Urgent!
Start this project at the beginning of your unit and work through it as you do your lessons over the poetic devices.
Note: Projects are not due the day they are assigned. They are due before the unit test.
Activity 1: Poetry in the Bible
One of the most common questions teachers get when it comes to subjects in school is “Why do we have to learn this?” Fortunately, when it comes to poetry, there are all sorts of good reasons to study it, especially from a Christian perspective! Not only does studying others’ effective use of language help us use our own to honor God and bring glory to Him, but, as you probably already know, large sections of the Bible are written in poetry. In fact, it’s estimated that one third of the Bible is poetry. (By contrast, the entire New Testament makes up less than one quarter of the Bible.) To quote John Piper, one of the most significant evangelicals of the 21st Century, “God can raise the dead by any means he pleases. He can waken dull hearts to the reality of his beauty any way he desires. And one of the ways he pleases to do it is by inspiring his spokesmen to write poetry.” Clearly, this should be an important topic for Christians to study!
Now, if that fact seems surprising to you, it may be because the poetry in the Bible doesn’t always look like our concept of poetry. Although they share some similarities, the Hebrew concept of poetry is quite different from ours. In this project, you will increase your familiarity with biblical poetry.
Read the following article, “Poetry and Wisdom Books of the Bible: The Beginner’s Guide” by Jeffrey Kranz here: https://overviewbible.com/poetry/
Then, consider the six books he discusses: Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Psalms, Song of Solomon, and Lamentations. You may also want to use a concordance to find whether these books talk about a topic you feel is important. Find a passage that speaks to you—not necessarily your favorite, but one that you find meaning in or that caught your attention today.
Note: A passage is longer than a single verse. It could be a complete chapter or a range of verses that are separated in the reading.
Write your passage here:
Below, write a brief paragraph (200-300 words) reflecting on some of the elements of poetry used in your passage (these can be from your lessons, Kranz’s article, or others you are familiar with). Then explain why this passage stands out to you. Think about what you can learn from it, how you can apply it, and why this passage is important for Christians to read, but do not feel confined to these thoughts.
Write your paragraph below (the space will expand as you type):
