BARNACLE BOYS, POWER RANGERS, HANCOCK: What's so hard about poetry???

Congratulations, friends! You have just mastered 12 short poems from the Romantic era. The Romantics are still considered by many to be the most popular British poets of all time. Of course, it takes some work to conquer the style, and I have been impressed at how hard you have all worked to see what I see in "Ode to the West Wind" or "Endymion." Using the mystery sheet to practice using your poetry tools helped, I hope. What was your favorite poem? Which of the Romantics "spoke" to you? Was it the subject or the message? Which of the poet's tools was your ticket into understanding the poem? (Did you recognize the metaphor and identify with it? Or did the meter sound like a song and you found yourself remembering the phrases? etc etc)
Your mission for this blog is to decide on your favorite Romantic poem, rate it on a five-star scale, and then write 250 words explaining to your classmates why it was your favorite. The more specific your reasons, the stronger your comment.  My favorite?  Byron's "She Walks in Beauty,"of course. (see the sidebar at right)
You need to post a comment by 24 April 2010. Grammar and  mechanics count. Proofread, please.

http://bit.ly/99KBxl source of Anne Beatrix Horton image: She walked in beauty

BARNACLE BOYS: Essay on Dramatic Poesy

“I admire him (Jonson), but I love Shakespeare.”

That is how Mr. Dryden ends this excerpt from his “Essay on Dramatic Poesy.” I, of course, am ecstatic that he gives Shakespeare his props. Ben Jonson is indeed one of the giants in English literature, but Shakespeare was the writer I read that convinced me that we are all connected, that a man writing 400 years ago could still understand exactly what a 15-year-old girl was feeling and explain it so that the words jumped off the page and into my heart. I have a feeling that some of you may not feel the same rapture when you read "Sonnet 18" that I did, though, so I would like you to think for a moment of a writer you do appreciate. Why do you love him/her? What criteria would you use to judge your favorite writer against Shakespeare—and have your choice win? Tell us all who would fill in this blank: I admire Shakespeare, but I love ____________________.” Then explain why. Post your masterpiece by 9 February 2010 here.