Classics in Context: Pablo Neruda, The Captains' Verse: Love Poems

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Classics in Context:
Pablo Neruda,
The Captains’ Verse:
Love Poems
Chicago Humanities Festival
Education Programs | 2009 Curriculum Collection
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About the Chicago Humanities Festival
The Chicago Humanities Festival (chf) creates year-round opportunities for people of all
ages, backgrounds, and economic circumstances to explore, enjoy, and support the arts and
humanities. We accomplish this by presenting programs throughout the year, culminating
in two annual Festivals of the Humanities, one in the spring specifically for children and fami-
lies and one in the fall for the general public. The chf’s mission of providing broad access
to the humanitiesat a low ticket pricedepends in part on the generosity of its most committed
and enthusiastic supporters.
www.chicagohumanities.org

Classics in Context
Sometimes all it takes to change your mind is to consider a new perspective. Classics in Context is
a seminar sequence for teachers led by renowned humanities scholars. The series takes a fresh
look at universally established and contemporary literary classics. Giving teachers a chance
to renew professionally and personally, the Chicago Humanities Festival supports teachers in
their pursuit to revive seasoned and the contemporary classic books through study and
conversation, alongside their colleagues.

The following lesson plans were created by chf’s Curriculum Developer Kerry Catlin in
response to a lecture by Professor Kelly Austin at the April 2009 Classics in Context session
on The Captain’s Verses: Love Poems by Pablo Neruda. The program was presented in partner-
ship with the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Chicago.

          Kerry Catlin has been developing curriculum for the chf since September of 2006.
          In the fall of 2007, she joined the English Department of Walter Payton College Prep
          High School after having been the Master Teacher and Curriculum Coordinator at the
          Lookingglass Theater Company. She received her Masters in Education from DePaul
          University and her Bachelors in Speech from Northwestern University.

          Kelly Austin, assistant professor in the Division of Humanities, studies Literature
          of the Americas and Translation Studies, focusing on modern and contemporary
          poetry. Her current research centers on Pablo Neruda and the material evidence of
          literary cross currents in the Americas, translations, collections and correspondence.
          Most recent and forthcoming publications include essays on José Donoso’s Casa
          de campo, Domingo Faustino Sarmiento’s Viajes por Europa, África, y América
          1845 – 1847, Mario Vargas Llosa’s El pez en el agua and Pablo Neruda’s collec-
          tions. She is also a translator of Spanish American literature.
Chicago Humanities Festival
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About Pablo Neruda
Pablo Neruda (July 12, 1904 – September 23, 1973) was the pen name and, later, legal name
of the Chilean writer and politician Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto. Neruda assumed his
pen name as a teenager. Neruda’s pen name was derived from Czech writer and poet Jan
Neruda; Pablo is thought to be from Paul Verlaine. With his works translated into many
languages, Pablo Neruda is considered one of the greatest and most influential poets of
the 20th century. In 1971 Neruda won the Nobel Prize for Literature for The Captains’ Verses”
Love Poems.
From Wikipeida
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pablo_Neruda&oldid=305121764

About The Captain’s Verses
Pablo Neruda finished writing The Captain’s Verses in 1952 while in exile on the island of Capri
– the paradisal setting for the blockbuster film Il Postino (The Postman). Surrounded by sea,
sun, and Capri’s natural splendors, Neruda addressed these poems to his lover Matilde
Urrutia before they were married, but didn’t publish them publicly until 1963. This complete,
bilingual collection has become a classic for love-struck readers around the world – passion­
ately sensuous, and exploding with all the erotic energy of a new love.
From Amazon.Com
Chicago Humanities Festival
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1 Book of Poems
After students have read The Captain’s Verses and discussed Neruda’s poetry, ask them to
consider the collection of love poems as a narrative. What are the elements of a narrative? How
does this collection of poems tell one story? What is the story? Consider the organization of
the Table of Contents – Love, Desire, The Furies, Lives. Ask students to fill in a plot diagram for
this book. For example …

