Themes, symbols, and motifs spring to life when you use a storyboard. In this activity, students will identify themes and symbols from the poem, and support their choices with details from the text. For instance, in the classroom, your students can track Keats' use of a motif through the entire ode. Ask students to track a motif, come up with their own examples, and put them into a storyboard for further explanation.
Throughout the Ode, Keats specifically tries to invoke the senses through adjectives and descriptions. He repeatedly mentions music, conveying to the reader the sound of instruments or the singing of a song. Keats uses vivid imagery to depict two lovers touching for the first time. He appeals to sight with the mention of the beautiful women and art.
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Student Instructions
Create a storyboard that identifies recurring themes in "Ode on a Grecian Urn". Illustrate instances of each theme and write a short description below each cell.
Encourage students to share their interpretations of motifs found in the poem. Use open-ended questions to spark conversation and help students appreciate how motifs deepen a poem’s message.
Invite students to relate motifs from the poem to events or feelings in their own lives. This personal connection can make literary analysis more meaningful and memorable.
Show students how to highlight or underline words and phrases that repeat or stand out. Explain that active annotation helps reveal important patterns and deepen understanding.
Have small groups create posters illustrating a chosen motif from the poem. Encourage the use of quotes, images, and explanations to showcase their findings visually.
Organize a session where students review each other’s work and offer constructive feedback. This collaborative review helps students refine their literary analysis skills and learn from peers.
'Ode on a Grecian Urn' explores themes such as the permanence of art, the fleeting nature of life, and the contrast between reality and imagination. Key motifs include the senses, love, beauty, and music, all vividly depicted through imagery and symbolism.
Students can identify motifs by looking for recurring images or ideas, such as music or beauty, throughout the poem. Illustrating these in a storyboard helps make connections between the text and visual representations, deepening understanding.
An example of a motif is the use of the senses. Keats describes music, sight, and touch to engage readers, such as referencing the sound of instruments and the visual beauty of the urn's figures.
Tracking motifs helps students analyze patterns and understand deeper meanings in the poem. It encourages critical thinking and allows students to see how repeated ideas reinforce the poem’s central themes.
Try having students create storyboards of motifs, write brief descriptions, or find personal examples. These activities engage students visually and textually, making abstract concepts more concrete and memorable.