Poetry Project Model Slides

The Lyrical Poetry Project
continued

Models for the slides (here) (or here for an overview of the project w/ references to the Sunshine State Standards)

Deadline for the lyrics copies to be in is 4/7. Research class points will be awarded for finding these lyrics and printing them out and submitting them.
Examples of the literary terms should come from your primary song and/or from your back-up.
Be certain to have a CD or other copy of the the song to play during your presentation.
Mark examples of each of the 40 literary terms in your chosen song lyrics as we go through each discussion of them in class.
Certain of the terms are required to be included, unless they aren't exemplified in your lyrics.
Consult the list below to find which terms must be found.
When you have marked them all on your rough draft, submit a final draft to be checked.
Then you may begin constructing your presentation.
Click here for descriptions of the required slides.
Production Dates in the lab for the various slides are as follows:
- Slides 1-13 & 20: 4/29
- Slides 14- 19: 5/9
- rehearsal: 5/13
- Presentation Dates: 5/19, 5/21, 5/23
- Final Poetry Test: 5/19, 5/21, 5/23
- Final Exams 5/27 & 5/28

Models of the Slides for a PowerPoint Presentation

After you have selected a song and analyzed its lyrics, use this outline to format your presentation.
Note the contents of each slide and their relative point values.

(slide 1) Title Slide (8 points)

The Lyrics to

"The Secret Of Life"

a Song about the Meaning of Life

Sung by Faith Hill

from the Album Faith

(slide 2) Bibliographical Citation (5 points)

the author (writer of the song)
the label (company)
the copyright date (of the song, not the CD)
the publisher (owner of the rights)
the engineer, studio, location of the concert, etc.

(slide 3) The Group (4 points)

Singer: Faith Hill
Guitarist:
Drummer:
Keyboardist, producer, etc.

(slide 4) Stanza 1 of the Song (4 points)(Write out the exact lyrics of the stanza.)

Couple of guys sittin' around drinkin'
Down at the Starlight Bar
One of 'em says, "You know
I've been thinking..."
Other one says, "That won't get you too far." 5
He says, "This is your life and welcome to it.
It's just workin' and drinkin' and dreams.
Ad on TV says 'Just Do It';
Hell if I know what that means."

(slide 5) Stanza 2 of the Song (4 points)(Write out the exact lyrics of the stanza.)

"The secret of life is a good cup of coffee; 10
the secret of life is keep your eye on the ball.
The secret of life is a beautiful woman."
And Marilyn stares down from the barroom wall.
"You and me we're just a couple of zeroes,
Just a couple of down-and-outs. 15
But movie stars and football heroes...
What have they got to be unhappy about?"

(slide 6) Bridge of the Song (4 points)(Write out the exact lyrics of the bridge.)

So they turn to the bartender,
"Sam, what do you think?
What's the key that unlocks that door?" 20
Sam don't say nothin',
just wipes off the bar,
And he pours them a couple of more.

(slide 7) Stanza 3 of the Song (4 points)(Write out the exact lyrics of the stanza.)

'Cause the secret of life is in Sam's martinis.
The secret of life is in Marilyn's eyes. 25
The secret of life is in Monday night football,
Rolling Stones records, and mom's apple pies.
Sam looks up from his Sunday paper,
Says, "Boys, you're on the wrong track;
the secret of life is there ain't no secret, 30
And you don't get your money back." (hey)

(slide 8) Refrain of the Song (4 points)(Write out the exact lyrics of the refrain.)

The secret of life is gettin' up early.
The secret of life is stayin' up late.
The secret of life is try not to hurry.
But don't wait...don't wait. 35
The secret of life is a good cup of coffee.
The secret of life is keep your eye on the ball.
The secret of life is to find the right woman.
The secret of life is nothin' at all.
(oh it's nothin' at all) 40
The Secret of Life...

Couple of guys sittin' around drinkin'
Down at the Starlight Bar.
One of 'em says,
"You know I've been thinkin'..." 45
Other one says, "That won't get you too far."
That won't get you too far...

(slide 9) The Meaning of the1st Stanza of the song (4 points )(Rewrite Stanza 1 of the lyrics in your own words.)

Two friends have been drinking at a cheap tavern, when one of them admits to wondering about the meaning of life. The other one mocks his friend for wasting his time and tells him that life is simple. He says that life is just made up of the routine of working and drinking and dreaming about a better life. He scoffs at the ad on TV that says "Just do it," because he doesn't even know what the "it" is that the ad wants him to do.

(slide 10) The Meaning of the 2nd Stanza of the song (4 points )(Rewrite Stanza 2 of the lyrics in your own words.)

The guy continues by listing some well known wise sayings about the secret of life, which he thinks is to stay alert, like drinking coffee, keeping your eye on the ball, and finding a good woman. Ironically, a picture of Marilyn Monroe hangs on the wall. The guy then admits that he and his buddy are just losers, unlike sports stars and movie stars who have everything. They ask the bartender what the answer to the meaning of life is. He says nothing but just goes about his mindless work of cleaning and pouring drinks.

