Lyric Poetry

Self-Directed Learning
Lyric Poetry
Lyric poetry is the most common type of poetry we know. When you think of the word,
what do you think of? Music? Probably. After all, lyrics are the words to songs. In fact,
the word “lyric” comes from the fact that lyric poems used to be sung to the lyre, an
instrument kind of like a small, hand-held harp.
Lyric poetry has actually been around since ancient Greece and Rome. The main idea
behind lyric poetry is that it communicates feelings - which also sounds a lot like our
music today. Maybe we aren’t so different from ancient Greeks and Romans - just think
about the music on the radio today; so many of the songs you hear are about love, lost
love, hopes, dreams, tragedy...the list goes on and on, but one thing is sure - these are
all emotional topics, and so by definition belong to the realm of lyric poetry.
Lyric poetry has no real restraints, like other poetry does. A lots of times, when we
think of poetry, we think of rhyming. As you’ve learned in this unit, rhyming has been
an important part of poetry for hundreds (even thousands!) of years. But in the last 100
years especially, poets started experimenting more with free verse, a type of lyric poetry
that did not have the same rhyming or other structural restraints. In essence, poets could
just write down their thoughts and feelings on a particular topic.
Today, the most familiar type of lyric poetry to us are the lyrics we listen to in our
music, which usually still has some sort of rhyme scheme. In the next assignment, we
will look at two different lyric poems - one a famous poem by Robert Frost, and one a
popular song (even if it’s old).
Property of: Portage la Prairie School Division 84

Assignment 8: Lyric Poetry
Complete the following assignment in full sentences, where appropriate, on looseleaf

paper.
1. Identify the rhyme scheme for the first stanza of “The Road Not Taken.”
2. In “The Road Not Taken,” there is what is called an extended metaphor. An extended
metaphor is one that goes on throughout the whole poem. In this poem, the road not
taken is a metaphor. Explain what it is a metaphor for.
3. Explain in your own words what you think this poem is about. Your response should
be a brief paragraph when you are finished. (3)
The Road Not Taken

By Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.[

4. Identify the rhyme scheme for the first stanza of “The Sound of Silence,” on the next
page.
5. Identify an example of personification for this song.
6. Identify a metaphor in this song.
7. Identify a simile in this song.
8. Identify an oxymoron in this song.
9. What do you think this song is about? Give an explanation for your answer.
A word in the song you might not know:
ten*e*ment
An apartment rented by a tenant, often by those in poverty (this term is used

much more often in Britain).
Assessment Break #8
In this assignment, there are a total of 9 questions, totaling 11 marks. Each question is
worth 1 mark, except for #3, which is worth 3 marks. For that question, your answer
will be marked using the table below.
0 Marks 1 Mark 2 Marks 3 Marks

No use of comprehension Limited use of Uses comprehension Use sophisticated
strategies comprehension strategies strategies comprehension strategies
Student copies passages Student leaves out Student explains the Student thoroughly
of the poem word for word important aspects of the poem, leaving few details explains the poem,
poem in explanation out leaving no details out

The Sound of Silence

by Simon & Garfunkel
Hello darkness, my old friend
I've come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence
In restless dreams I walked alone

Narrow streets of cobblestone
'Neath the halo of a street lamp
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence
And in the naked light I saw

Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dared
Disturb the sound of silence
"Fools", said I, "You do not know

Silence like a cancer grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you"
But my words, like silent raindrops fell
And echoed
In the wells of silence
And the people bowed and prayed

To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming
And the sign said, "The words of the prophets are written on the
subway walls
And tenement halls"
And whispered in the sounds of silence

Now It’s Your Turn

Now that you’ve learned all the basics of poetry, it’s your turn: pick a poem (or song)
that is meaningful to you. A word of warning: before you pick your song, look over
the assignment to make sure that the song you choose will fit the bill. For example, if
you choose a rap song, you must be able to complete the assignment with the song
you chose. If you can’t, you’ll have to start over and pick a new song that you CAN
complete the assignment for.
If you choose a song, make sure that the source for your lyrics is reliable. For example,
try looking on the artist’s website FIRST. Sometimes there are links to lyrics on the
main page. If there aren’t, be cautious about using lyric websites as a source. Sometimes
they contain incorrect lyrics. YOU are responsible for editing for spelling, capitalization,
punctuation, etc, and verifying whether they are correct. You should also use a source
that has broken the song into stanzas, rather than typing out the whole song without
spaces between the verses.
Assignment 9: Your Choice
Choose a poem or song that is meaningful to you. Make sure to include the lyrics of
the song with this assignment. Answer all questions below in full sentences.
1. Name the poet or artist. If you chose a song, did the artist write the song? If not,
who wrote it?
2. Summarize what you think the poem/song is about. Your response should be a short
paragraph by the time you are finished. (3)
3. What is the MESSAGE of the poem/song? In other words, what lesson is the poem/
song trying to teach us (about life, love, etc.)?
4. Identify the rhyme scheme for the first stanza of your chosen poem/song.
5. Choose any 3 of the items below that appear in the poem and identify them: (3)
! * metaphor! ! ! * alliteration
! * hyperbole! ! ! * oxymoron
! * onomatopoeia! ! * personification
! * simile! ! !

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Self-Directed Learning

Property of: Portage la Prairie School Division 84

Assignment 8: Lyric Poetry

Complete the following assignment in full sentences, where appropriate, on looseleaf

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And both that morning equally lay

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Property of: Portage la Prairie School Division 85

5. Identify an example of personification for this song.

6. Identify a metaphor in this song.

7. Identify a simile in this song.

8. Identify an oxymoron in this song.

A word in the song you might not know:

An apartment rented by a tenant, often by those in poverty (this term is used

0 Marks 1 Mark 2 Marks 3 Marks

Property of: Portage la Prairie School Division 86

The Sound of Silence

In restless dreams I walked alone

And in the naked light I saw

"Fools", said I, "You do not know

And the people bowed and prayed

Property of: Portage la Prairie School Division 87

Now It’s Your Turn

Assignment 9: Your Choice

Property of: Portage la Prairie School Division 88

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