Ekphrastic Poetry Exercise

 

Marchal Duchamp's Nude Descending a Staircaseand X.J. Kennedy's poem, which follows, by the same title is to illustrate how ekphasis is used in poetry.

Nude Descending a Staircase

Toe upon toe, a snowing flesh,
A gold of lemon, root and rind,
She sifts in sunlight down the stairs
With nothing on. Nor on her mind.

We spy beneath the banister
A constant thresh of thigh on thigh--
Her lips imprint the swinging air
That parts to let her parts go by.

One-woman waterall, she wears
Her slow descent like a long cape
And pausing, on the final stair
Collects her motions into shape.

As stated previously ekphrasis, which was created by the ancient Greeks, uses one art form to respond to another, so as to envision the thing described as if it were physically present. In some cases, the subject never really existed, making the ekphrastic description a demonstration of both the creative imagination and the skill of the writer.  Last night was the latest third period could turn in the responses to Murray's The Stranger in the Photo.  (this was because the class lost 25 minutes on Friday.) This was the exemplar for how you would write your own response to the photo you were asked to bring into class today. If you did not complete the assignment, please check it out, so you know what is expected in the following assignment.

YOUR ASSIGNMENT: Everyone needs a picture of him or herself that is at least five-years old. You were asked to bring it in today.
Using the essay by Donald Murray as a general model, look at your photo. Take time to study facial expression, the body postion and gestures. What is the context? Project yourself back to that moment. Where were in your life? What were your expectations- for the moment for the long run? Maybe your long run was only a month away. Compare this to where you are now. This is not a goal oriented essay, as in what would I like to be when I grow up. Ask yourself honestly, who you were then? To make it interesting, use vivid imagery and other figurative language devices such as metaphors or similes. Make the reader connect with this photo, much as Murray did. Careful with the tone. Murray offers no regrets, rather he creates a world into which the reader may step. This should be about 400 words. Grading:  language conventions / sense / beautifully and articulately expressed.

When you have finished, create a caption.