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Level
Purpose
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To explore the interconnectedness of words, meaning, and
sound
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To explore how the meaning of words changes through varied visual
and oral presentation
- To explore the complexity often embedded within simplicity
Materials
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- Paper
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Pencils
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Dictionaries
- Tape recorder (optional)
Procedure
1. Click on Epitaph
to find the poem written in the
shape of a circle.
2. Jon Whyte believed that poetry should be heard as well as read.
Some of his poems take the form of sound collages. Experiment with reading
this poem aloud. Some suggestions follow.
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Have each student choose a word from the poem. Choose a
letter to start with and read the words in order from that letter
forward. For example if you start with the letter E, all students who
chose the word ‘ear’ will recite their word, followed by those that
chose ‘earth,’ followed by those that chose ‘art,’ and so on until the
complete poem has been read. Did all the words get spoken? Did more
students choose one word than another? Does this mean those words are
the most important ones?
- Repeat the activity, ensuring all the
words are spoken. This time, the teacher will ‘conduct’ the group,
indicating which words will be spoken louder, quieter, slower, or
faster.
- Next, ask for student volunteers to
conduct the poem. Give each a different objective. One might try to keep
the words separate and distinct, another will emphasize how the words
overlap and flow into each other. Different words might be emphasized.
Tempo, rhythm, and tone can be altered to change the sound - and meaning
- of the piece.
- Finally, conduct the group so that the
words ‘hear’ ‘the’ ‘art’ are most prominent, with the other words
connecting them softly in the background.
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Is it different to speak or listen to this poem rather than
to read it? How? Do you think it is important to ‘hear the art?’
Why?
3. To investigate the meaning of this poem more fully, take each
of the main words in it and investigate their meanings. What do these
words mean to you? Brainstorm, record images that come to mind, research,
discuss.
- Heart – the centre of the body; circulates
blood to keep the body alive; associated with feeling, love; the “heart
of the matter” is what’s most important.
Earth – many traditions think of the earth as
a mother who nurtures all life; Indigenous people revere the earth as a
living being; the earth is our home planet, others are far away,
uninhabitable; the earth is a sphere, circular in shape like this
poem.
Art – making art is a creative act; everyone has their own
interpretation of what art is; their own likes and dislikes; art has the
power to communicate without words; Art has the power to move us
emotionally.
Hearth – a fireside in a home; a symbol of warmth and
comfort; a place to tell stories, relax; brings people together.
Hear / Ear – ‘hear’ is the
only verb in the poem, perhaps it is inviting us to listen; we need our
ears to hear; all of the other words in the poem represent things that
can be heard: the beating of a heart, the sounds of the earth, some
forms of art like music and poetry.
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Discuss the meanings of these words as a group. Are the
meanings related? Why do you think the poet linked them together in the
way he did?
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What significance does the poem’s
shape have? (The earth is round. The circle is a symbol of infinity;
of the cycle of birth, life, death, rebirth. A mandala is a sacred
design in a circular form.)
- What message do you think the poet was
trying to communicate with the words, shape and form of this poem?
(Interconnectedness of the earth, our hearts, and art; ongoing
nature of creativity; diversity within continuity)
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Jon Whyte died in 1992. This poem is his epitaph – it
appears on his gravestone in the old Banff cemetery. If this poem
reflects his life, what kind of person do you think he was? Would you
liked to have known him?
4. Using the information and connections you have discovered,
perform the poem again as a group.
Evaluation
Curriculum Connections
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