English Poetry Tasks

For our English Poetry Project, we had to first choose five poems with the same message and, if you could, from the same author. On was supposed to write a commentary on one, memorize one and recite it in front of the class, and perform a task ( from a list ) for each of the remaining poems. For my last three poems, I decided to make an imitation of one, make a comic of one and do a screencast of the last one.

TASK 1
POEM IMITATION
POEM: ANTHEM FOR DOOMED YOUTH
POET: WILFRED OWEN

What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?

     — Only the monstrous anger of the guns.

     Only the stuttering rifles' rapid rattle

Can patter out their hasty orisons.

No mockeries now for them; no prayers nor bells;

     Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs,—

The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells;

     And bugles calling for them from sad shires.

What candles may be held to speed them all?

     Not in the hands of boys, but in their eyes

Shall shine the holy glimmers of goodbyes.

     The pallor of girls' brows shall be their pall;

Their flowers the tenderness of patient minds,

And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds.

"Anthem for Doomed Youth" is a poem about the unceremonial death of soldiers in battles. It highlights how these soldiers die and some are even forgotten. I decided to make an imitation of the poem, copying the form of the poem.


THE IMITATION

Thousands of people rot,
And pray to the murderous tool,
Family only a thought,
To them, "We are no fools."
They write a wrong for every right,
And die to put up a fight,
Greed just blinds their sight,
Blinds those with a future so bright.

They never stick to the same line,
"We do this for the 'gang,' for the hood,"
"We do this so that no one else should,"
"A life or two a day is just fine,"
Is it fine though? Is it for the hood?
Or is it for you! Selfish once-good!



TASK 2
POEM COMIC
POEM: DULCE ET DECORUM EST
POET: WILFRED OWEN

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,

Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,

Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs,

And towards our distant rest began to trudge.

Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots,

But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;

Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots

Of gas-shells dropping softly behind.

Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!—An ecstasy of fumbling

Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time,

But someone still was yelling out and stumbling

And flound’ring like a man in fire or lime.—

Dim through the misty panes and thick green light,

As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.

In all my dreams before my helpless sight,

He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.

If in some smothering dreams, you too could pace

Behind the wagon that we flung him in,

And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,

His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin;

If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood

Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,

Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud

Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,—

My friend, you would not tell with such high zest

To children ardent for some desperate glory,

The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est

Pro Patria mori.

  In the poem "Dulce et Decorum Est," the idea of dying for one's country is criticized. The phrase "Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori" is questioned. I decided to make a comic that copies the idea of this poem. The following is a link to my comic:
https://www.pixton.com/comic/fvcnj32h

TASK 3
SCREENCAST
POEM: THE LAST LAUGH
POET: WILFRED OWEN
This poem mainly talks about the unmemorial deaths of soldiers in war, and how no matter who wins, no one really gets the "last laugh." It is the guns and the bombs and all of the weapons that have the ultimate victory.
Below is a link to the screencast I did in order to explain the meaning of the poem.
The Last Laugh

This English project was a new experience for me. I learnt more, such as creating comics or even making somehow-decent YouTube videos. I have also learnt how to go even deeper in a poem. It has been a great learning experience being in this English class, and I know I have much more to learn and to do, but a lot of what I have acquired, I will be able to tackle more challenging projects.