literary canon

society collectively esteemed as exemplary art.

One of the main objections to a canon of literature is the question of authority; who should have the power to determine what works are worth reading?

-Traditional literature has been written by "dead white males."

School readings?

Consider author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s* account of having been shaped by canonical “western” literature.

(How) does this ring true for any of us?

Fortunately, the canon has expanded to include more women and racial minorities.

“There is no Frigate* like a Book To take us Lands away.”- Emily Dickinson

*a military ship, one usually used for escorting purposes

Opportunity to learn….

It is important to read a variety of texts from a variety of people. We need to be informed about diversity and to understand the value of inclusion.

“Let us not act out of fear and misunderstanding, but out of the values of inclusion, diversity, and regard for all ... Loretta LynchFormer Attorney General of the United States

1. Martin Luther King Jr. and Clint Smith (2 authors)2. Maya Angelou and Rupi Kaur (2 authors)3.4.5. Cheri DiNovo and Louise Bernice Halfe (2 authors)

* 5 days/ 5 stations. Note: 3 stations have 2 authors to examine so there are 8 authors altogether.

At each station, you must complete the worksheet provided (one worksheet for each author presented at the station):

1. Make connections:➢ Text to text➢ Text to self➢ Text to world➢ Text to media

2. Identify 2 literary devices (from the list provided on the handout) that are found in the work.If you are unsure about a term, ask, see final slide or look it up online.

3. Reflection questions.

You may be asked to read background information or additional notes to aid in your understanding of the author and/or the work.

When it comes to answering the questions on the worksheet though (text connection, reflection questions, terms), please focus on the author’s voice ex: poem(s), audio interview, article etc. These items are marked in blue.

American Baptist minister and activist who became the most visible spokesperson and leader in the civil rights movement

Experience the speech Audio, video Text

Clint Smith is a Black American; he is a writer, poet and scholar.

Read the background information and poetry selections:https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2016/11/28/clint-smith-poetry

Maya Angelou is a Black American; she is a poet, singer, memoirist, and civil rights activist.

Read the poem (and listen to it)Consider “Still I Rise” as well.

2b. Rupi Kaur Rupi Kaur is an Indian-born Canadian poet, writer, illustrator, and performer.

Read this excerpt from The New York Times:

“ aimed at nontraditional readers, who may think of poetry as the literary equivalent of opera or ballet, a privileged-white-male establishment hostile to their interests. (And they’re only partly wrong.) Kaur has said her style grew in part out of her struggles when she was learning English after moving to Canada, wanting her work to be accessible to such readers.”

Read this excerpt (from the article on the next slide):

"Another tension lies in the norms impressed upon her during her strict upbringing in a tight-knit Punjabi-Sikh community. ‘For South Asian women, you’re supposed to be quiet and not have those opinions.’”

2b. Rupi Kaur

Read the background informationhttps://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8075577.Rupi_Kaur

https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/meet-rupi-kaur-queen-of-the-instapoets-129262/

Optional: Why Rupi Kaur and Her Peers Are the Most Popular Poets in the World

2b. Rupi Kaur continued...

Read the poetry selections:Rupi Kaur Collection

Sultana Yusufali, 17, a Toronto high school student, Toronto Star Young People's Press

Readessay

Read CBC news article for further consideration of giving voice or exposure

Jael Ealey Richardson is a Black Canadian writer and broadcaster. Read background information:https://www.tdsb.on.ca/About-Us/Innovation/Just-Read-It/2016-17-Authors/Jael-Richardson

Read her blog:http://www.jaelrichardson.com/writing/2016/9/11/12-reasons-canlit-got-me-feeling-so-tired

Read her article:

http://www.jaelrichardson.com/writing/confrontingableism

Cheri DiNovo (Bio, homepage)

A guest on “Ideas”, a CBC show and podcast, explains her gender identity from a fresh perspective

(listen from 18:50 to end of her interview)

Think about: In what ways was DiNovo marginalized?

