Imagists vs. Romantics: A Poetry Lesson to Facilitate Style Analysis

Task
Teacher Page
To analyze writing style by comparing and contrasting two different styles of poetry

Objectives
• To use close reading annotation skills to assist poetry analysis
•To identify and analyze literary elements and techniques in poetry in order to arrive at a thematic interpretation
• To craft valid, logical arguments supported by strong, relevant textual evidence
• To work collaboratively in a group in order to produce a high-quality product
• To classify poems by style
• To understand the differences in style of the Imagists and Romantics
• To revise poems in the style of the Imagists and the Romantics
• To construct a well-formed, logical,and thorough style analysis essay of two poems
• To compare/contrast styles of poetry

Common core objectives
L1-6, 9, 11/ W1-2, 4-6, 10-11/ SL1, 4, 6/ L1-6

Poems included

Romantics
“Romance” by Edgar Allan Poe
“The World is Too Much with us” by Wordsworth
“She Walks in Beauty” by Lord Byron

Imagists
“In a Station of the Metro” by Ezra Pound
“Oread” by H.D.
"The Red Wheelbarrow" by William Carlos Williams

Procedure
This lesson includes three poem pairings. The poems are not necessarily thematically related. Each pair of poems contains one Romantic poem and one Imagist poem. They are juxtaposed so that students can compare their styles side-by-side. Students are to read and annotate each pair of poems, one set at a time, and then complete the follow-up discussion questions and writing task. Students will compare and contrast the style of Romantic poets and Imagist poets and then write their own original poems in the style of either the Romantics or the Imagists. They will then write a style analysis essay in which they compare and contrast the traits of the Romantics vs. the Imagists.

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This lesson makes a great addition to any poetry unit in the secondary ELA classroom!