Worksheets
These worksheets are supporting material for Prismatica by Elizabeth Barrette. They were created for use in workshops, classrooms, book clubs, and other group activities. Permission is granted to print copies of them for such use, as long as the credit is kept intact.
How to Analyze a Science Fiction Poem
Reading and analyzing poetry can be fun! Some people panic over the idea of "analyzing" poetry due to ghastly experience in a literature class. Throw out that idea. Instead, envision this as opening a fresh box of cereal to dig for the prize inside!
First, read the whole poem at least twice. Pay attention to punctuation; it tells you about pacing and emphasis. Read the poem silently and aloud. Which way works better for this poem? How does it sound and feel as you read it?
Check the title for clues. It can tell you the narrator, setting, main conflict, or other important facts. Does it peg the genre as science fiction up front?
Do you recognize all the words? If not, skip anything unfamiliar at first; try to guess meaning from context. Then look up the definition; see if it changes your understanding of the poem. SF poetry often uses technical or invented words.
Identify the narrator. Who is the narrator speaking to or about? What are the narrator's mood and attitude? Is there any dialog? Do you sympathize with this narrator, or not?
Consider the dramatic situation in the poem. What is happening? What is at risk? What goals are in play? Does the reader know something that characters in the poem do not know?
Look at the tools the poet uses. These include word choice, sound effects (rhyme, alliteration, onomatopoeia), figurative language (simile, metaphor, symbolism) and rhetorical techniques (irony, hyperbole). They set the tone and convey the message of the poem. They also create much of its aesthetic appeal.
What science(s) can you find in this poem? How accurate are the details? Where might those ideas have come from?
Which science fiction motifs does this poem use: aliens, apocalypse, clones, human evolution, immortality, invasion, inventions, outer space, panspermia, robots, starships, time travel, transformation, World War III, something else? How original is the poet's rendition of them?
Dig into the symbolic and thematic parts of the poem. Experiment with different interpretations. What do you think the poem means? How does the poem relate to our past, present, and future? Try to imagine at least two possible interpretations and see which seems more convincing or interesting.
Are you having trouble understanding the poem? Try paraphrasing it. When you put an idea in your own words, it often makes more sense.
How does this poem fit into science fiction as a genre? How does it relate to other science fiction poems? What does it add to the field?
Discuss the poem with some friends. You might enjoy rating it (1-5 stars) and then comparing your results with those of others.
First, read the whole poem at least twice. Pay attention to punctuation; it tells you about pacing and emphasis. Read the poem silently and aloud. Which way works better for this poem? How does it sound and feel as you read it?
Check the title for clues. It can tell you the narrator, setting, main conflict, or other important facts. Does it peg the genre as science fiction up front?
Do you recognize all the words? If not, skip anything unfamiliar at first; try to guess meaning from context. Then look up the definition; see if it changes your understanding of the poem. SF poetry often uses technical or invented words.
Identify the narrator. Who is the narrator speaking to or about? What are the narrator's mood and attitude? Is there any dialog? Do you sympathize with this narrator, or not?
Consider the dramatic situation in the poem. What is happening? What is at risk? What goals are in play? Does the reader know something that characters in the poem do not know?
Look at the tools the poet uses. These include word choice, sound effects (rhyme, alliteration, onomatopoeia), figurative language (simile, metaphor, symbolism) and rhetorical techniques (irony, hyperbole). They set the tone and convey the message of the poem. They also create much of its aesthetic appeal.
What science(s) can you find in this poem? How accurate are the details? Where might those ideas have come from?
Which science fiction motifs does this poem use: aliens, apocalypse, clones, human evolution, immortality, invasion, inventions, outer space, panspermia, robots, starships, time travel, transformation, World War III, something else? How original is the poet's rendition of them?
Dig into the symbolic and thematic parts of the poem. Experiment with different interpretations. What do you think the poem means? How does the poem relate to our past, present, and future? Try to imagine at least two possible interpretations and see which seems more convincing or interesting.
Are you having trouble understanding the poem? Try paraphrasing it. When you put an idea in your own words, it often makes more sense.
How does this poem fit into science fiction as a genre? How does it relate to other science fiction poems? What does it add to the field?
