Poetry and Lyrics

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Poetry and Lyrics

• Using Billy Joel to Teach Poetry

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POETRY!!!
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• MUSIC
• LYRICS

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Poetry What Makes It Different?

• The poet chooses each word for a reason. Each
  word has a purpose and meaning.
• BEAUTIFUL or GORGEUOUS?
• PROUD or ARROGANT?

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Poetry What Makes it Great?

• Poetry connects to the reader and allows for
  diverse interpretation.
• What does it mean to you?
• How can you relate to the poem?
• Make connections
• Make it your own!

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Why Billy Joel?

• The lyrics of Billy Joels songs often hold
  symbolism or tell a story.
• The lyrics are relatively easy to interpret.
• The lyrics are fun to illustrate.

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GUESS THE SONG
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We Didnt Start the Fire

• List Poem
• Filled with historical events studied in other
  classes.
• Related to current events (students are able to
  update)
• Catchy rhythm

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• Harry Truman, Doris Day, Red China, Johnny Ray,
  South Pacific, Walter Winchell, Joe DiMaggio, Joe
  McCarthy, Richard Nixon, Studebaker, Television,
  North Korea, South Korea, Marilyn Monroe,
  Rosenberg's, H-bomb, Sugar Ray, Panmunjom,
  Brando, The King and I, And The Catcher In The
  Rye, Eisenhower, Vaccine, England's got a new
  queen, Marciano, Liberace, Santayana goodbye

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Exercise Options

• Choose five topics to research and write about.
  Why are they mentioned in the song? What is their
  historical importance?
• Create a poster-collage based on the people,
  places, and events listed in the song. Arrange
  chronologically, by importance, or in categories
  (politics, entertainment, war, etc.)
• Write your own verse based on the last thirteen
  years. Include at least twenty items. These can
  be people, places, or events.

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GUESS THE SONG
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Only the Good Die Young

• Loaded with Symbolism
• Presents an Argument to Debate
• Deals with Stereotypes

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• Come out Virginia, don't let me wait
• You Catholic girls start much too late
• But sooner or later it comes down to fate
• I might as well be the one
• They showed you a statue and told you to pray
• They built you a temple and locked you away
• But they never told you the price that you pay
• For things that you might have done.....
• Only the good die young

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Exercise Options

• Write about the symbolism in the poem. What do
  specific words mean? Why did he choose these
  words?
• Write your own persuasive poem arguing one side
  of an argument. (Partner Project Each partner
  argues a side)
• Write a poem that uses heavy symbolism along with
  a explanation essay on what the poem means and
  why you chose specific words.

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GUESS THE SONG
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No idea? Lets try this
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Its Still Rock-n-Roll to Me

• Deals with peer pressure
• Ties in fashion and pop-culture
• Deals with perception what makes something
  cool?

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• What's the matter with the clothes I'm wearing?
• "Can't you tell that your tie's too wide?"
• Maybe I should buy some old tab collars?
• "Welcome back to the age of jive.
• Where have you been hidin' out lately, honey?
• You can't dress trashy till you spend a lot of
  money."
• Everybody's talkin' 'bout the new sound
• Funny, but it's still rock and roll to me

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Exercise Options

• Write a similar poem using more modern fashion
  trends.
• Write an essay on how the poem deals with
  peer-pressure.
• Create a poster-collage based on two categories
  cool and uncool

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Other Billy Joel Songs to Use

• Piano Man
• The Entertainer
• Captain Jack (mature students only)
• The Longest Time
• River of Dreams
• Uptown Girl