Modernism and Postmodernism Assignment

To prepare for our discussion of The Great Gatsby, my 11H class and I have been discussing Modernism and Postmodernism. We read the Modernist poems, "The Snow Man" by Wallace Stevens; "Desert Places" and "Nothing Gold Can Stay" by Robert Frost; "pity this busy monster, manunkind" by ee cummings; and "Daddy" by Sylvia Plath. We also read the Postmodern poems, "The Writer" by Richard Wilbur and "The Story We Know" by Martha Collins.

Today, I asked my students to explicate a Modernist poem or write one of their own. I allowed students to write in a more Postmodernist mode if they wanted. Here is the actual assignment and how their work is coming along.