ISBN: 1-929766-00-9
Author: Ernest Lawrence Thayer
Website (Wikipedia): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Thayer
Illustrated by: Christopher Bing
Website: http://www.christopherbing.com/
Media Used: Black and white illustrations drawn using pen, ink and brush on white scratch board. The newspaper and scrapbook background were created using a mixture of mirrored photocopies on acetate, 100% cotton-rag watercolor paper soaked in warm acetone baths and watercolors. These drawings were then scanned, manipulated digitally and merged with digital images using graphics software.
Summary: Bing presents Thayer's poem, first published in the San Fransisco Examiner in 1888, in the form of a newspaper scrapbook. The poem recounts the baseball game in Mudville during which the great Casey, a baseball star, strikes out.
Personal Reaction: I grew up on Disney cartoons and as a result, I can never think of this poem without seeing and hearing Disney's cartoon version of Casey at Bat. The rhythm of the poem just begs to be read aloud in a song or ballad-like way. Bing's concept of presenting the poem in the form of an old newspaper scrapbook is perfect. There are some words in the poem, such as "lulu" and "cake," that have a different meaning now then they did when the poem was first published. Presenting in an old newspaper format seems to forgive the use the of older language. The extra asides, random newspaper ads and commentary, provide another layer to this iconic poem. This would be a great book to introduce poems to a reluctant reader interested in sports.
Lesson Plan (under construction): Could be incorporated into an English class to introduce the poem aspects of the book. Maybe even paired with a writing assignment where the students write a poem based on a current sports situation. Introduction of sophisticated language, even if its a bit dated, to encourage vocabulary building in older readers.
Single Book Length Poem
Use of Sophisticated Language: "So upon that stricken multitude grim melancholy sat,/ For there seemed but little chance of Casey's getting to the bat."
Use of Rhyme: Every pair of lines ends in a rhyming word, such as rest/breast, that/bat, hip/lip.
Use of Alliteration: “deep despair,”
Curricular Connection: Grade 8 to 12 English-Language Arts
California Standards: 2.0 Speaking Applications - (Grade 8) 2.5 - Recite poems (of four to six stanzas), sections of speeches, or dramatic soliloquies, using voice modulation, tone, and gestures expressively to enhance the meaning. (Grade 11 to 12) 2.5 - Recite poems, selections from speeches, or dramatic soliloquies with attention to performance details to achieve clarity, force, and aesthetic effect and to demonstrate an understanding of the meaning.
No comments:
Post a Comment