JON WHYTE: Keeper of Place

A Poetic Self-Portrait

 

Level   

  • Intermediate/Advanced

Purpose 

  • To introduce students and teachers to the personality and poetry of Jon Whyte
  • To explore the visual nature of words, and how images and words can work together to convey a message
  • To explore how poetry can reveal character

Materials  

Procedure

  • Visual Poetry Writing 

1.  Look at the poem A Biographical Self-Portrait to see a poem that looks like a profile. Review the poem as a group using “A Guide for Reading Concrete Poetry.”

  • In this poem, Jon refers to a story he wrote as a child about Somebody and Nobody. Read aloud Jon’s story called Every One and No One . Jon wrote this story when he was 10 years old.
    What happened as a result? (Writing this story “satisfied his whims” and led him to further explore words, paradox and ambiguity through poetry.)
  • Show photograph of Jon and Aunt Catharine . She saved this story and it was published in one of his books of poetry. Why do you think this childhood story has such significance for Jon? (It may have sparked lifelong interest in writing and wordplay.)
    Are there things that you have written or made or experienced in the past that have a special significance for you? Keep these in mind for later.
  • Discuss paradox and ambiguity. (Paradox is a statement that is seemingly contradictory, yet could be true; ambiguity is something that is unclear or can be understood in more than one way.) Share some examples.
    Jon uses both paradox and ambiguity a great deal in his poetry.

2. In his biographical self-portrait, Jon says he was “fascinated and bewildered by literalism in figurative language.” Discuss the phrases that intrigued him, such as “hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk” and others. Are they meant literally or figuratively? How did Jon understand them?

  • What examples of “pictures in words” have you found interesting or confusing? Discuss what they really mean – are they meant literally or figuratively?
  • How did these phrases come in to common use? Use the dictionary or encyclopedia to try to explore their origins.
  • Why do people use figurative phrases if they might be confusing to others? What do figurative phrases do that literal descriptions don’t do? (Figurative phrases often help us visualize situations better than literal descriptions. They evoke a feeling or an image. And they can be fun!)

4. The poet calls this poem a “biographical self-portrait.” What have you learned about the author from reading it?

  • Discuss where he lived (across the street from…), his style of thinking (questioning, literal, visual), how he made meaning as a child (by writing), the things that help define who he is. Are you surprised he became a poet?
  • What are some things that define who you are? Include them in the next step.

5.  Using Jon’s poem as inspiration, create a visual poem that tells us something about you. This does not have to be a self-portrait, but it should reveal something about you, your interests, or where you live, in both words and visual form.

  • Jot down some ideas about things discussed in question 4 (second bullet). Think about things you have written, made or experienced (refer to question 1, second bullet) that have special significance for you.
  • Play with the words on a page. Arrange them in a visual structure that reflects something about you. As you work, ask yourself the following questions:
    - How identifiable is the visual image formed by the text?
    - Does the visual image add to the enjoyment of the poem?
    - Do the words work on their own, without the visual image?
    - Do the words and image work together to present a complete idea?
  • Share your results with the group. With each piece, address the questions listed above. Ensure feedback is constructive.

Evaluation

  • Thoughtfulness of responses during discussion
  • Ability to work with words in literal and figurative terms
  • Ability to share and demonstrate respect for the work of others
     

Curriculum Connections 

  • Language Arts, Visual Art

 

Jon Whyte: Keeper of Place || Whyte Museum