Winning Words Lesson Guide (Adults) Winnning Words Lesson Plan Guide | Page 21

Readings
Read the poem ‘Living Chartreuse’ with what is called your ‘inner voice’. After that,
read it out loud to yourself or to others twice. Are there any strange words? If you
have found any, circle them and research them. Understanding all the words in the
poem is the first critical step in reaching a complete understanding of the meaning of
the poem.
Interpreting
Form an interpretive community of FOUR (4) persons. (See pg… for a description of
interpretive community)
Think for a few moments about the literal meaning of the poem. Consider the
following questions as you do. Who is the persona? Is the persona male or female?
Is the persona reflecting on himself/herself or on someone else? If the persona is
indeed reflecting on someone, who is that someone and are there significant things
about that person we should notice? To what degree is it correct to say that the
persona has an emotional investment in the person being observed? Are any
comparisons made in the poem?
Now share your literal interpretation of the poem with your interpretive community.
Afterwards, try to figure out the mood (the atmosphere) and tone (speaker’s attitude)
of the piece.