For this week’s skill-building activity, let’s begin by taking a closer look at Sappho’s lyric poetry. In a few paragraphs, respond to at least 2 of the 3 numbered prompts below, and make sure your completed response addresses each of the bulleted items further down as well.
- What was your favorite single fragment or poem covered in this week’s reading preparation, and why? Be specific. Then, select at least two separate, lines/phrases from any of Sappho’s poetry that you found interesting, provocative, memorable, etc. Briefly explain what it was about these lines that you appreciated.
- Identify and explain at least 2 specific literary elements found in any of these poems. You could find examples of symbolism, tone, alliteration, point-of-view, personification, hyperbole, ambiguity, etc.
- What did you learn from reading either/both of the week 2 resources associated with Sappho? What idea, sentence, or brief passage stood out most for you, and why?
Your completed response should be at least 300 words and do the following:
- somewhere in your response, incorporate at least one direct quote from the literary text, and/or either of the week 2 online learning resources associated with Sappho: “Lyric Poetry” or “Guide to the Classics: Sappho, a Poet in Fragments”
- correctly introduce the quote, and provide an in-text parenthetical citation afterwards (remember: with poetry, you cite LINE #s in parentheses, not page numbers)
- include a works cited entry or entries for the poem(s) or resources you chose at the bottom of your response. This works cited entry should apply to the specific versions of these sources that are linked in our class.
The bullet points above should be addressed using MLA Style. For help with MLA, please refer to the How-To Guide: MLA Formatting and Citations page, also linked in this week’s Online Learning Resources and in the Additional Course Resources section above week 1).
