Active Learning Exercises
Lesson 9: Calligram
Lesson 9: Calligram
| A Calligram is a form of poetry that connects text and image. The image is shown as a shape or a symbol which captures the main idea or theme of the poem.Calligrams do not follow any rules; they are meant to be a form of free writing. Ideas are not expressed in verse, organized into stanzas and there is no rhyming pattern. |
Watch
Watch the video below to learn about Guillaume Apollonaire the visionary behind the Calligram
The poet who painted with his words – Geneviève Emy
Genevieve Emy describes the calligram as a poem picture, a written portrait and a thought drawing. She states that Apollonaire’s goal was to inspire the reader to feel and see something new. Writers/poets achieve this goal through the use of imagery.
| Imagery is a literary device that refers to the use of figurative language to evoke a sensory experience or create a picture with words for a reader. By utilizing effective descriptive language and figures of speech, writers appeal to a reader’s senses of sight, taste, smell, touch, and sound, as well as internal emotion and feelings. Therefore, imagery is not limited to visual representations or mental images, but also includes physical sensations and internal emotions. |
The student’s task is to analyze the calligram entitled Il Pleut by Guillaume Apollonaire. They will consider how imagery is captured by focusing on the poet’s use of sensory details and feeling/emotion words to determine what the poet’s main idea or theme might be.
One example entitled, The Seagulls, by Kit Kittlestadl has been completed to help students to understand what this task involves. Examine this as a group before breaking the kids up into independent groups.
Note: Though the examples provided do not have any connection to the migrant experience, they are shown to demonstrate the form and objective of the Calligram poem. These poems are also student-friendly in that they make it easy for students ranging between grades 5-8, to grasp the intention involved in creating their own calligram poem.
The Seagulls, by Kit Kittelstad
- What shape is used in this poem to help convey the poet’s message? Explain how this shape contributes to the meaning of the poem or enhances the poems’ central idea.
The poet uses the shape of a bird to represent the seagulls which her poem focuses on. The seagull’s wings spread across the page as though it was in flight. It soars above a body of water at dusk reinforcing feelings of happiness and calm. A sensory experience is created in the reader’s mind as this image inspires them to imagine the wind beneath the bird’s wings and the sight of its feathers dancing as the wind pushes past them.
- What theme is explored in this poem? Explain why you think this.
I think the poem explores a couple of different themes. Kit Kittlestad expresses admiration for the birds who are free, but she also expresses a mood of self-reflection, a desire for change and sentiments of regret. I think this is based on the line that states, “With such a happy life, what could they possibly be moaning about”. Also, the poet writes, “If I were a seagull…” this makes me think the speaker in this poem is regretful, is looking for change, or is simply reflecting on their life.
- What language is used to capture the imagery and emotion expressed in the poem? Focus on identifying sensory words and feeling/emotion words. Record these in the chart below.
| Sensory Words | Feeling/Emotion Words | Theme |
Squawk noisily (sound details)
|
|
|
Il Pleut is written and drawn by Guillaume Apollinaire. The calligram is shown on the right and the text is included on the left for ease of reading. As it is in French an English translation is provided below.
It rains, like the voices of women who are dead even in memory it rains as well like the
lost marvelous encounters of my life
oh droplets!
the clouds rear and whinny a whole universe of city sounds
listen to the rain while regret and disdain weep an ancient music
listen to the breaking of the chains that bind you from above and below.
(Translated from French to English by Fern Nesson)
Guillaume Apollinaire: Poetry in a Time of Dislocation, Bonjour Paris https://bit.ly/3MGlopW
Student Response Sheet
What shape is used in this poem to help convey the poet’s message? Explain how this shape contributes to the meaning of the poem or enhances the poems’ central idea.
- What theme is explored in this poem? Explain why you think this.
- What words/phrases are used to capture the imagery and emotion expressed in the poem? Focus on identifying sensory words and feeling/emotion words. Record these in the chart below.
Sensory Words |
Feeling/Emotion Words |
Theme |
Final Student Task
Lesson Goal: Select 1 individual from the digital storytelling project Migrant Lives in Pandemic Times as a focus for a calligram poem. You can write about VaGa_ Bon, Mencie, Dee or Nicolò. Your goal is to think about capturing the spirit and struggle that each person expresses. You are not speaking in their voice(s) but building on the ideas and sentiments they have expressed about their personal journeys.
Rewatch the stories depicted in Migrant Lives in Pandemic Times https://www.migrantlives.net/.Determine the Big Idea or Theme expressed by the personal experiences described. Some ideas you may want to explore are loneliness, community connection, activism and freedom of movement.