Discuss the poem with some friends. You might enjoy rating it (1-5 stars) and then comparing your results with those of others.
You Can Write a Science Fiction Poem
A science fiction poem uses the medium of verse to explore ideas of technology, the future, and other SF motifs. It excites the reader's sense of wonder. Poetry has the advantage of slipping outside grammatical and intellectual rules, which suits it to describing alien thoughts, quantum physics, gadgets, or other weird things.
Science fiction poetry spans many forms. Some popular examples include sonnets, haiku (or "scifaiku"), and free verse. The acrostic works well in science fiction because it spells a message down its left margin: ideal for a genre rich in technical terms. This hidden message refers to the poem’s topic; many acrostics take their title from the vertical content. Acrostic poems may have one or more words per line. They may rhyme, but usually don’t.
1) First choose the science fictional word or phrase your poem will spell along its margin. You might draw inspiration from a scientific article, invention, or pure imagination. Write those letters (usually all capitalized) down the left side of the page.
2) Next, think of some words starting with those letters. What relates to science fiction in general, and your subject in particular? If you’re sure you want to use a specific word, attach it to the appropriate letter. Otherwise, string on a line several words all starting with the same letter, and make up your mind later.
3) Finally, “connect the dots,” adding more words and phrases to complete the poem around the framework of chosen words. Make sure it flows smoothly.
"Jonah’s Landing" Your Science Fiction Poemby Elizabeth Barrette
Carusian starships were legendary for speed
And frugality, single-use transportation to a new life.
Verne bought one, down on his luck and convinced its
Edibility would lower the cost of feeding his colonists
All through their first year. The Carusians told him
To butcher it promptly on landing. He agreed.
Everything went well until the colonists disembarked.
Most of them scattered to inflate their own homes,
Pride taking precedence over promises. Frustrated,
Their captain threw up his hands and let them go.
Only two pink moons, staring at the newcomers, saw the
Rapacious starship devour its crew that night.
Science fiction poetry spans many forms. Some popular examples include sonnets, haiku (or "scifaiku"), and free verse. The acrostic works well in science fiction because it spells a message down its left margin: ideal for a genre rich in technical terms. This hidden message refers to the poem’s topic; many acrostics take their title from the vertical content. Acrostic poems may have one or more words per line. They may rhyme, but usually don’t.
1) First choose the science fictional word or phrase your poem will spell along its margin. You might draw inspiration from a scientific article, invention, or pure imagination. Write those letters (usually all capitalized) down the left side of the page.
2) Next, think of some words starting with those letters. What relates to science fiction in general, and your subject in particular? If you’re sure you want to use a specific word, attach it to the appropriate letter. Otherwise, string on a line several words all starting with the same letter, and make up your mind later.
3) Finally, “connect the dots,” adding more words and phrases to complete the poem around the framework of chosen words. Make sure it flows smoothly.
"Jonah’s Landing" Your Science Fiction Poemby Elizabeth Barrette
Carusian starships were legendary for speed
And frugality, single-use transportation to a new life.
Verne bought one, down on his luck and convinced its
Edibility would lower the cost of feeding his colonists
All through their first year. The Carusians told him
To butcher it promptly on landing. He agreed.
Everything went well until the colonists disembarked.
Most of them scattered to inflate their own homes,
Pride taking precedence over promises. Frustrated,
Their captain threw up his hands and let them go.
Only two pink moons, staring at the newcomers, saw the
Rapacious starship devour its crew that night.
Links
"About Science Fiction Poetry" by Suzette Haden Elgin
"Appreciating Speculative Poetry" by Elizabeth Barrette
"Marketing Science Fiction Poetry" by Scott E. Green
"Speculative Poetry: Past, Present, and Future" by Richard H. Fay
The Science Fiction Poetry Association
The Ultimate Science Fiction Poetry Guide
"Appreciating Speculative Poetry" by Elizabeth Barrette
"Marketing Science Fiction Poetry" by Scott E. Green
"Speculative Poetry: Past, Present, and Future" by Richard H. Fay
The Science Fiction Poetry Association
The Ultimate Science Fiction Poetry Guide
