Title: 13.02.08: Teaching Tone, Mood and Purpose through the Interpretation of Activist Poetry
Headings: Teaching Tone, Mood and Purpose through the Interpretation of Activist Poetry
Teaching Tone, Mood and Purpose through the Interpretation of Activist Poetry
Introduction
Background on Activist Poetry
Rationale
Curriculum Objectives
Content Objectives Regarding Unit Texts
Objectives in Student Ability
Objectives in Student Empowerment
Reading Strategies
Classroom Activities
Before Reading Activities
After Reading Activities
Assessment
Standards

Content: But if 'change through action' is the purpose of Activist Poetry, what makes it an effective vehicle for change, especially in discussion with high school students? Activist Poetry is an effective vehicle for social and political change because it is an accessible foundation for artistic vision. Before any change is likely to occur, a problem must be identified, one that is perceived to be substantially effective. One way Activist Poetry is useful in that it allows poets to use artistic language to convey an idea in an artistic fashion, communicating a social or political problem in a manner that is attractive. During an Interview with MSNBC's Giacinta Pace, Erica Jong, a poet and activist, argues that poetry and activism essentially compliment one another. She states, "They are a good fit because poetry makes you aware of our human context (Pace 2010)." She continues by stating, "And the more you are made aware of your environment and the issues there, the more you can choose which issues you want to focus on (Pace 2010)." Secondly, Social Activist poetry forces contemporary issues to the forefront of people's consciousness and, in effect, encourages discussion. June Jordan surmises in an interview with Julie Quiroz-Martinez from Colorlines.com, that "poetry becomes a means for useful dialogue between people who are not only unknown, but mute to each other. It produces a dialogue among people that guards all of us against manipulation by our so-called leaders (Quiroz-Martines 1998)."