      1. Ask students to write five poems that follow a narrative arc or, tell a story.
      2. Pre-write suggestions:
               ›› who is this speaker / poet?
               ›› What world is he or she living in? What is the political, cultural,
                   spiritual climate?
               ›› What is the conflict?
               ›› Why does this story need to be told?
      3. You may also consider inventing characters and situations. Students are assigned
         or randomly select their speakers and situations.
      4. You may consider making books of students’ poetry.
         Students should:
               ›› illustrate each poem (drawings, photos, collages, paintings, etc)
               ›› create a title for the book
               ›› a dedication page
               ›› an author’s note explaining the speaker, story, and motivation for
                   the poetry.
      5. Books can be bound at school or at Kinko’s
Chicago Humanities Festival
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2 Word. Sound. Image
After reading The Captain’s Verses and discussing, ask students to select three poems
(or you can assign three to each student).

      1. Ask students to create a visual representation of each poem
         (photographs, video, slides, painting, film, drawings, etc.)
      2. Ask students to create a soundtrack for each poem
         (recorded music, live music, sound effects, etc.)
      3. Present. Student will recite poem while playing soundtrack and displaying images.
         Students may record their voice or recite live.

Here are some possible poem combinations:

The Son (p 39) / The Waster (p 65) / Lives (p 97)
Love (p 3) / If You Forget Me (p 77) / You Would Come (p89)
Chicago Humanities Festival
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3 Ode to Common Things
Pablo Neruda’s Ode to Common Things celebrates and elevates everyday objects.

       ›› Read, look at, react to some of Neruda’s odes. For example,

Ode to a pair of socks

Maru Mori brought me                those                                  cage
a pair                              heavenly                               and feed them birdseed
of socks                            socks.                                 and morsels of pink melon
that she knit with her                                                     every day.
shepherd’s hands.                   They were                              Like jungle
Two socks as soft                   so beautiful                           explorers
as rabbit fur.                      I found my feet                        who deliver a young deer
I thrust my feet                    unlovable                              of the rarest species
inside them                         for the very first time,               to the roasting spit
as if they were                     like two crusty old                    then wolf it down
two                                 firemen, firemen                       in shame,
little boxes                        unworthy                               I stretched
knit                                of that embroidered                    my feet forward
from threads                        fire,                                  and pulled on
of sunset                           those incandescent                     those
and sheepskin.                      socks.                                 gorgeous
                                                                           socks,
My feet were                        Nevertheless                           and over them
two woolen                          I fought                               my shoes.
fish                                the sharp temptation
in those outrageous socks,          to put them away                       So this is
two gangly,                         the way schoolboys                     the moral of my ode:
navy-blue sharks                    put                                    beauty is beauty
impaled                             fireflies in a bottle,                 twice over
on a golden thread,                 the way scholars                       and good things are doubly
two giant blackbirds,               hoard                                  good
two cannons:                        holy writ.                             when you’re talking about a
thus                                I fought                               pair of wool
were my feet                        the mad urge                           socks
honored                             to lock them                           in the dead of winter.
by                                  in a golden

Neruda, Pablo. Odes to Common Things. Bulfinch, May 1, 1994.
Chicago Humanities Festival
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›› Discuss how the odes look and sound.
   What is an ode?
›› Discover how Neruda “odes” an object.
   How does he convey a love of the object?
›› Brainstorm a list of possible things to ode.
   What things are dear to you?
   What things are common but may hold a greater significance?
›› Discuss metaphors, similes, personification, alliteration, and assonance.
›› Choose one object to ode.
›› Draft an ode copying Neruda’s physical structure and use of figurative and concrete
   language.
›› Team up with a Spanish class, a Spanish speaker, or an art class.
   Exhibit with Spanish odes from Spanish-speaking students. Exhibit with art created by
   students to match odes.
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