Richard Cory Miniver Cheevy Lucinda Matlock

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Richard Cory Miniver Cheevy Lucinda Matlock The New POETRY Richard CORY READING 3 Understand THE Miniver CheeVY STRUCTURe and elements of poetrY. POETRy by Edwin Arlington ROBINSON Analyze the efFECts of metrics and other cONVENtions in American POETRY. Lucinda MaTLOCK POETRy by EDGar Lee Masters -EET the AUTHORS Edwin ArlingtON Failure is a familiar subject in the poetry of alcoholism, Robinson devoted his life to ROBINSON Edwin Arlington Robinson, and one the his craft. Over time he gained a reputation 1869–1935 artist knew well. Robinson wrote poetry as one of the country’s most accomplished for years before achieving recognition, and narrative poets. he witnessed family members suffer one REFLECtions of the PAST Robinson’s best personal defeat after another. known poems explore the inner lives of A DifFICULT Youth His father’s financial the citizens of Tilbury Town, a fictional struggles forced Robinson to curtail community modeled on Robinson’s his studies at Harvard University. The hometown of Gardiner, Maine. family’s fortunes continued to decline Many poems grew out of the tragic and Robinson’s mother died of diphtheria experiences of his family and childhood in 1896. In addition, he lost both of his acquaintances. Often, the poems focus on brothers to fatal addictions. individuals who are brought low because of their own personal failings and the DeVotion To His CrAFT Despite his town’s repressive, materialistic culture. tragic past and his own struggles with EDGar LEE When his brilliant portrait of rural life, he despised their small-mindedness Masters Spoon River Anthology, first appeared and bigotry. Eventually Masters left 1868–1950 in 1915, Edgar Lee Masters became a rural Illinois for the big city, residing in literary sensation. Both the general public Chicago and New York City. and renowned critics embraced the book, LiterARy Masterpiece Masters remains making it an American classic. most famous for his Spoon River Anthology. The Making of a POET The book grew out In this book, 244 deceased inhabitants of of Masters’s memories of growing up in the fictional town of Spoon River deliver the central Illinois towns of Lewiston and monologues in which they bare their souls. Petersburg. Living on his grandparents’ The cast of characters is varied, ranging farm in Petersburg and in the semi- from prostitutes and thieves to librarians industrialized Lewiston, Masters acquired and Masters’s own grandmother Lucinda, both an appreciation and a distaste for the model for “Lucinda Matlock.” rural culture. While he admired the hard work and resilience of rural folk, 6ji]dgh Dca^cZ Go To THINKCENTRal.cOM. KEYWORD: HML11-920 920 LITERARy analYsis: charaCTERIZAtion iN NARRATIVe poetrY While most modernist poets turned their efFORts To lyric poetrY, EDWARd Arlington Robinson and EDGar Lee Masters cONtinued What makes To deVelop the TRadition of narrATIVe poetrY, oFten telling stories Of inTEResting charACters in the cONTEXT of their communities. for a Like FICtion, NARRATIVe POETRY tells a STORy using ELEMENts Of plot, full life? CHARACTER, and setting. To deVelop charACTER, poets may adapt methods of CHARACTERIZATION typically used in fiction. EVERYone wANts To be happY, but • PHYsical description of the charACTER, including vivid imagERY happiness comes more easily To some • the charACter’s own acTIONS, wORDS, THOUGHTS, and fEELINGS people than To others. WhaT is the SECRet? Some seek happiness in close, • COMMENTS, THOUGHTS, or actions of other charACters LOving rELAtionships. Others pursue • DIRECT cOMMENts about the charACter by the poem’s speakER their dreams and TRy To remain true To As you read these poems, pay aTTENtion To the methods used their inner vOICE. Still others strive for By the poet To deVelop the charACters. the cOMFORts of material sucCess and PROSPERITY. The fOLLOwing poems porTRAy Review: Meter CHARACters who haVe met with vARying READIng skill: analYze speaker’s aTTITUDE DEGRees of sucCess in their search for CONTENTMENT. In many poems, THE speakER has a persona THAT is distincT DISCUSS FRom the poet. It is the speaker’s ATTITUDE THAT shapes our With a parTNER, make a list of VIEw of the poem’s subjecT. In each of the fOLLOwing poems, some difFERENT wAYs in which people a speaker delivers a charACter sketch; in one case, the speaker seek happiness. Which are the most is describing herself. By noticing the details and phrases the LIKely To sucCeed? Which are the least SPEAKer uses To describe the charACTER, we can learn about his LIKely? AFter discussing these questions, or her attitude not only TOWARd the charACter but TOWARd lifE. PRESENT your conclusions To the class. To analyze the speaker’s attitude TOWARd the charACter in each poem, use a charT like the one shown. As you read, jot DOwn the details and phrases from each poem THAT rEFLECT THAT aTTITUDE. One eXample has been filled in for you. Details and Phrases Reflecting Speaker’s Attitude “Richard Cory” “Miniver Cheevy” “Lucinda Matlock” “He was a gentleman from sole to crown” COMPLETe tHe acTIVITIEs in yOUr READER/WRITER NOTEBOOK. 