Judith Wright: Poetry Lesson Plan

The second stanza of “Five Senses” begins with the line, “While I’m in my five senses.” What does this imply about the nature of consciousness? Are there times when we are not “in," or connected to, our five senses? Where is our attention in those instances?

Students might discuss more precisely the information that we perceive through our five senses and where this information comes from (i.e. is it internal or external?). Then, they might draw a distinction between this type of sensing and other types of consciousness (for example, more inward types of attention, e.g., thinking or imagining, or more spiritual/less material kinds of sensing), and explore any positive...