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Lesson 1 (from Introduction, Robert Lowell, Elizabeth Bishop, Theodore Roethke, John Berryman, and Randall Jarrell)

Objective

"The Vintage Book of Contemporary American Poetry" by J.D. Mcclatchy gives an overview of contemporary American poetry following World War II. McClatchy states that the face of poetry changed drastically after the war with noticeable changes in scope, theme and style. Learn about the new style of poetry and how it has affected poets and poetry in the next generation.

Lesson

1. Discussion: Every art form goes through changes depending on the social and political scene occurring at the time. This is true of the poetry produced by the authors in this collection. Discuss how the poets reflected their times through various poems and recurring themes in their work. What is the most noticeable common thread in the work? Which poets best represented their generation? How will the work of these poets affect the next generation of writers. Explain.

2. Class activity: Choose at least three poems...

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