Marco+Polo+and+The+Wonders+of+China

**//In China, Marco Polo found a civilization more advanced than in Europe. At one of the large cities, Marco discovered that there were 300 baths for public use, with hot and cold water. He saw grand palaces, tree-shaded highways, paved roads, parks, and fine bridges. Impressed with Marco's integrity and intelligence, Kublai Khan, who had befriended Marco's father and uncle on their first journey to China, appointed Marco as commissioner to the imperial council in 1277. Later Marco was appointed governor of the Chinese city of Hangzhou. These positions allowed him to travel to such a faraway places as Tibet, India, Burma, and eastern China, where he saw other wondrous sights, such as cloth that would not burn (asbestos), black stones that would burn (coal), and paper money.//**
 * //Marco Polo, a thirteenth century Italian from the city of Venice, was one of the first Europeans after the fall of the Roman Empire to journey across Asia to China. Beginning in 1271, Marco accompanied his father and uncle, diamond merchants who had traveled to China before, on a three-year trip from Palestine to Shang Du in China.//**



//**Homesick, Marco Polo returned to Venice in 1295 and found the city at war with Genoa. Polo acted as the commander of a Venetian galley until he was captured by the Genoese and put in prison. There among the prisoners, jailers, and visitors he found an audience for his stories of fantastic travels. One of the inmates, Rustichello of Pisa, copied the narrative from Marco's dictation. When the resulting book, A Description of the World (now called The Travels of Marco Polo), was completed in 1298, most people refused to believe it was all true. Marco received the nickname "Il Milione," or "Marco Millions," because people thought his claims about Asia - its size, its wealth, its population - were exaggerated. On his deathbed in 1324, a priest begged Marco to admit that much of A Description of the World was false; otherwise he would die a liar. Marco allegedly replied, "I never told half of what I saw!" It was not unit the twentieth century scholars confirmed much of what appeared in his book that it was recognized that Polo had accurately described the culture of Yuan China.**// __**Your Assignment**__

**//You are a fifteenth century Italian trader from Venice who has traveled extensively in China. You are familiar with the life of Marco Polo and are outraged that his reports on China were considered by many as lies because you, too, have seen the wonders of China. Pained to see an innocent man wrongly accused - and unable to defend himself some 200 years after his death - you plan to write a richly detailed poem explaining what you have seen in China to validate Marco Polo's claims. You hope to convince the citizens of Venice that their misrepresented son was not a liar.//** ==== ** On Friday you will share with the world what life was like in China for Marco Polo. It will be presented Poetry Slam style to a live audience. It will be the finest, most bold, most impressive thing you have done this year. It can be written in any style of poetry ([|55 Types of Poetry] ). The major difference between regular poetry and poetry slam poems is that a slam poem is written specifically to be read out loud by its author for an audience. ** ====

** The following two questions and answers are from poetryslam.com **



//**__ Monday __**//  Look over the resources, and get a general understanding of the many achievements in China. Start to generate ideas for your poem. Develop an engaging opening question that you are going to ask the audience before you start your slam poem. You are going to look straight into the camera and blast that question into the audience’s body and then slam them with your poem.

 //**__ Tuesday __**//  Research only! Your poem must be based on research, no “person off the street” poems. You must have a minimum of at least one page of notes in order to start your poem. Your notes must be focused on answering your question.

 //**__ Wednesday __**//  Day dream, write, imagine, write some more, build with words a slam poem that will leave your audience in a trance. Think about what emotion you will convey—and then slam it. Don’t just rhyme a bunch of facts, respect your audience by giving them a performance they will remember. Being loud isn’t important. Being bold is.

 //**__ Thursday __**//  Complete your poem. Your poem must be practiced, it must be felt. It must be internalized. Your body must deliver it, not your mouth. Find a mirror and look yourself in the eye and deliver your poem. Record yourself and listen…and then record yourself again. You may have fear when you walk up to the stage, but you will have confidence when you deliver your words because you will be ready. You will have pictured yourself on the stage slamming your poem, and then you will walk off a changed person.

 //**__ Friday __**//  Slam Bam Thank you ma’am. Your name is called. You walk up to the camera with pride, with power, you will be bold. You turn, face the camera and deliver your question to your audience. You are bold…they feel it. No one can look away, they hang on your every word. You voice is loud, soft, fast, slow…no matter the tone, no matter how big the words, your poem just flows. One minute, two minutes, no more than three…when you are done, your audience will be momentarily speechless, followed by cheers of “yeah baby!”

Girls Lending Pens  []

 Knock Knock  []

<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> Like Totally Whatever <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; padding-right: 10px;"> []

<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding-right: 10px;">[] Can’t Read <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding-right: 10px;">[] Sarah Kay<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding-right: 10px;">[]