Daniel Half Human

Found Poetry
"I want to use this world rather than my own invention." -
Ellsworth Kelly

"Found" poems are essentially built from bits of broken text. The poems are
original as poems; their themes and their orderings are invented. Their
sentences are not. Words can be dropped, but not added. In the course of
composing such poems, the author's intentions are usually the first to "go."
A nineteenth century Russian memoir of hunting and natural history yields a
poem about love and death. A book of nineteenth century oceanographic
data yields a poem about seeing. This is editing at its extreme: writing
without composing.

THE ASSIGNMENT:
You are to develop a “found poem” that has the following required elements:

- at least 30 lines
- a clear, central TONE
- a THEME, whether obvious or ambiguous
- at least two figurative images (metaphors, similes, etc)
- at least two sensory images (sight, sound, touch, taste, smell)

You need to create an original piece of poetry that “borrows” from the novel
Daniel Half Human that we read in class. This novel contains great lines,
phrases, and descriptions that really stand out. You must have AT LEAST 30
LINES, and your poem must have a clear TONE and THEME.

Finally, in a one-paragraph reflection, you are to explain your reasoning

(why did you use the lines that you did, what were you aiming to do), assess
your work (what do you think of it? Do you like it?), and identify your
required elements (tone, theme, figurative language, and sensory
images).

What is TONE?

What is THEME?