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Tate Online

Tate holds the national collection of British art from 1500 and of international modern art. All works can be found on this site, each with its own information page.

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Poems of Tennyson and Noyes: Pictures in Words

Striking examples of poetic "pictures"-not just vivid images but the entire mental picture conjured up by a poet-are to be found in "The Charge of the Light Brigade," by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, and "The Highwayman," by Alfred Noyes. As they explore the means by which Tennyson and Noyes create these compelling pictures in words, students will also learn the critical terminology to analyze and describe a variety of poetic techniques and will have an opportunity to create their own pictures in words.

Tales of King Arthur

In this lesson, students will discover how historical events gradually merged with fantasy to create the colorful tales we enjoy today.

Rudyard Kipling's "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi": Mixing Fact and Fiction

In this lesson, students will use interactive materials to learn about Rudyard Kipling's life and times, read an illustrated version of "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi," and learn how Kipling effectively uses personification by mixing fact and fiction.

Rudyard Kipling's "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi": Mixing Words and Pictures

In this lesson, students will read an illustrated version of "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi," examine how Kipling and visual artists mix observation with imagination to create remarkable works, and follow similar principles to create a work of their own.

George Orwell's Essay on his Life in Burma: "Shooting An Elephant"

Eric A. Blair, better known by his pen name, George Orwell, is today best known for his last two novels, the anti-totalitarian works Animal Farm and 1984. He was also an accomplished and experienced essayist, writing on topics as diverse as anti-Semitism in England, Rudyard Kipling, Salvador Dali, and nationalism. Among his most powerful essays is the 1931 autobiographical essay "Shooting an Elephant," which Orwell based on his experience as a police officer in colonial Burma.

Symmetry in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

"Sir Gawaine the Son of Lot, King of Orkney" from The Story of King Arthur and His Knights

King Arthur, Camelot, Gawain, a bold challenge, a perilous journey, a beheading, an enchantment, and a shape-shifter are the ingredients of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. For the modern reader, Sir Gawain's tale is riveting even without understanding its symmetry or cultural and historical context. Viewed through the lens of the medieval thinker, reading this Arthurian tale becomes a rich, multi-layered experience.

Recognizing Similes: Fast as a Whip

American poet ee cummings made vivid use of similes in his work.

Similes are used often in literature, appearing in every genre from poetry to prose and from epics to essays. Utilized by writers to bring their literary imagery to life, similes are an important component of reading closely and appreciating literature.

Lesson 3: Navigating Modernism with J. Alfred Prufrock

In this lesson, students will explore the role of the individual in the modern world by closely reading and analyzing T.S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.

Lesson 2: Thirteen Ways of Reading a Modernist Poem

This lesson prompts students to think about a poem’s speaker within the larger context of modernist poetry. First, students will review the role of the speaker in two poems of the Romanticism period before focusing on the differences in Wallace Stevens’ modernist “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird.

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