921921 Richard Cory Edwin Arlington Robinson Whenever Richard Cory went down town, We people on the pavement looked at him: He was a gentleman from sole to crown, a CHARACTERIZATION Clean favored,1 and imperially slim. Reread lines 1–8. Describe Richard Cory’s appearance and manners. What do 5 And he was always quietly arrayed, you think the speaker And he was always human when he talked; means by “he fluttered But still he fluttered pulses when he said, pulses” and “he glittered “Good-morning,” and he glittered when he walked. a when he walked”? And he was rich—yes, richer than a king— 10 And admirably schooled in every grace:2 In fine,3 we thought that he was everything To make us wish that we were in his place. b SPEAKER’S ATTITUDE Reread lines 11–16. So on we worked, and waited for the light, What contrast does the speaker draw between And went without the meat, and cursed the bread; Richard Cory and the 15 And Richard Cory, one calm summer night, townspeople? How do Went home and put a bullet through his head. b they seem to regard him? 1. clean favored: having a tidy appearance. 2. schooled in every grace: extremely well-mannered and cultured. Sir Philip Sassoon (1923), John Singer 3. in fine: in short. Sargent. Oil on canvas, 95.2 cm x 57.8 cm. Tate Gallery, London. © Tate Gallery, London/Art Resource, 922 unit 5: the harlem renaissance and modernism New York. TX_L11PE-u05s21-RCory.indd 922 9/8/09 10:25:30 AM 923 -INIVER #HEEVY %dwin Arlington ROBINSON Miniver Cheevy, child of scorn, Grew lean while he assailed1 the seasons; He wept that he was ever born, And he had reasons. 5 Miniver loved the days of old When swords were bright and steeds were prancing; The vision of a warrior bold Would set him dancing. C Reading in a Study, Walt Louderback. Oil on plywood, 76.2 cm × 59.7 cm. Private collection. Photo © Bridgeman Art Library. Miniver sighed for what was not, C -%4%2 10 And dreamed, and rested from his labors; RERead lines 1–8. In each He dreamed of Thebes and Camelot, STANZa, which line has a And Priam’s neighbors.2 meter THAT stands out FRom the others? WhaT emphasis is achieVed by Miniver mourned the ripe renown this change in RHYthm? That made so many a name so fragrant; 15 He mourned Romance, now on the town, And Art, a vagrant. D #(!2!#4%2):!4)/. Miniver loved the Medici,3 RERead lines 9–20. 4 IdenTIFy the primary Albeit he had never seen one; means of charACTERIZAtion He would have sinned incessantly in these lines. WhaT is the 20 Could he have been one. D main TRAIT CONVEYed here? 1. assailed: aTTACKed violenTLY, in this case with wORds. 2. Thebes (thCbz) . CAMELOT . Priam’S (prFPEmz) NEIGHBORS: Thebes was an ancienT Greek city, the setting of many famous LEGends; CAMELOT was the site of King Arthur’s legENDARy cOURt; Priam’s neighbors wERe parTICIPANts in the TRojan WAR, during which Priam was king of TROY. 3. Medici (mDdPE-chC): a poWERful Italian family THAT funded the ARts and ruled FlorENCe, sometimes with cruel and immoral LEADERS, during the RENAISSANCE. 4. ALBEIT (ôl-bCPGt): eVen though. 924 unit 5: the harlem renaissance and modernism Language Coach 7ORd Definitions 4o eYe SOMETHING means “To look AT something closely.” In line 22, why is Miniver Miniver cursed the commonplace EYeing the khaki suit with And eyed a khaki suit with loathing; LOAthing? He missed the medieval grace Of iron clothing. E E SPEAKER’S ATTITUDE 25 Miniver scorned the gold he sought, IdenTIFy the IRONY in lines But sore annoyed was he without it; 23–24. WhaT does this Miniver thought, and thought, and thought, IRONy sugGEST about the And thought about it. SPEAKer’s attitude TOWARd Miniver’s loVe of the MEDIEVal? Miniver Cheevy, born too late, 30 Scratched his head and kept on thinking; Miniver coughed, and called it fate, And kept on drinking. F F METER How does the last line Of the poem change Your understanding of Miniver? Recall your earlier analysis of the POEM’s meter, and explain its efFECT in this stanza. ,ITERARy AnalySIS 1. 2ECALL WHAt is tHe tOWNSPEOPLE’s iNITIAl iMPRESSIOn of RICHARD CORY? 2. 2ECALL WHy dOEs MINIVEr CHEEVy cLAIm to be uNHAPPY? 3. #OMPARe TEXTs WHAt is sIMILAr aBOUt tHe wAYs tHe tWo POEMs eND? In eACh cASE, hOw do tHe lASt tWo lINEs CHANGe yOUr vIEw of tHe cHARACTER? miniver cheevy 925 ,UCINDA ATLOCK - %dgar Lee Masters Detail of Cowboy Dance (mural study, Anson, Texas, post office) (1941), Jenne Magafan.
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