Here is a list of poems and choose one for this assignment.
Maya Angelou, “Africa”: https://genius.com/Maya-angelou-africa-annotated
Kim Addonizio “What Do Women Want?”: https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/what-do-women-want
Terrance Hayes, “American Sonnet for My Past and Future Assassin”: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/143916/american-sonnet-for-my-past-and-future-assassin-598dc8f97f34b
William Carlos Williams, “The Red Wheelbarrow”: https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/red-wheelbarrow
Jimmy Santiago Baca, “I Am Offering This Poem”: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/53092/i-am-offering-this-poem
As you read, consider: If these were songs, what would they sound like? What music choices would you make in voicing, instrumentation, etc., if you were producing any of them as songs or musical performances? How would you use the lines of the poem as lyrics to a song?
Part 1: Choose one of the poems from the links below and briefly interpret it. This includes the poems by Angelou, Hayes, Baca, and Williams. Do a brief interpretive analysis trying to determine what you feel this work is about, what important theme(s) you see in it, and so on. What is this poem about? How are we to interpret it? What is the writer saying about humans, human life, human culture & society, or some specific aspect of theses? This part is important since it will help your reader see what you’re trying to do in the second part, but try to make this about 1/3 of the assignment–put more words toward Part 2 instead.
Part 2: Discuss how you might transform this poem into a song, using the lines of poetry as lyrics, in order to capture any important theme(s) or ideas you see in the text that you feel the poet was trying to impart to readers. Connect your musical choices with this, being as detailed as you can about the singer(s), the type of voice(s), what instruments or instrumentation you might use, what rhythm (fast, slow, a combination?), how the song might proceed or change as it does, what might be a suitable chorus or bridge, and so on. Note why you make the choices you do, connecting with possible theme(s), ideas, or concepts you see in the poem. Write enough detail to help the reader actually hear this song as much as possible. “Translate” this poem to music in a way that would make the poet proud. You are allowed to make some changes to the lyrics or add to them, but keep as close to the poem’s words as you can.
