Name:_______________________

Unit 3: PoetryDay Date Topic Pages Homework

1 Tues, 12/1 Intro to Poetry 2-13 Poetry #1

2 Wed, 12/2 How to Read Poetry 14-22 Pg. 23

3 Thurs, 12/3 Theme 24-30 Poetry #3

4 Assonance & Alliteration 31-43 Poetry #4

5 Persona 44-47 Poetry #5

6 Apostrophe & Extended Metaphor 48-54 Poetry #6

7 Poetry Synthesis 55-58 Pg. 59-60

8 Figurative Language Review 61-67 Pg. 68

9 Unit Test Review 68-78 Study!

10 Unit Test ------- ---------------------------

Day 1: Intro to Poetry1

SWBAT differentiate between poetry and prose.SWBAT identify the tone and mood of poems.SWBAT identify humor in poetry.

Agenda:

1. Do Now2. Notes

3. Pre-Reading

4. Reading5. Homework Overview6. Closing

     Homework: Poetry #1

Directions: Read the following poem and answer the following questions.

As the wind does blowAcross the trees, I see the

Buds blooming in May

1. How many syllables are in line one? _________________________

2. How many syllables are in line two? _________________________

3. How many syllables are in line three? _________________________

4. How does the author of this poem feel? _________________________

5. How does this poem make you feel? _________________________

2

Do Now

Aims

Poetry and Prose: What’s the Difference?Nearly all writing shares the goal of communicating a message to an audience, but how that message is communicated can differ greatly.

The divisions between poetry and prose aren’t clear-cut, but here are some generally accepted differences.

______________________ ______________________

Most _____________________ writing is in prose form.

Poetry is typically reserved for expressing something _____________________ in an artistic way.

The language of prose is typically _____________________ without much decoration.

The language of poetry tends to be more _______________________ or decorated, with comparisons, rhyme, and rhythm contributing to a different sound and feel.

_______________ are contained in sentences that are arranged into paragraphs.

__________________ are contained in lines that may or may not be sentences. Lines are arranged in stanzas.

There are no ______________________. Sentences run to the right margin.

Poetry uses ________________________ for various reasons—to follow a formatted rhythm or to emphasize an idea. Lines can run extremely long or be as short as one word or letter.

The first word of each ____________________ is capitalized.

Traditionally, the first letter of every __________________ is capitalized, but many modern poets choose not to follow this rule strictly.

Prose looks like large ________________ of words.

The ________________ of poetry can vary depending on line length and the intent of the poet.

Tone is . . . 3

Notes

Mood is . . .

It’s cold—and I waitFor someone to shelter meAnd take me from here.

1. How would you describe the tone of this poem?

2. How would you describe the mood of this poem?

No one travelsAlong this way but I,This autumn evening.

1. What adjectives could you use to describe the tone of this poem?

2. What adjectives could you use to describe the mood of this poem?

4

Pre-Reading

Notes: Poetry Terms

Term Definition Cheat Sheet Ms. P Example Class ExampleAssonance

Consonance

Alliteration

Repetition

Rhyme

Idiom

Miss Mary Mack, Mack, MackAll dressed in black, black, blackWith silver buttons, buttons, buttonsAll down her back, back, back

Alliteration:

Repetition:

Assonance:

Rhyme:

Consonance:

How are assonance, consonance, rhyme, and alliteration all similar? What differentiates each one?

5All

Assonance

Consonance

Smart

by Shel Silverstein

My dad gave me one dollar bill‘Cause I’m his smartest son,And I swapped it for two shiny quarters‘Cause two is more than one!

And then I took the quartersAnd traded them to LouFor three dimes—I guess he don’t knowThat three is more than two!

Just then, along came old blind BatesAnd just ‘cause he can’t seeHe gave me four nickels for my three dimes,And four is more than three!

And I took the nickels to Hiram CoombsDown at the seed-feed store,And the fool gave me five pennies for them,And five is more than four!

