What is chivalry all about?

Today in British Lit, we had a discussion about what chivalry is and its importance in the Middle Ages (before being grossed out by the first half of Tony Robinson's Worst Jobs of the Middle Ages). I know some of you wanted to have access to my Prezi, so here it is:

The Medieval Period + Chivalry on Prezi

Keep this around—it might be worth something in a couple days!

"An ode to _______"; Apostrophes dedicated to the turrible.

"My dearest toilet, how I adore thee;

How oft all others thrones compare so poorly;

Your heated seat, your porcelain skin,

Your bowl I put my old food in..."

Ah,the apostrophe--how incredible that one can simple write a poem to a non-living, inanimate object, and still create such art. Amazing, isn't it? Well, that's what I think, at least, and hopefully, you'll think so soon, as well.

Your job is to write a minimum 20-line poem dedicated to a terrible, not-particularly-worth-of-being-written-about-in-a-poem object. It must have a distinct, labeled rhyme scheme, and must reveal a truth about humans, even though it is directed to the object. Finally, it should include a few of the following schemes and tropes we discussed in class:



Got it? Oh, and by the way--at the end of this, we'll do a poetry contest where you will all read everyone's poems, and you'll all vote for the best worst poem of them all!

"It tolls for thee!": Can you ever really be completely alone and isolated?

By popular demand, here's the Prezi from earlier today:



Again, the two assignments are:

• Write 1¶ comparing Landscape and the Fall of Icarus/"I am a rock" vs. Donne's Meditation 17.
  
  
  
  
• Fill out that Meditation 17 translation worksheet with partner. Upload it to Scribd and post it to both blogs.

Due by Monday (for the A-Day class) and Tuesday (for the B-Day class).