(slide 11) The Meaning of the Bridge of the song (4 points )(Rewrite the Bridge lyrics in your own words.)

So the meaning of life to these men seems to be in booze, in the secret world of Hollywood, in their All-American symbols like the NFL, apple pie and rock music, although ironically much of their favorite music isn't even American at all. Sam the bartender, who is reading a Sunday paper, which means these guys are drinking probably on a Sunday afternoon or evening, reveals the sad truth that there is no meaning to life; it just sucks. Plus, there's no second chance.

(slide 12) The Meaning of the 3rd Stanza of the song (4 points )(Rewrite Stanza 3 of the lyrics in your own words.)

More cliches run through their minds, full of obviously dead-end contradictions, worn out warnings, impossible dreams, and other abject hopelessness...

(slide 13) The Meaning of the Refrain of the song (4 points )(Rewrite the Refrain lyrics in your own words.)

The scene fades with more drinking and pointless daydreaming by the men with no plans, no action, and no better understanding of life...

(slide 14) Three Terms Exemplified by Lines of this Poem (3 per slide) (2 points per term)

Lines 1 & 4 (drinkin' & thinkin'), 2 & 5 (Bar & far), 6 & 8 (to it & do it), etc. are examples of rhyme
Lines 21 - 23 is an example of rhythm
Sam don't say nothin',
just wipes off the bar,
And he pours them a couple of more.
Line 24 (martinis) is an example of jargon

(slide 15) Three Terms Exemplified by Lines of this Poem (3 per slide) (2 points per term)

Line 8 ("Just do it" is a slogan for a shoe company.) is an example of allusion & Lines 13 & 25 (Marilyn Monroe is a movie star way beyond the reach of these men.) are examples of allusions
Lines 26 & 27 are examples of symbolism ("Monday night football, Rolling Stones records, and Mom's apple pie" are All-American symbols.)
[Humor is generated because of the irony that the Rolling Stones are really an English band.]

(slide 16) Three Terms Exemplified by Lines of this Poem (3 per slide) (2 points per term)

the phrase "secret of life" is an example of repetition (because it is important & occurs throughout the lyrics)
Line 14 is an example of diction because the author could have chosen "nerds" or "dweebs," but "zeroes" was chosen to rhyme with "heroes" and because it best states the total worthlessness of these men in the bar.
Line 2 (Star, Bar) is an example of internal rhyme

(slide 17) Three Terms Exemplified by Lines of this Poem (3 per slide) (2 points per term)

Lines 3 - 6 and others are examples of dialogue
One of 'em says, "You know
I've been thinking..."
Other one says, "That won't get you too far." 5
He says, "This is your life and welcome to it.
Lines 7 & 9 (dreams & means) & 24 - 25 (martinis & eyes) are examples of near rhyme
Line10 -12 and others are examples of parallelism because of the similarity of their structure
"The secret of life is a good cup of coffee; 10
the secret of life is keep your eye on the ball.
The secret of life is a beautiful woman."

(slide 18) Three Terms Exemplified by Lines of this Poem (3 per slide) (2 points per term)

This is a narrative type of poem because it has elements of a story, such as a setting, characters with dialogue, a conflict, a plot with events of the action, a climax, and a denouement.
The speaker is some unknown narrator appearing as another patron in the bar.
The point of view of the speaker is that trying to figure out life is impossible

(slide 19) Three Terms Exemplified by Lines of this Poem (3 per slide) (2 points per term)

Imagery occurs in Line 2 (Starlight Bar) and others which describe the setting
Line 30 together with the entire last stanza is an example of theme, which is that life taunts people who have no goals with dreams they can never achieve.
the secret of life is there ain't no secret,
There are 3 stanzas, a bridge and a refrain.

(slide 20) The Message (7 points)

The moral of this song is … "Get a life before it gets you."

Sunshine State Standards underlying this project:
(Click here for all the SSS for Language Arts in High School)

LA.D.1.4.2

makes appropriate adjustments in language use for social, academic, and life situations, demonstrating sensitivity to gender and cultural bias.

LA.D.2.4.4

effectively integrates multimedia and technology into presentations.

LA.D.2.4.6

understands that laws control the delivery and use of media to protect the rights of authors and the rights of media owners.

LA.E.2.4.3

analyzes poetry for the ways in which poets inspire the reader to share emotions, such as the use of imagery, personification, and figures of speech, including simile and metaphor; and the use of sound, such as rhyme, rhythm, repetition, and alliteration.

LA.E.2.4.4

understands the use of images and sounds to elicit the reader's emotions in both fiction and nonfiction.

LA.E.2.4.5

analyzes the relationships among author's style, literary form, and intended impact on the reader.

LA.E.2.4.6

recognizes and explains those elements in texts that prompt a personal response, such as connections between one’s own life and the characters, events, motives, and causes of conflict in texts.