Begin by brainstorming ideas that are related to your 5 senses. Record your words, phrases and the images in the graphic organizer provided.
Create an image or symbol which you plan to write your poem in. This image/symbol should reinforce a significant aspect of the individual’s story or reinforce the theme your poem expresses.
Some ideas might be:
- Interlocking hands to symbolise human connection.
- A dark empty room capturing the sentiment of loneliness
- Turbulent waves to signify dangerous migrant crossing
Here are 2 Word Lists which you can pull from. The first focuses on Sensory Words, https://bit.ly/38DF7Yg, the second Emotion/Feeling Words https://bit.ly/3ksoVvI.
Hard copies of these resources should also be included in this Final Student Task package.
Some ideas to get you started:
| VaGa_Bon migrated to Europe through irregular channels crossing the Mediterranean Sea in very hostile conditions. He is an activist who believes that freedom of movement is a human right. He states, “Don’t fear doing something good.” Big ideas to explore are related to risk, raising awareness, and Human Rights.
Consider a word web that captures aspects of the crossing such as the salty smell of the sea, the thumping sound of the boat as it rises and falls on the water’s surface, and the sound of anxious voices carried on the wind. You may also choose to focus on the sensory details that describe his Facebook page and the activism it focuses on. For example, sound details may describe what you hear when people gather and demonstrate. |
| Mencie is a domestic worker in Palermo, Italy. She describes the hard life she lives working as a maid despite being well educated back home. Her job opportunities are limited. Mencie was fired without warning due to Covid-19. When she and her family all tested positive for the virus, they relied on the strength of the Filipino community network in Palermo.
Consider community connections when writing about Mencie. Explore sensory details related to symptoms of Covid-19. Emotion/feeling words might explore insecurity with regards to work and the frustration of being limited in employment, and/or worries about her children’s future. |
| Consider writing about the spirit of activism. Emotion/feeling words that come to mind are resilience, perseverance and determination, as well as insecurity, fear and discrimination. Sensory details could focus on the sounds heard when people gather to fight for their rights; visual details might describe expressions on people’s faces. |
| Nicolo is a migrant worker from Italy. He is the managing director of Eataly Toronto, a restaurant, retail store and cooking school that saw between 60 and 70 000 people/day pre-Covid-19. He was responsible for a staff of over 400 people. With Covid-19, 80% of the business was shut down, much of the staff left and others didn’t qualify for CERB. His favourite sentence is “Through hardship to the stars.”
Consider writing about mental health. Focus on Emotion/Feeling words that reinforce the stress, brain fog, uncertainty and loneliness Nicolo describes. A great burden Nicolo carries is the responsibility he has for the success of the business and more importantly the people he employs. Sensory details could describe the smell of Italian foods wafting from the kitchen, the sound of cutlery clinking on a plate and the imagined laughter of people enjoying a fine meal before Covid-19 and the sudden stillness and silence that has been left in the large space. |
Use the graphic organizer to jot down your thoughts. Refer to the Word Lists provided to capture your ideas in a more concrete and visceral way.
Visual Words |
Smell Words |
Touch Words |
Taste Words |
Sound Words |
Emotion/Feeling Words |
Draw the shape/symbol for your calligram poem, then explain why you have chosen this idea. How does it meaningfully connect to the individual who you are writing about?
My shape/symbol
|
This shape/symbol meaningfully connects to ______ because:
Begin writing your first draft!
Calligram Rubric
Expectations |
Level 1 |
Level 2 |
Level 3 |
Level 4 |
| The theme is understood and expressed creatively. | The theme is not clearly understood. Little creativity is expressed. | The theme is somewhat understood and expressed with some creativity. | The theme is well understood and expressed with good creativity. | The theme is thoroughly understood and expressed creatively. |
| Imagery is created through the use of sensory details and emotion and feeling words. | Little to no imagery is created through use of sensory details, and emotion and feeling words. | Some imagery is created through the use of sensory details, and emotion and feeling words. | Considerable imagery is created through the use of sensory details, and emotion and feeling words. | Exceptional imagery is created through the use of sensory details, and emotion and feeling words. |
| Details from the lived experience of the subject are accurately and creatively expressed. | The lived experience of the subject is not adequately expressed. | The lived experience of the subject is satisfactorily expressed. | The lived experience of the subject is considerably expressed. | The lived experience of the subject is carefully and thoroughly expressed. |
| The shape of the calligram has a meaningful connection to the subject’s story. | The shape of the calligram has little to no connection to the subject’s story. | The shape of the calligram has some connection to the subject’s story. | The shape of the calligram effectively connects to the subject’s story. | The shape of the calligram clearly and completely connects to the subject’s story. |