The Uses of Poetry in the Classroom

Lesson III: Using Poetry as a Weapon for Social Change

Overview:

Throughout time, poetry has been and still is used to record history, reflect the mood of the people, and to speak out against social injustice. We have already looked at the past; we will now look at some more current social issues through contemporary poets.

Objectives:

Students will:

1. Understand the importance of using poetry in many forms as a social tool for social change.
2. Gain a new perspective on the African American experience by interpreting and analyzing poetry written from an African American perspective.
3. Gain an understanding of the importance of the notion of civil disobedience and non-violent protest.
4. Recognize recurrent themes and writing strategies used to encourage social change.

Materials:

1. "My Poem" by Nikki
2. "Behind the Wall" by Tracy Chapman from CD Tracy Chapman and copies of lyrics
3. "Darryl Strawberry Asleep in the Field of Dreams" by Paul Beatty
4. "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" by Gil Scott-Heron

Procedure:

1. The poem/song "Behind the Wall" by Tracy Chapman will be played on CD. After we hear it, I will pass out the lyrics. The students will participate in a discussion about the poem: What issues it brings up, why it is or isn't effective, why Tracy Chapman wrote it, what she was hoping to accomplish by writing it, who she wrote it for.
2. Next Nikki Giovanni's "My Poem" will be read twice by volunteers. The first time it is read the students can follow along on the page. The second time I have them close their eyes and just listen. After the read aloud, I will ask the student to free write about the poem maybe about three minutes. I will then ask the students to look through their free write and underline a sentence or phrase that brings out the meaning of the poem. We will than share and create Our Poem with their responses on poster board. We will talk about the social aspects of the poem, and what Giovanni means by the word revolution.
3. The students will listen to and read "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" by Gil Scott-Heron. The students will then be asked to free write about how Giovanni's and Scott-Heron's idea of "Revolution" is similar or different. I will ask volunteers to share their responses.
4. I will tell the students that "Darryl Strawberry Asleep in the Field of Dreams" by Paul Beatty was written in response to the movie "Field of Dreams". I will read the poem first and than ask for a student volunteer. A brief discussion will take place. I will take note of how many students saw the film. I will ask if they noticed the problems that Beatty is talking about. And what do they think of his criticism?

Discussions Questions:

1. Why did the poet write this poem?
2. What was he trying to accomplish by writing this poem?
3. Was he successful in what he were trying to accomplish? Why or Why not?
4. Who is the audience for this poem? A white audience or an African American audience or both?
5. Did any of the poems manage to make you look at something differently?
6. How is the term "revolution" used similarly or differently in two different pieces that use it?

Lesson adapted from African – American Poetry Unit: Studying the Great African – American Poets of the 20th Century http://msu.edu/~miazgama/aapoets.htm)