Social Commentary Subtitle Social Commentary Social Commentary is
Social Commentary Subtitle
Social Commentary • Social Commentary is the act of expressing an opinion on society. It is done with the idea of bringing about change through appealing to the society's sense of justice. This type of poetry is written with a lot of feeling or emotion and is often counter-cultural; it sometimes goes against the consensus of opinion and can be expressed either in verse or through song lyrics.
Social Commentary • It points out the flaws in society and often coincides with social movements like:
Social Commentary Poetry • Some social commentary poetry is quite explicit and directly states the issue that is meant to be revealed. Other poems may contain a social message that is quite subtle and is subject to interpretation. What ever the case, social commentary poetry is meant to provoke thought, battle apathy, and even move people to social action or change. It is also an effort to personalize an experience
Example: • I Lost My Talk- Rita Joe
e g n a h C c i m o n Eco e c n a t s i s s A l a i c So n o i t a c u Ed
r a W t o n , e Peac e c n e l o i V h t You t c i l f n o C t s a E e l d Mid
f o n o i t p Corru e c n e c o n n I s a d n e g A l Politica n o i t a l u p i n a M s s a M
Social Issue/ Movement Find Your Opinion/ Experience of it. (Article/ Evidence) Transform this message that you want to share into a piece of art for others to take in.
Spoken Word/ Slam Poetry
Environmental Concerns Women’s Rights/ Equality Racial Profiling Animal Rights Mental Health Awareness/ Ed Civil Rights/ Race Equality Occupy/ Economic responsibility Social Issues Anti- War Refuge e Crisis Gay/ Sexuality and Gender Rights (LGBTQ) Aboriginal Rights- Missing and Murdered Women
Environmental Concerns
Environmental Concerns Women’s Rights/ Equality Racial Profiling Animal Rights Mental Health Awareness/ Ed Civil Rights/ Race Equality Occupy/ Economic responsibility Social Issues Anti- War Refuge e Crisis Gay/ Sexuality and Gender Rights (LGBTQ) Aboriginal Rights- Missing and Murdered Women
Steps to Social Commentary Poem • Find a Social Movement or Issue that you are passionate about. • Find an article (real world) information/ experience of this issue. • Newspapers/ Magazine articles • Annotate the article: What do you find most interesting? : What words/ phrases are the most powerful? : What is theme? Message? • Complete Process Sheet • Dive into Poetry Writing
How to Annotate an Article? • Extract the meaning from the article by looking for key words and phrases. • Do you have any personal connections to the article? Write it down. • Are there any parts which are confusing and require you to ask questions or do further research? • Are there any examples of figurative language? • Usually it would be comparisons. The author might try to explain/clarify something by using a comparison. • Maybe even imagery.
After Annotating… • After you have finished annotating and completed the questions on the planning sheet you will then begin to write your poem. • This poem is meant to be inspired by the message/ information that you have learned from the article. • The angrier you are after reading the article/ exploring the social issue and movement the better your poem will be. • You must make use of figurative language in your poem! Make Choices!!! (Imagery, Metaphor, Hyperbole, Simile, Juxtaposition) • Be Informative!! • Make use of the information from the article. • Include a “Call to Action” • What can people do?
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