And then I went and showed my dad,And he got red in the cheeksAnd closed his eyes and shook his head–Too proud of me to speak!

1. How does this poem’s title relate to the poem? What information does it give us (the readers)?

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

6

Reading

All

Alliteration

Repetition

Rhyme

2. How many stanzas does this poem contain? __________________

3. What is this poem generally about?

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Who is the speaker of this poem? How do you know?

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

5. What is the author’s tone?

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

6. What type of mood is the author trying to create? How do you know?

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

7. Which literary devices are most obvious? Give an example.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

7

Hate Poem

by Julie Sheehan

I hate you truly. Truly I do.Everything about me hates everything about you.The flick of my wrist hates you.The way I hold my pencil hates you.The sound made by my tiniest bones were they trapped      in the jaws of a moray eel hates you.Each corpuscle1 singing in its capillary hates you.

Look out! Fore! I hate you.

The blue-green jewel of sock lint I’m digging     from under my third toenail, left foot, hates you.The history of this keychain hates you.My sigh in the background as you explain relational databases     hates you.The goldfish of my genius hates you.My aorta hates you. Also my ancestors.

A closed window is both a closed window and an obvious     symbol of how I hate you.

My voice curt as a hairshirt2: hate.My hesitation when you invite me for a drive: hate.My pleasant “good morning”: hate.You know how when I’m sleepy I nuzzle my head     under your arm? Hate.The whites of my target-eyes articulate hate. My wit     practices it.Layers of hate, a parfait.Hours after our latest row, brandishing the sharp glee of hate,I dissect you cell by cell, so that I might hate each one     individually and at leisure.My lungs, duplicitous3 twins, expand with the utter validity     of my hate, which can never have enough of you,Breathlessly, like two idealists in a broken submarine.

1 corpuscle: a tiny particle 2 hairshirt: a shirt made of coarse animal hair, worn as punishment3 duplicitous: marked by duplicity (double)

8

1. How does this poem’s title relate to the poem? What information does it give us (the readers)?

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

2. How many stanzas does this poem contain? __________________

3. What is this poem generally about?

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Who is the speaker of this poem? How do you know?

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

5. What is the author’s tone?

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

6. What type of mood is the author trying to create? How do you know?

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

7. Which literary devices are most obvious? Give an example.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

9

Homework Reading

So You Want to Be a Writer? Don't Try. Exploring Bukowski's Immortal Philosophy

Micah Van Hove

03.23.13 @ 10:00AM Tags : bukowski, screenwriting, writers

The poet and novelist Charles Bukowski was buried in Los Angeles in 1994 with the simple words “Don’t Try” adorning his headstone. It always struck me as a beautiful way to explain art, life and the quest for creativity. Don’t try? This seemingly flippant philosophy might be easily marginalized, but is there something more profound to Bukowski’s immortalizing words? What did he really mean by this? Digging through his letters, it becomes more clear, and it’s punctuated nicely by this poem posthumously released in 2003,

So You Want to Be a Writer?:

if it doesn’t come bursting out of you

in spite of everything,

don’t do it.

If it’s hard work just thinking about doing it,

don’t do it.

If you’re trying to write like somebody

else,

forget about it.

If you have to wait for it to roar out of

you

then wait patiently.

10

What then, is Bukowski saying here? “You either have it, or you don’t?” Perhaps he’s warning us of over thinking, forcing ourselves through, reminding us that it’s all there in front of us—we merely have to wait for it, to accept it; to harness it. It’s like Tarkovsky said,

cinema uses your live, not vice-versa.

In a letter written in 1963, Bukowski replied to someone who once asked him, “What do you do? How do you write, create?”:

You don’t try. That’s very important: ‘not’ to try, either for Cadillacs, creation or immortality. You wait, and if

nothing happens, you wait some more. It’s like a bug high on the wall. You wait for it to come to you. When it

gets close enough you reach out, slap out and kill it. Or if you like its looks you make a pet out of it.

