1. Discussion/thinking task:
There is creative reading as well as creative
writing.
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) U.S poet, essayist and lecturer
Books are divided into two classes, the books
of the hour and the books of all time.
John Ruskin (1819-1900) English art critic

2.  Inyour groups, discuss them and place them
in an order which shows the most ‘literary’
to the least ‘literary’.
 Why have you placed them in that order?

3.  Which is the most ‘important text’ and why?
 Selectsomeone from your group to come
and discuss the ideas you have with people
from other groups.

4.  Write a definition of ‘poetry’.
Do the definitions work?
Do they fully explain what poetry is?
Do they allow for complexities of
structure and language?
What else can you say about the
definitions?

5. Oxford on-line dictionary
 Literary work in which the expression of feelings and ideas is
given intensity by the use of distinctive style and rhythm; poems
collectively or as a genre of literature:
• he felt a desire to investigate through poetry the subjects of pain and death
• she glanced at the papers and saw some lines of poetry
• he is chiefly famous for his love poetry
 A quality of beauty and intensity of emotion regarded as
characteristic of poems:
• poetry and fire are nicely balanced in the music
 Something regarded as comparable to poetry in its beauty:
• the music department is housed in a building which is pure poetry

6.  Thesnail pushes through a green night, for
the grass is heavy with water and meets over
the bright path he makes, where rain has
darkened the earth’s dark. He moves in a
wood of desire, pale antlers barely stirring as
he hunts. I cannot tell what power is at
work, drenched there with purpose,
knowing nothing. What is a snail's fury? All I
think is that if later I parted the blades above
the tunnel and saw the thin trail of broken
white across litter, I would never have
imagined the slow passion to that deliberate
progress.

7.  The snail pushes through a green Discuss the text’s
night, for the grass is heavy with water meanings and your
and meets over the bright path he response/s to the
makes, where rain has darkened the ideas in it.
earth’s dark. He moves in a wood of
desire, pale• Does this stirring as
antlers barely come fromWhat do you think of
a longer
he hunts. I piece tell text?
cannot of what power is the language used
at work, drenched there with purpose, and how the
• What kind snail's
knowing nothing. What is aof text is it? language creates
• Could if later I considered a poem
fury? All I think is thatthis be parted meanings?
the blades abovewhy?
and the tunnel and saw
the thin trail of broken white across
litter, I would never have imagined the
slow passion to that deliberate
progress.

8.  You can either take the words exactly as they
are, or you can modify them in a way that
you think would be effective, for instance by
leaving words out or by adding them and by
breaking up the lines.
What did you
do and why?

9. Does this task refine your
view of poetry?
Why?

10. • Do the texts seem different from the prose
version because of the different layouts?
• Do you hear or read them differently?
• Does this seem to change the meaning or
the impact of the text at all?

11. The snail pushes
The snail pushes through a green night,
through the green night,
for the grass is heavy with water for the grass is heavy
with water
and meets over the bright path he makes, and meets over the bright
Compare these two versions of the text.
where rain has darkened the earth’s dark.
path he makes,
where rain has darkened
the earth’s dark.
• How are these two versions differentmoves which of the
He
and
He moves in a wood of desire, pale antlers barely
in a wood of desire,
two seems more effective?
stirring as he hunts. pale antlers barely
stirring as he hunts.
I cannot tell what power is at work, I cannot tell what
• What can you say about the form of these poems – for
drenched there with purpose, knowing nothing. power is at work,
drenched there
with purpose,
example, can you see any rhyme or consistency in line
What is a snail's fury?
knowing nothing.
What is
length or stanza length, or is it entirely free verse?
All I think is that if later a snail's fury?
All I think is that
I parted the blades above the tunnel
if later I parted the blades
and saw the thin trail of broken white across litter, above the tunnel
and saw the thin trail
I would never have imagined of broken white
across litter,
the slow passion to that deliberate progress. I would never have imagined
the slow passion
to that deliberate progress.

