A.P. English Class Notes for Tuesday, September 4, 2012

 The first thing you should notice in a poem is the title!

The Man He Killed

SOAPSTONE

SPEAKER: The narrator may not actually be the poet, but is used by the poet to convey theme.
OCCASION: What is happening?  Why was it written.
Audience: The reader; conscience; to the dead man; people who can relate to the idea; people who are clueless about war and death and killing; civilians
Purpose: (theme/reason) to educate; to vent; to evoke emotional response; every life has a purpose;
Subject: Death, homicide; soldiers in time of war
Tone: Saturnine; melancholy; despondent; unrepentant; despairing, reflective, energetic

Batten: (verb) to eat as a vulture will eat on a carcass.

Augery: prophesies

Sphinx: half woman/half lion/ with wings/its tail is a snake and it speaks riddles.

The backstory is: Oedipus solving the Sphinx's riddle and causing her to kill herself, thereby liberating Thebes from her siege.

Delphi: the temple where the oracle would make predictions and speak for the gods.

For homework: please read up to page 10 and make notes on figurative language and things you notice about Oedipus’ personality. 

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