escaping the tyranny of the human face

“Always be a poet even in prose—Charles Baudelaire”
Option 1
Using Baudelaire’s poem “One O’clock in the Morning” as inspiration, write an essay describing how you escape “the tyranny of the human face…” Where is your haven away from the chaos of modern life? Where do you go to be alone? To be silent? What do you do there? Be detailed. Be honest. Use your five senses. Use at least two lines from the poem in your essay.

Option 2
Using Baudelaire’s poem “The Clock” as inspiration describe how observing your cat or dog or bird or fish (or whatever animal you are lucky enough to be around) gives us a glimpse of a timelessness—beyond ticking clocks and calendars, etc…a peephole into the NOW—which is a sliver of endlessness or eternity. Be detailed. Be honest. Use your five senses. Use at least two lines from the poem in your essay.

Option 3
Write a LETTER to Charles Baudelaire about ONE of his poems from PARIS SPLEEN (that we read this semester) that resonated with you. Use your natural voice. Be detailed. Be honest. Use your five senses. Try to make a connection to your own life. Use at least two lines from the poem in your essay.

Option 4
Baudelaire’s ghost crashes a meeting at a large financial institution. What happens? What does he say? What does he do? Be detailed. Be honest. Use your five senses. Use at least two lines from two of his poems that we’ve read from PARIS SPLEEIN this semester for ammunition as to what unfolds in this scenario.

GUIDELINES
Typed
1,000 words or more
Double-spaced
One-inch margins all around
Times New Roman/12-point font
4-5 paragraphs
Creatively titled
Proofread
Only your name in upper left-hand corner