Lesson 3.05: The Bad Boy of Literature

Following successful completion of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Read and appreciate Renaissance poetry
• Label the rhyme scheme and literary elements
• Annotate poetry
• Create epigrams following Ben Jonson’s characteristics
• Demonstrate an understanding of the basic rules of punctuation

The above objectives correspond with the following Alabama Course of Study Objectives: CCRS 2Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text., CCRS 3Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed)., CCRS 8Demonstrate knowledge of foundational works of European literature with a concentration in British literature, including how two or more texts from the same period treat similar themes or topics. , CCRS 9By the end of Grade 12, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the end of the Grades 11-College and Career Readiness (CCR) text complexity band independently and proficiently. , CCRS 20Write informative or explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. , and CCRS 36Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing..

Like many people who are famous in their own time, Ben Jonson was such a man.  He was famous as a great scholar - without benefit of a formal education, a hot-tempered man - who didn't settle down until late in life, and a soldier and a duelist - who always loved a good fight!

Jonson was also friends with many of the writers of his day, and many of his most well-known poems include tributes to friends such as Shakespeare and John Donne.  And, like today’s rock stars, he had groupies who called themselves the “Sons of Ben.”  Let’s learn more about this “larger than life” character.