Occasionally, poems cab be especially challenging because of an unusual sentence structure. When you paraphrase a line or stanza in a poem, you rephrase the poet’s words with your own. Different from a summary, paraphrasing is not necessarily shorter than the original text; it’s simply a of the same ideas. To successfully paraphrase you should: Rewrite sentences in standard, subject-verb order Find the main ideas and important details Think of simpler or more familiar ways of saying what the writer has written While reading the poems in this lesson, create a graphic organizer / chart in which you analyze the challenging passages. Read an example of paraphrasing in the chart below. = Example from “Elegy for the Giant Tortoises” Original Wording Paraphrasing “on a road where I stand They [the tortoises] will appear on the road where I stand, they will materialize,/ walking slowly by in a scattered line, looking clumsy because they plodding past me in a are not in the water. straggling line/ awkward without water About the Authors E.E. Cummings (1894-1962) Margaret Atwood (Born 1939) Billy Collins (Born 1941) Learn More about this poet @ Learn More about this poet @ A popular poetic pioneer, the critics who praise Atwood is a much celebrated poet, novelist, Learn More about this poet @ Cummings rank him among the most innovative essayist, and short story writer. She has been Called the “most popular poet in America” by 20th Century poets. Cummings believed in referred to as “a national heroine of the arts” in one critic, Collins’s poetry appeals to a wide individuality and free expression. He her native country Canada, where she has and consistently growing audience of high experimented with language, shaping it to fit gained the status typically bestowed only to school students, other poets, literary critics, his ideas. Though one of the most experimental movie stars and musicians. Her novels feature and the general public. He is a graduate of U.C. of poets, he was exceptionally well-liked by the female characters searching for their own Riverside. As Poet Laureate from 2001-2003, general public. identity in a largely confusing and dangerous he developed “Poetry 180” a website ( ) world. presenting one poem for each day of the school
Occasionally, poems cab be especially challenging because of an unusual sentence structure. When you paraphrase a line or stanza in a poem, you rephrase the poet’s words with your own. Different from a summary, paraphrasing is not necessarily shorter than the original text; it’s simply a of the same ideas. To successfully paraphrase you should: Rewrite sentences in standard, subject-verb order Find the main ideas and important details Think of simpler or more familiar ways of saying what the writer has written While reading the poems in this lesson, create a graphic organizer / chart in which you analyze the challenging passages. Read an example of paraphrasing in the chart below. = Example from “Elegy for the Giant Tortoises” Original Wording Paraphrasing “on a road where I stand they will materialize,/ plodding past me in a straggling line/ awkward without water They [the tortoises] will appear on the road where I stand, walking slowly by in a scattered line, looking clumsy because they are not in the water. About the Authors E.E. Cummings (1894-1962) Learn More about this poet @ A popular poetic pioneer, the critics who praise Cummings rank him among the most innovative 20th Century poets. Cummings believed in individuality and free expression. He experimented with language, shaping it to fit his ideas. Though one of the most experimental of poets, he was exceptionally well-liked by the general public. Margaret Atwood (Born 1939) Learn More about this poet @ Atwood is a much celebrated poet, novelist, essayist, and short story writer. She has been referred to as “a national heroine of the arts” in her native country Canada, where she has gained the status typically bestowed only to movie stars and musicians. Her novels feature female characters searching for their own identity in a largely confusing and dangerous world. Billy Collins (Born 1941) Learn More about this poet @ Called the “most popular poet in America” by one critic, Collins’s poetry appeals to a wide and consistently growing audience of high school students, other poets, literary critics, and the general public. He is a graduate of U.C. Riverside. As Poet Laureate from 2001-2003, he developed “Poetry 180” a website ( ) presenting one poem for each day of the school