Man the barricades for Cologne January 26, 2010

Samuel T. Coleridge’s “Cologne” is a devastating portrayal of Cologne in the 18th century.

Should we really let this English poet get away with his bleak description of our beloved hometown? Man the barricades and defend Cologne!

Write your own poem about your hometown OR write a personal comment on why Cologne is the best town on earth OR, if you don’t agree, discuss the pros and cons of living in Cologne. To be done by Monday 01 February.

From Monday on, you’re supposed to rate the entries of your class mates.

Wordsworth – Upon Westminster Bridge (1802) January 21, 2010

Slide show and analysis of the poem can be found here.
The poem is also compared to Blake’s “London”.

New York – Heaven or Hell? January 19, 2010

Some songs about New York that we’re going to analyse next lesson:

Frank Sinatra “New York New York” (an absolute classic)
U2 “New York”
Ryan Adams “New York New York”
Cat Stevens “New York Times” (there’s an audio file on the website)

William Blake – London (1794) January 10, 2010

A nice slide show of the poem can be found at this BBC webpage. There’s also a nice analysis of subject, structure, language, ideas and attitudes, which might be of interest for you.