Lesson 101. Collect epitaphs2. Epithet and Apostrophe

~ “Chicago” by Carl SandburgOBJECTIVE: Students will analyze the effect epithet and apostrophe have on the poem “Chicago.”

Carl Sandburg’s “Chicago”

"My Kind of Town"

Sooo……What do you think?• How has Chicago changed over the century?

Chicago Now Chicago Then

Here’s what you need to know about Carl Sandburg…

• With his writing, "attempt[ed] to find beauty in modern industrialism."

“Chicago”• "Chicago" • Now, you will read it a second

time.• This time, as you read, annotate

the poem to create meaning.

Now, let’s talk terminology.• Simile

– Comparison between two unlike objects, using like or as• Personification

– attributing human characteristics to something that is not human• “with lifted head singing so proud”

• Epithet– a characterizing word or phrase accompanying or occurring in place

of the name of a person or thing • “Hog Butcher for the World” – representing Chicago

• Apostrophe– a direct address of an inanimate object, abstract qualities, or a

person not living or present.• Busy old fool, unruly sun,

Why dost thou thus,Through windows, and through curtains call on us?

Now let’s find some examples!

• With a partner or by yourself, go back through the poem and find as many examples of these terms as you can.• Highlight each example and

then label either P (personification), E (epithet), S (simile), or A (apostrophe).

In the margin next the appropriate stanza, answer the following questions:

• What effect do the examples of EPITHET have in the first stanza?

• What effect do the examples of APOSTROPHE have in the second stanza?

• What effect do the examples of PERSONIFICATION have in the second part of the second stanza?

• What effect do the examples of the SIMILES have in the final stanza?

Your Turn• For your assignment, you are going to write

your own “Place I Love” poem.• As your handout says, you should follow the

same organization as “Chicago.” Use the poem as a model! – You are not limited to a city! You could write about

your job, your treehouse, your car, your room, any PLACE you want!

Requirements• List epithets describing the place • Use apostrophe to say what others might say about it• Defend it• Use a simile to describe the place• Personify the place, giving it human characteristics• Close by repeating the epithets from the beginning (or a variation)• Your poem must be AT LEAST 16 lines• You must have a title (you can just call it something as simple as

“Dunder Mifflin” or “Boise”)• ***Before you turn in, you should label your epithets,

apostrophe, simile, and personification. This shows me specifically that you used these techniques, and you know what they are.