1. ELIT 11
CLASS 1
• Dr. Ken
Weisner

2. DR. WEISNER HAD AN UNAVOIDABLE
COMMITMENT

3. DR. WEISNER HAD AN UNAVOIDABLE
COMMITMENT

4. ELIT 11: INTRODUCTION TO POETRY
• Spring, 2013/ Ken Weisner
• M, T, W, Th 12:30-1:20 in SEM 2
• #00608 ELIT 011.01 (Honors option: #42381 ELIT 11-01H)
• Office: Forum 2C
• Office Hours, Spring, 2013: Mondays/Wednesdays 1:30-
2:30, Tuesday/Thursday 3:45-4:45
• Office Phone: (408) 864-5797
• E Mail: weisnerken@fhda.edu and/or: gyre@cruzio.com
• Website: http://faculty.deanza.fhda.edu/weisnerken/

5. GREEN SHEET
http://faculty.deanza.edu/weisnerken/
You can download and print the green sheet at this address. Please do so.
Grades: 90% = A, 80% = B, 70% = C, 60% = D [possible 1000 points]
Reader’s notebook (20 X 15 points each): 300
Memorizing/ presenting a poem: 100
Midterm: 200
Final: 200
Class participation and attendance: 200
1000
Grading Scale
A= 920-1000 A- =900-919 B+ =880-899
B= 820-879 B- =800-819 C+ =780-799
C= 700-779 D =600-699 F =0-599

6. TEXTS & SUPPLIES:
• 1. Gioia, D, and Kennedy, X.J., An Introduction to
Poetry, 13th Edition.
• 2. Instructor will provide you with a course reader
of collated handouts.
• 3. A notebook used for this course only.
• 4. Red Wheelbarrow Magazine, 2012 National
Edition

7. Is this
class too Will I be a
hard? famous poet
someday?
Is this class
History 10?

8. WHAT IS POETRY?
Poetry uses words to express thoughts and feelings.
It can be found in just about every culture on earth.
It differs from prose in several ways. Poems:
look different
sound different
often use figurative language
There are many different kinds of poetry. Today, we
are going to look at just one. The Haiku.

9. WHAT IS HAIKU?
• It is a traditional form of
Japanese poetry
• It describes nature, every
day life, or the human
condition
• It is based on personal
reflection
• Its value is in sudden
discovery or revelation http://www.flickr.com/photos/ionushi/434663959/
Attribution, Non Commercial, No Derivatives

10. WRITING HAIKU: FORM
• A Haiku traditionally has three lines with seventeen
syllables:
• Five --Three
• Seven --Five
• Five --Three
• This form is strict in Japanese
• Sometimes it varies in other languages or in translation.
This is true in English. You may use fewer syllables.

11. WRITING HAIKU: STRUCTURE AND
LANGUAGE
• A haiku consists of two parts: The description and the
reflection.
• Each part depends on the other for meaning.
• In Japanese Haiku, the break is marked by a “cutting word.”
In English, the break is often marked by punctuation (e.g.
colon, long dash, ellipsis)
• A haiku usually includes a kigo, a word that indicates a
season. This does not have to be a traditional season like fall
or winter. It could be baseball season or voting time; the
reader just has to be able to determine when the event takes
place.

12. Traditional Japanese Haiku
The moment two bubbles
}
are united, they both vanish.
Description
A lotus blooms. } Reflection
-Kijo Murakami (1865-1938)

13. OLD POND . . .
• Billboards . . . • the nail box:
A FROG LEAPS IN
wet every nail
in spring
WATER'S SOUND
is bent
rain . . . MATSUO BASHÔ
(1644-1694) • Ozaki
Eric W. Amann Hôsai(1885-1926)
Sign says "no parking"; pausing
it wasn't there yesterday; halfway up the stair--
my favorite spot. white chrysanthemums
Paul Brown Elizabeth Searle Lamb

14. IN PAIRS, IN GROUPS, OR ALONE
GIVE WRITING A HAIKU A TRY

15. HOMEWORK
HOMEWORK
• Download and print the syllabus
• Buy your materials:
• 1. Gioia, D, and Kennedy, X.J., An Introduction to Poetry, 13th
Edition.
• 3. A notebook used for this course only.
• 4. Red Wheelbarrow Magazine, 2012 National Edition
• Come to class Tuesday to hear Dr. Weisner’s
explanation of the course!