Welcome back! Today was a big day - the inauguration of our 44th and first African American President, Barack Obama. In light of this historic moment, we began class by freewriting for ten minutes about the new presidency - what are your hopes for our new President? What three main things do you think he needs to do in order to be an effective president? What are your thoughts regarding the challenges ahead of him? Do you believe he will do a good job? Why or why not? We followed our freewriting with a discussion and some of you shared your responses with the class. Next, I read you an article from the New York Times titled "The Intersection of Poetry and Politics." This article discussed the poets and poems of past inaugurations as well as Elizabeth Alexander, a literature professor from Yale who was chosen to write and recite this year's inaugural poem. For homework, please read/listen to Alexander's reading of her poem (you can view the video clip below or follow the second link to read the text). We will be discussing it in class and picking it apart on block days this week. Please also read the past inaugural poems (click links below), and look for recurring themes...New York Times article 12/24/08 - "The Intersection of Poetry and Politics"
Video of Elizabeth Alexander reciting "Praise Song for the Day"
Complete text of Inaugural poem, "Praise Song for the Day"
Robert Frost, "Dedication" and "Gift Outright" (John F. Kennedy's inauguration, 1961)
Maya Angelou, "On the Pulse of Morning" (Bill Clinton, 1993)
Miller Williams, "Of History and Hope" (Bill Clinton part two, 1997)
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