Canada History Week 2022 Learning Tool Activity 5.2 Poetry Canadian poetry after European arrival was originally dominated by neoclassical models and romanticism, but soon began portraying the influence of the environment and the unique experiences of life in Canada. From coast to coast to coast, the landscape of Canadian poetry today is rich in languages, cultures, backgrounds, and themes. 1. Pick from the list of poets to research below, or choose another name with permission from your teacher. 2. Conduct some research on the poet and their work, starting with their article on TCE. Consider their individual backgrounds and the social, political, and cultural life around them. How did that intersect with their subject matter(s) and writing styles? 3. Once you have gathered enough information, write a poem about them. This is open to interpretation: the poem could be a biographical sketch, focus on a particular time of their life, describe their personality/essence, an homage, be from their perspective or as an observer, or it could be a personal response to one of their poems (e.g., the use of a different perspective, emotion, or time). 4. Once you have written your poem, create a 300-word author’s statement describing the poem’s context, themes, relevance, and relationship to the poet you chose. Extension Activity: Older students may be challenged to write the poem in the style of that poet. Alden Nowlan Pauline Johnson (Tekahionwake) Sir Charles Roberts Émile Nelligan Margaret Atwood Marjorie Pickthall Lt John McCrae P.K. Page Hector de Saint-Denys Garneau Robert Dickson Deborah How Cottnam Rita Joe Lorna Crozier Priscila Uppal Claire Harris Anne Szumigalski Alfred Wellington Purdy Fred Wah Michael Ondaatje Leonard Cohen Robert William Service 19. Pauline Johnson (Tekahionwake) (Library and Archives Canada). Leonard Cohen (Fabio Diena/ Dreamstime.com).
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