SSSSSSsssssound Sensations: Learning to Hear the Verbal Music of Language

Pts. possible: 6

Draft due Thurs., Oct. 10th (Hardcopy in class; you don't need to post this one electronically.)

Final version due: Tues., Oct. 15th (Hardcopy in class; you don't need to post this one electronically.)

Option 1

Write a paragraph or poem about some single, rich physical experience, using the sounds of your consonants and vowels to strongly suggest the actions and sensations of that experience.

Make the experience you're writing about explicit in the TITLE of your piece.


Option 2

Alternately, you may try your hand at a "cold," "hot," "scratchy," "wet,' or "smooth" poem. I.e., choose one distinct sensation and make your language mimic it through sound.

Make the sensations you are trying for explicit in the TITLE of your piece.


Both Options

  • 20 lines.
  • 6 pts. possible.
  • Draft due Thurs., Oct. 10th (Hardcopy in class; you don't need to post this one electronically.)
  • Final version due: Tues., Oct. 15th (Hardcopy in class; you don't need to post this one electronically.)

Purpose, Audience, and Criteria for Both Options


Purpose: to practice writing your own poetry, to better understand the genres we’re studying through first-hand experience with the art, and to learn more about poetry generally.

Audience: anyone interested in poetry generally, in the various genres and modes of poetry, and in the "verbal music" of language.

Criteria: your poem should clearly mimic or evoke, in the sounds of its consonants and vowels, the experience or sensation you've chosen to write about. As always, be sure as well to proofread for mechanical and punctuation errors.

Grade Scale

Very Good = A= 6 pts. Meets all of the stated criteria and instructions exceptionally well. Excels in inventiveness, originality, and energy, relative to work produced generally in 222. Well-edited and proofed. Possibly publishable.

Good =B =5 pts. Meets all of the stated criteria and instructions, or meets several of them exceptionally well, despite a weak performance with others.. May be especially striking in spots, despite noticeable flaws. Very competent, but may lack originality or inventiveness, relative to work produced generally in 222. Good attention to style and mechanics. Clear attention to assignment.

Fair = C = 4 pts. Meets some of the stated criteria, or meets all of them only partially. Uninspired but minimally competent; or very inspired but lacking competence in key areas.. May show some inattention to, or misunderstanding of, instructions. Weak proofreading and editing.

Poor = D = 3 pts. Meets few of the criteria. May not not heed or understand instructions. May be sloppy, unproofed, unedited, and/or very perfunctory and uninspired.. An unsatisfying lyric, saved by at least minimal attention to at least one facet of the piece.

Unacceptable = F = less than 3 pts. Lyric either fails to meet any of the stated criteria, or demonstrates severe oversights or weaknesses in significant areas.


Back to 222 Homepage