12.  Which version do you prefer and why?
(Including your own rewrite.)
 Choose one of the versions of the poem and
prepare a reading of it.

13.  Thesnail pushes through a green night, for
the grass is heavy with water and meets over
the bright path he makes, where rain has
darkened the earth’s dark. He moves in a
wood of desire, pale antlers barely stirring as
he hunts. I cannot tell what power is at
work, drenched there with purpose,
knowing nothing. What is a snail's fury? All I
think is that if later I parted the blades above
the tunnel and saw the thin trail of broken
white across litter, I would never have
imagined the slow passion to that deliberate
progress.

14.  Thesnail pushes through a green night, for
the grass is heavy with water and meets over
the bright path he makes, where rain has
darkened the earth’s dark. He moves in a
wood of desire, pale antlers barely stirring as
he hunts. I cannot tell what power is at
work, drenched there with purpose,
knowing nothing. What is a snail's fury? All I
think is that if later I parted the blades above
the tunnel and saw the thin trail of broken
white across litter, I would never have
imagined the slow passion to that deliberate
progress.

15. The snail pushes
The snail pushes through a green night, through the green night,
for the grass is heavy
for the grass is heavy with water
with water
and meets over the bright path he makes, and meets over the bright
path he makes,
where rain has darkened the earth’s dark. where rain has darkened
the earth’s dark.
He moves
He moves in a wood of desire, pale antlers barely
in a wood of desire,
stirring as he hunts. pale antlers barely
stirring as he hunts.
I cannot tell what power is at work, I cannot tell what
power is at work,
drenched there with purpose, knowing nothing. drenched there
with purpose,
knowing nothing.
What is a snail's fury?
What is
All I think is that if later a snail's fury?
All I think is that
I parted the blades above the tunnel if later I parted the blades
above the tunnel
and saw the thin trail of broken white across litter,
and saw the thin trail
I would never have imagined of broken white
across litter,
the slow passion to that deliberate progress. I would never have imagined
the slow passion
to that deliberate progress.

16. The snail pushes
The snail pushes through a green night, through the green night,
for the grass is heavy
for the grass is heavy with water
with water
and meets over the bright path he makes, and meets over the bright
path he makes,
where rain has darkened the earth’s dark. where rain has darkened
the earth’s dark.
He moves
He moves in a wood of desire, pale antlers barely
in a wood of desire,
stirring as he hunts. pale antlers barely
stirring as he hunts.
I cannot tell what power is at work, I cannot tell what
power is at work,
drenched there with purpose, knowing nothing. drenched there
with purpose,
knowing nothing.
What is a snail's fury?
What is
All I think is that if later a snail's fury?
All I think is that
I parted the blades above the tunnel if later I parted the blades
above the tunnel
and saw the thin trail of broken white across litter,
and saw the thin trail
I would never have imagined of broken white
across litter,
the slow passion to that deliberate progress. I would never have imagined
the slow passion
to that deliberate progress.

17. The snail pushes through a green
night, for the grass is heavy
with water and meets over
the bright path he makes, where rain
has darkened the earth’s dark. He
moves in a wood of desire,
pale antlers barely stirring
as he hunts. I cannot tell
what power is at work, drenched there
with purpose, knowing nothing.
What is a snail's fury? All
I think is that if later
I parted the blades above
the tunnel and saw the thin
trail of broken white across
litter, I would never have
imagined the slow passion
to that deliberate progress.

18. The snail pushes through a green
night, for the grass is heavy
with water and meets over
the bright path he makes, where rain
has darkened the earth’s dark. He
moves in a wood of desire,
pale antlers barely stirring
as he hunts. I cannot tell
what power is at work, drenched there
with purpose, knowing nothing.
What is a snail's fury? All
I think is that if later
I parted the blades above
the tunnel and saw the thin
trail of broken white across
litter, I would never have
imagined the slow passion
to that deliberate progress.