1. For the culminating assignment, you have two choices: 1. Write
For the culminating assignment, you have two choices:1. Write your own ekphrastic poem
based on a photo or an object that you love. Consider the themes, emotions, and messages
you want to communicate to your audience. Use all the materials from this unit to help you
bring your poem to life: the “Favorite Poem Project” poems, the information on the various
pages, and the faculty poems. If you’d like to read more information about ekphrastic poetry
and how to construct it, the Poetry Foundation’s WebsiteLinks to an external site.has some
good materials.Your poem can be short – about the length of a short paragraph. It can be
written as prose poetry like Ben Cartwright’s poem, or you can divide the lines creatively as
other poets in this group have done. You do not need to use rhyming words; that’s not the
kind poetry we’re interested in for this unit. Instead, focus on themes, emotions, and
messages. After you write your poem, include a paragraph of explanation about your
choices. What were you hoping to communicate? What was your theme? messages? How do
you want your readers to feel? Why does your topic matter in society?2. Your other option
is to find song lyrics that function as ekphrastic poetry (like Tom Waits’ song does). The
song should be about art, or a place, or an object, and it should convey some kind of larger
theme. Write down the lyrics for this assignment. Provide a link to someone performing it if
possible (I love to check these out!).After you write the lyrics, write two paragraphs of
analysis about the lyrics. What was the lyricist hoping to communicate? What is the theme
of the piece? What is the message of the piece? How does the lyricist want listeners to feel?
Why is the topic important?
