Lesson Introduction
The popular saying “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” coined by Charles Caleb Colton, is the basis for this lesson, which asks students to analyze the features of a poet’s work then create their own poems based on the original model. Students analyze sample poems and their parodies, focusing on the language and style of the original writer. They then write their own parody of the poem. This lesson uses William Carlos Williams’ poem “This is Just to Say,” but a list of alternative poems and their parodies is also included.
Learning Objectives
In this lesson, students will have opportunities to:
- Read and analyze poems and their parodies.
- Explore the techniques of parodies.
- Imitate a published poem to write their own parodies.
- Reflect on the connections between original poems and their parodies.
Materials and Resources
To teach this lesson, you will need:
- “This is Just to Say” by William Carlos Williams
- “Variations on a Theme by William Carlos Williams” by Kenneth Koch
- Selected Poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins
- “Breakfast with Gerard Manley Hopkins” by Anthony Brode
- “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” (Sonnet 18) by William Shakespeare
- “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?” by Howard Moss
- “Dover Beach” by Matthew Arnold
- “Dover Bitch” by Anthony Hecht
- “Cuckoo Song” (traditional)
- “Ancient Music” by Ezra Pound
- “Baccalaureate” by David McCord
- Venn Diagram This interactive tool allows students to create Venn diagrams that contain two or three overlapping circles, enabling them to organize their information logically.
- “This Is Just To Say” Parody (printout)
- Literary Parodies Assessment (printout)
- Guy Noir Episode from November 30, 2002 (website)
Lesson provided by ReadWriteThink.org, a website developed by the International Reading Association and the N.C.T.E.