This activity has students explore the power of poetry.
Background:
Barilla copied the lyrics of a song, circa 1841, into her journal as if it were a poem. According to Bridget Marshall, associate professor of English at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, “It would have been very common for people then to write out poems in their own hand, whether because they liked the poem, to share it with a friend, or to help them to remember or even memorize it. [The words are] from a much-republished poem that appeared in many songbooks and books of memorial poetry. The poem, “Shed Not a Tear,” written by Mrs. Mary S. B. Dana, … [appears in] The Southern Harp, which contains “Shed Not a Tear” and many other songs; it was published in Boston in 1841. It is likely that a copy could have been passed among the girls or in church.”
The “Shed Not a Tear” poem and song (pdf) are available in Barilla’s handwriting, transcribed, and as sheet music. See the Power of Poetry worksheet (pdf) for questions that will help students break down the poetic devices in the poem to decipher its meaning.