The Daring One

1. The Daring One Poet: Edwin Markham Taught by: Sydney Goertzen http://www.juxtapost.com/site/permlink/cf07d060-6220-11e1-ab52-4d4f1fe17120/post/the_daring_one_by_edwin_markham/

2. Edwin Markham • Parents divorced shortly after birth- remained with mother while other siblings left due to her constant oppressive or stressful feelings- this meant much manual labor from Markham • Ran away, came back for education in order to become a teacher • During his teaching career, he made a big effort to establish himself as a poet • He was a conservative poet that couldn’t maintain an audience due to the change of literacy era to Modernism- constantly criticized • Most famous for his poem “The Man with the Hoe”- showed him as a social reformer dealing with the working class and American labor • Founded the Poetry Society of American in 1910 • Poems expressed social and spiritual beliefs https://www.edcgov.us/uploadedImages/Landing/Living/Stories/Markham(1).jpg

3. Poem’s Structure I would my soul were like the bird That dares the vastness undeterred. Look, where the bluebird on the bough Breaks into rapture even now! He sings, tip-top, the tossing elm As tho he would a world o’erwhelm. Indifferent to the void he rides Upon the wind’s eternal tides. He tosses gladly on the gale, For well he knows he can not fail— Knows if the bough breaks, still his wings Will bear him upward while he sings! Poem’s Title: “The Daring One” Poet: Edwin Markham • Style of Poem: Lyric Poem • due to Rhyme Scheme • Gives the poem a song quality 2 Stanzas 12 Lines Organized this way to build suspense in the longer stanza and to conclude with a shorter, 2nd paragraph

4. Poem’s Speaker Edward Markham is the speaker in “The Daring One” • unconfident • Wishes to be more independent and brave • Possibly regrets past life choices • Envious of those who are outgoing and adventurous • Feels ashamed or as a disappointment to not just others, but himself • This could be a goal that the speaker would like to achieve in the future

5. “The Daring One” by Edwin Markham I would my soul were like the bird That dares the vastness undeterred. Look, where the bluebird on the bough Breaks into rapture even now! He sings, tip-top, the tossing elm As tho he would a world o’erwhelm. Indifferent to the void he rides Upon the wind’s eternal tides. He tosses gladly on the gale, For well he knows he can not fail— Knows if the bough breaks, still his wings Will bear him upward while he sings! AABBCCDD Rhyme/Rhyme Scheme This is a regular pattern of end rhymes or rhymes that occur at the end of lines. Rhyme is when one vowel sound is stressed repeatedly and any sounds that would follow it are words that are close together. In “The Daring One” rhyme helps to create a song-like quality in the poem, just like a bluebird singing or flying gracefully.

6. “The Daring One” by Edwin Markham I would my soul were like the bird That dares the vastness undeterred. Look, where the bluebird on the bough Breaks into rapture even now! He sings, tip-top, the tossing elm As tho he would a world o’erwhelm. Indifferent to the void he rides Upon the wind’s eternal tides. He tosses gladly on the gale, For well he knows he can not fail— Knows if the bough breaks, still his wings Will bear him upward while he sings! Personification This is when human qualities are given to something that is not human. Personification in this poem gives the bird human-like qualities. If the bird is more like a human to readers, the poem can have a more relatable meaning to display a “daring one.”

7. “The Daring One” by Edwin Markham I would my soul were like the bird That dares the vastness undeterred. Look, where the bluebird on the bough Breaks into rapture even now! He sings, tip-top, the tossing elm As tho he would a world o’erwhelm. Indifferent to the void he rides Upon the wind’s eternal tides. He tosses gladly on the gale, For well he knows he can not fail— Knows if the bough breaks, still his wings Will bear him upward while he sings! Alliteration This is the repeating of the same consonant sound in several words. Alliteration is used in “The Daring One” to give the reader an effect that their voice is bouncing and creates an even more elaborate rhythm for the poem. This rhythm created by the alliteration gives the impression of a song and a bird singing or flying.

8. “The Daring One” by Edwin Markham I would my soul were like the bird That dares the vastness undeterred. Look, where the bluebird on the bough Breaks into rapture even now! He sings, tip-top, the tossing elm As tho he would a world o’erwhelm. Indifferent to the void he rides Upon the wind’s eternal tides. He tosses gladly on the gale, For well he knows he can not fail— Knows if the bough breaks, still his wings Will bear him upward while he sings! Allusion An allusion is a reference to a statement, a place, a person, or an event from literature, religion, history, science, etc. The allusion in this poem is the bluebird. Bluebirds are known for their vibrant color and their sweet songs. Both of these things can represent daring qualities that the reader wishes to posses.

9. Images http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/18/67/dd/1867dd538d579491e6844cd6d522343e.jpg http://mshowalter.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/self-confidence1.gif

10. Images continued http://learnordie.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/bluebird.jpg https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQBmYkbVw6r673W-YBHGzdVd7XNeTxMI9wbWxhXiKUmj_cF5CP5dA

11. “The Daring One” by Edwin Markham

12. “The Daring One” by Edwin Markham

13. Resources • http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/m_r/markham/life.htm • http://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/entry/view/markham_edwin_1852_1940_/ • http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/edwin-markham • http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birding/eastern-bluebird/#close-modal http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birding/eastern-bluebird/#close-modal