Bardic Madness XXII Challenges – Figures of speech
For a brief explanation of Challenges, please see the Schedule page

 

Fyt the First:

 

Ensemble Tale:

From among the participants, lined up together, the patron will “conduct” the story by pointing to the person whose turn it is to continue the tale at various times! You might get pointed at multiple times, so be ready!

Originator:   Anonymous            Patron: Mikey

 

Rede me this
Riddles represent the metaphor at the instant before it becomes a commonplace.  Think of two things, one of which is natural and the other of which is period and made or fashioned. Write a riddle that describes one pretending to be the other.

Originator:   Owen Alun        Patron: Owen Alun (in absentia)

 

The Language of Music

Sometimes the most profound communication can be that which is without speech at all. Play a song on an instrument, either by itself or as accompaniment to yourself or someone else, where the instrumental music is a critical component of the piece. Alternatively, sing a song where the singer(s) voice(s) emulate a musical instrument.

Examples– Eliane’s Three Words, Berwyn’s Drum Song

Originator:   Eithni                             Patron:  Berwyn

 

Are You SO, or Are You Only LIKE So?

Metaphor and simile are used extensively throughout literature as a simple way to draw comparisons between things and paint a picture for the audience. Present a work that uses metaphors or similes to make your point.

Metaphor: saying that the object describes IS the thing it is compared to.

  •      Love is a smoke made with fumes of sighs (Shakespeare -Romeo and Juliet I.i.19)
  •      Love is a familiar; Love is a devil: there is no evil angel but Love. (Love’s Labor’s Lost I.ii)

Simile: saying that the object describes is LIKE the thing it is compared to.

  •      My love is like a fever… (Shakespeare Sonnet 147)
  •      Love is like a child that longs for everything that he can come by (Two Gentlemen of Verona III.i.127-8)

Originator:   Eithni                                                  Patron:  Freydis

Class Period I

LUNCH!

 

Fyt the Second:

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Sing Until the Cows Come Home

Even if you were as blind as a bat, you’d know that English is chock full of animal-related idioms. So, control the ants in your pants, get busy as a bee, and regale us with a piece that incorporates animal-related idioms for an effect that’s just the cat’s meow.

Animal-idiom websites:

Origin: The Buzz of the Hive              Patron:   Rose Marian

 

Voices of Northshield, Sing to the Crown

A synecdoche is a figure of speech where a word for a part is used to represent the whole or where a word for the whole represents a part. Alternatively, a synecdoche can be when a word for a general concept is applied to a specific case or vice versa. Present a piece (song, poem, or short story) that makes use of synecdoche.

Examples: 

  •   Crown = King and Queen
  •    swords = soldiers
  •    Romeo = lovesick boy
  •    10 head = 10 cows
  •    grey beard = old man

Originator:                                                     Patron: Gwyneth

 

Authenticity’s Delight:

The play of words and careful construction of phrases was well valued throughout the period we study in the SCA. Perform an original piece (yours or someone else’s) composed in a period style or perform a piece documentable to SCA period. Plan to briefly introduce the piece by saying what style it is in, and from when and where.

Originator: Ysolt Pais du Cuer                Patron:  Cnut

 

 Class Period II

 

Fyt the Third:


Word Salad

Provided with twenty-two words or short phrases (available the day of the event from the Provost), incorporate all of them – nicely dressed and garnished – into a poem, song, or other short work.

Origin:   Somewhere in the deep dark recesses of Bardic Madness History              Patron:  Brilliana 

 

Making the Dumb to Speak

People often personify their pets, their belongings, or even places. Prosopopeia is the technique of presenting a work from the point of view of an imaginary person, an animal, or an inanimate object. Present a work where you give a voice to a usually silent character.

Need inspiration?  Try:

 

Originator:  Eithni                    Patron:  Kudrun

 

Two Heads Are Better Than One
In language, each part of speech has a role to play, but they are limited in what they can convey alone. The richness of language comes from the infinite ways parts of speech, figures of speech, intonation, connotation, and denotation all interact and play off one another. Present a piece (short scene, song, dance, etc.) where two or more artists interact to create a more spectacular performance.

Originators:  Bronisláva and Eithni           Patrons:  Bronislavá and Cybele

 

Petrarchan Sonnet Challenge

Petrarchan sonnets were usually praise sonnets that made use of hyperbolic comparisons to glorify their subject and often made use of a conceit – an extended metaphor that reached throughout the poem. Compose and present a poem written in the format of a Petrarchan sonnet. (A class on this topic will be taught on site and links to examples of Petrarchan forms will be published on the Bardic Madness website soon.)

For example:  http://www.ajdrake.com/e252_fall_04/materials/guides/ren_petrarchan.htm
or: http://www.sonnets.org/basicforms.htm

Originator:     Francesco Petrarca                        Patron:  Ingus


Fyt the Fourth (Feast Fyt):

 

Blow someone else’s horn

Perform the work of some other SCA person, either as tribute to someone who could not be with us at the event, or to show off the work of a friend who is there. Extra applause for memorizing or for performing something that is not well-known. We’ll have a special chair up front for the author of your piece, if they are in attendance, to be recognized for their work!

Originators: Ysolt and Dahrien     Patron: Eliane

 

Bard Scribe Illuminator – You’re so punny

From canting arms to grotesque drolleries, illuminations and illustrations often comment on the texts they accompany. Compose, calligraph, and illuminate a text on any topic where the images are used to make visual puns or jokes on the accompanying text. This may be done individually or as a team. Extra applause given for performing the piece, too!

Origin:  This is another classic challenge      Patron: Elizabeth


Home Is Where the Heart Is

In Northshield we value our homeland and many of our songs celebrate it. Present a song that sings the praises of Northshield, your local group, or some other place you consider home. If you are composing a new piece, try to incorporate figures of speech, either those featured today or others. Be prepared for gentles to join in if you present a well-loved selection!

Originator: Eithni            Patron: Shava