LGBTQQIP2SAA: lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, queer, intersex, pansexual, two-spirit (2S), androgynous, and asexual.

Occasionally, we'll see a third “A” for ally, and sometimes it's preceded by an “S” for straight ally.

5a. LGBTQ Terms and Definitions

https://www.loyola.edu/club/spectrum/lgbtq-terms-definitions

5b. Louise Bernice HalfeLouise Bernice Halfe is a Canadian First Nations poetry author.

Read background info on Residential Schools:https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/residential-schools

Read Defining Cree:https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/cree

Read about Louise and her poem:https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thenextchapter/a-classic-canadian-jazz-story-and-bucking-canlit-stereotypes-1.3512624/louise-bernice-halfe-on-reconnecting-with-her-cree-heritage-through-poetry-1.3512659

Think about and respond to the following:

1. How you felt while ‘journeying’ through the literature studied in the unit. Explain.2. Explain a time when you’ve either connected with (seen yourself clearly represented on the page in front of you), or clearly had your life/culture/values/identity ignored by literature that you’ve been asked to read in school (could include pieces read in this unit).

Poetry Task: Write a poem (minimum of 20 lines) where you:1. Write a poem examining your journey through this unit (your opinions, feelings, how your views/changed, learnings). Then, in a brief paragraph, explain your poem.

OR2. Explore your own voice or the voice of someone from a different background by examining important items/issues pertaining to the person’s life. Then, in a brief paragraph, explain your poem.

Your poem can be one poem of 20 lines, 2 poems of 10 lines or 4 smaller poems of 5 lines each.

Your poem can have a rhyme scheme or it may be a free verse poem.

A rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhymes at the end of each line of a poem or song. It is usually referred to by using letters to indicate which lines rhyme; lines designated with the same letter all rhyme with each other.

Free verse is a literary device that can be defined as poetry that is free from limitations of regular meter or rhythm, and does not rhyme with fixed forms. Such poems are without rhythm and rhyme schemes, do not follow regular rhyme scheme rules, yet still provide artistic expression.

1. A completed worksheet for each author (8 sheets). See slide 12.

2. A final reflection. See slide 26. 3. A poem that you wrote with a small paragraph,

explaining the poem, to accompany it. See slide 27 and 28.

* Please look at the rubrics. Slide 30 and 31.

Reading for Meaning (worksheet(s)/station)-read a variety of texts/ below 1 1 2 3 4

all 8 worksheets are complete

-extend understanding of texts/

make connections and explain ideas below 1 1 2 3 4

-identify elements of style/

explain (literary terms) below 1 1 2 3 4

WritingFinal Reflection-both questions are answered below 1 1 2 3 4

- ideas are clear

-explanations are thorough

Accurate conventions (grammar/spelling) below 1 1 2 3 4

Poem

-fulfills line length below 1 1 2 3 4

-fulfills one of the purposes (either option 1 or 2)

-has a clear, original voice

-explains poem/meaning below 1 1 2 3 4

-

We have studied various literature from marginalized groups. Some of these groups have been active civilly and politically to also re-assert their silenced voices. Learn more:

Black lives matter LGBTQ2Idle no more Ottawa Muslim AssociationAbleism Indigenous Awareness MonthFeminism

➢ Yale course on influence of literature (very advanced and long)➢ TedTalk on why we need poetry

(this is the good one!)➢ How the books we read shape us

Literary Terms:

1.Characterization

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsuCBkJB9kg

2. Review definition of diction and imagery

3. Review definition of tone (and here are 155 suggested options)

4. Target audience - the audience is who ACTUALLY reads the story. The author has no control over this factor. ANYONE can pick up a book.

The target (or intended) audience is who the piece is directed toward. The author makes choices about diction, level of language, setting, age of protagonist, narrative voice when considering target audience. Consider: the author has to get the reader onside, and to like (or hate - but connect with regardless) the characters. To do so, the author must know what that audience wants. Examples?

5. Review Symbol

“Sometimes it’s the journey that teaches you a lot about your destination.”

-A.D.Graham