple voices reading the poem will further highlight the

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varying perspectives. We will return to the use of rhetorical questions and discuss their impact on
developing the theme of freedom and independence. I would connect the poem to Still I Rise
by Maya Angelou and other works about racial and gender equality, providing my students an
opportunity to compare and contrast the lives of both authors as well as the ways in which they
develop the theme of equality and freedom through a metaphor of birds and flight. To better
understand the you and I perspectives, I would have half of the students analyze the poem
from one perspective and half analyze the poem from the other perspective. The concluding
activity would be for all students to write lines from the you perspective, trying to capture
what the you perspective sees from the outside of the bird cage.
8. The Palace-Burner by Sarah Piatt
I would teach The Palace Burner by Sarah Piatt by first activating prior knowledge about the
events surrounding the poem itself. I would show my students the picture from the newspaper
that inspired this poem, as well as the article itself that describes the woman mentioned in the
poem. I would ask my students to write about the elements of the picture, noting the womans
facial expression, her stance, and what they believed were the events surrounding this picture. I
would then provide the article and students would read through the article in pairs and answer
literal reading comprehension questions to check for basic understanding. We would then read
the poem as a class, noting the different perspectives of the speaker and the child she mentions at
the conclusion of the poem. We would discuss the theme of social change as it is linked to
courage, and discuss whether or not the woman in the photo has more or less courage than the
speaker of the poem. We would conclude our study of the poem by researching other iconic
photos from our generation that could have the same impact, and discuss whether or not we felt

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we individually had the courage to do the same actions as the individual or persons in the photo
(e.g. Malala, 9/11 firefighters and other support personnel)
9. Power by Adrienne Rich
I would teach Power by Adrienne Rich by grounding our study of the poem in a study of Marie
Curie as a scientist, linking the poem with content from a science textbook or article about her
work with radioactive materials. We would read about her life prior to reading the poem,
discussing her work as a female scientist and her contributions to our modern day understanding
of science. We would discuss the public-facing side of scientific accomplishments and the darker
side, and discuss which side was being discussed in the poem. I would have students complete a
Venn diagram of the positive and negative implication of power, and extend our understanding of
power to discuss modern-day celebrities and the possible positive and negative things associated
with their position in the spotlight.
10. Cinderella by Sylvia Plath
I would teach Cinderella by Sylvia Plath by activating prior knowledge of the fairy tale of
Cinderella, asking students to complete a quick plot summary of the fairy tale and a character
sketch of Cinderella, using both indirect and direct examples of characterization (physical
appearance, her interactions with her stepmother and stepsiblings, and her work ethic). As we
read Cinderella, I would call attention to the ways in which Plath disrupts our notions and
understanding of Cinderella from the fairy tale we are familiar with as Cinderella is described as
more flamboyant and gaudy than the Cinderella we as a society are familiar with. I would extend
our examination by asking students how the poem either reinforces or disrupts gendered norms,
looking at the interaction between Cinderella and the prince, and the other couples dancing
alongside them. We would conclude with a writing assignment that asks students to hypothesize

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what the last line means, using context clues and the ability to make inferences, to determine
what the caustic clock is referring to and how the line builds suspense for the reader.