By Katie Doolittle
In Angela Farley’s English classroom, the connection between classic poets and college basketball is clear: every March, they both inspire enthusiasm and competition.
Farley is the Advanced Placement (AP) Literature teacher at River Ridge High School and creator of the legendary Poetry Madness unit. This unit prepares seniors for a specific essay question on the AP Lit test. As Farley explains, this particular prompt requires students “to analyze a poem they’ve never seen, often by a poet they’ve never read. I wanted to demystify the process.”
“Poetry Madness also stemmed out of my attempt to have a greater understanding of my husband’s passion for March Madness.” Farley remembers the night she was inspired to merge aspects of sporting competition with literary content. She was staying up late to grade papers while her husband watched an NCAA tournament game. “How can I attach this to something I’m passionate about?” she wondered. On a broader level, she questioned if this might be an opportunity to better engage the athletes and sports fans in her classroom. Farley notes, “As teachers we are always looking for ways to help our students make meaning and we try to attach content to things that already matter in their lives.”
Thus was Poetry Madness born.
The process actually begins every February, when Farley’s coworkers help with seeding. They do so by ranking a list of poets according to perceived literary merit.
Next comes the draft. Students randomly draw numbers from a deck of cards. Then, they take turns picking poets until the entire 32-slot bracket has been filled.
During the actual competition, students face off in pairs. They each select one poem to read out loud at the beginning of the round. Each student will then have four 30-second opportunities to defend the worth of their poet. First, they analyze their poet’s use of stylistic devices within the poem. Then, they argue for their poet’s overall literary significance. Next, students explain their poet’s position in what Farley calls “the family tree of poets.” Who did the poet influence? By whom was the poet influenced? Finally, students have an opportunity to share any remaining information they deem pertinent.
Classmates watch the competition and vote on a winner. Victorious students advance through the Sweet Sixteen and Final Four, analyzing a new poem by their poet for each round until, finally, a champion is named.
Many students believe that certain poets have an innate advantage over others. This is not necessarily the case, although some poets always seed high. Upon observing this year’s bracket, Farley’s husband notes, “Emily Dickinson and William Shakespeare? They’re just like Syracuse and UCLA. They always get into the tournament. They have the skills, but you never know how far they’re actually going to get.”
“I was an underdog going in to Poetry Madness,” reminisces Patrick Sitama. He was the third period champion in 2013, winning with Langston Hughes. Currently in his first year at South Puget Sound Community College, Sitama appreciates how AP Lit prepared him for success. “Ms. Farley was a great teacher. She truly loves the subject matter she teaches, and it showed every day in class. The workload she assigned was immense, but we benefitted from the experience because it disciplined us for the workload of college courses.”
Katie Hovde, another past champion, concurs about the advantages of working with Farley. “In college, I’ve met a lot of people who did AP English at their high schools and they didn’t receive nearly the level of well-roundedness, creativity, diversity, or challenge that I received at River Ridge.” In addition to honing her academic skills, AP gave Hovde intellectual confidence. She further adds, “Maybe it is just the rare diversity of River Ridge, but I really appreciate the fact that I spent high school not only learning the ins and outs of language and literature, but also learning how to be a good human being.”
Hovde will graduate from Central Washington University next spring with a double major in Music and Public Relations. She’s years away from her Poetry Madness victory, yet still vividly remembers the experience. Hovde took two poets through the competition. Though she won with Shakespeare, she actually gained a greater appreciation for her other poet, Sylvia Plath. “Her poetry is so raw and honest. ‘Mad Girl’s Love Song’ had a particularly long-lasting effect on me.” From memory, Hovde launches into a description of the poem’s rhythmic juxtapositions. She then says, “On a less technical note, I love how heart wrenching it is. You could give this poem to someone who has no idea what heartbreak even means, and they’d read this and very clearly and deeply feel it.”
This, ultimately, is the true prize of Poetry Madness: strong analytical reading skills, rich understanding of theme, and deep appreciation for literature. Through her commitment to teaching and continued creativity in the classroom, Angela Farley has given every one of her students the chance to keep winning long after the Poetry Madness competition ends.