The creative process is often a matter of capturing lightning in a bottle. Sometimes you never find what you’re looking for until you stop looking—and then it finds you. No matter what side you’re coming from, be it writing, directing, or producing—filmmaking is full of intangibles. In this sense, perhaps Bukowski’s advice can be likened more to “be natural,” or “go with the flow.”

Moving ahead to 1990, Bukowski sent a letter to his friend William Packard to remind him:

We work too hard. We try too hard. Don’t try. Don’t work. It’s there. It’s been looking right at us, aching to kick

out of the closed womb. There’s been too much direction. It’s all free, we needn’t be told. Classes? Classes are

for asses. Writing a poem is as easy as beating your meat or drinking a bottle of beer.

And lastly, Linda Bukowski (his wife) has another take on ‘Don’t Try,’ from a 2005 interview:

Yeah, I get so many different ideas from people that don’t understand what that means. Well, ‘Don’t Try? Just be

a slacker? Lay back?’ And I say no! Don’t try, do. Because if you’re spending your time trying something, you’re

not doing it…

Last words of a famous grump, or sage advice? What do you think about Bukowski’s philosophy?

so you want to be a writer?11

by Charles Bukowski

if it doesn't come bursting out of youin spite of everything,don't do it.unless it comes unasked out of yourheart and your mind and your mouthand your gut,don't do it.if you have to sit for hoursstaring at your computer screenor hunched over yourtypewritersearching for words,don't do it.if you're doing it for money orfame,don't do it.if you're doing it because you wantwomen to love you,don't do it.if you have to sit there andrewrite it again and again,don't do it.if it's hard work just thinking about doing it,don't do it.if you're trying to write like somebodyelse,forget about it.

if you have to wait for it to roar out ofyou,then wait patiently.if it never does roar out of you,do something else.

if you first have to read it to your wifeor your girlfriend or your boyfriendor your parents or to anybody at all,you're not ready.

don't be like so many writers,don't be like so many thousands ofpeople who call themselves writers,don't be dull and boring andpretentious,4 don't be consumed with self-love.the libraries of the world haveyawned themselves tosleepover your kind.don't add to that.don't do it.

4

pretentious (adj.): the quality of thinking you are very important12

unless it comes out ofyour soul like a rocket,unless being still woulddrive you to madness orsuicide or murder,don't do it.unless the sun inside you isburning your gut,don't do it.

when it is truly time,and if you have been chosen,it will do it byitself and it will keep on doing ituntil you die or it dies in you.

there is no other way.

and there never was.

Day 2: How to Read Poetry

SWBAT describe strategies for understanding a poem.13

Objectives

Agenda:

1. Do Now2. Poetry Review3. Guided Practice

4. Independent Practice5. Homework Overview6. Closing

     Homework: Pg. 23

Match the definition with the term.

____________ 1. Repetition of the last sound of the word

A. Alliteration

____________ 2. Repetition of the consonant sounds in words

B. Assonance

____________ 3. Repetition of the vowel sounds in words

C. Repetition

____________ 4. Repeating words or phrases D. Rhyme

____________ 5. Repetition of the beginning sounds in words

F. Consonance

A poem is . . .

14

Do Now

Poetry Review

Term Definition Cheat Sheet Ms. P’s Example

Class Example

Simile

Metaphor

Hyperbole

Personification

Imagery

Dialect

Ballad of RooseveltThe pot was empty, The cupboard was bare.I said, Papa, What’s the matter here? I’m waitin' on Roosevelt, son,Roosevelt, Roosevelt, Waitin' on Roosevelt, son.The rent was due, And the lights was out. I said, Tell me, Mama,

15

Notes

What’s it all about? We’re waitin' on Roosevelt, son, Roosevelt, Roosevelt, Just waitin' on Roosevelt.Sister got sick And the doctor wouldn’t come Cause we couldn’t pay him The proper sum—A-waitin on Roosevelt,Roosevelt, Roosevelt, A-waitin' on Roosevelt.Then one day They put us out o' the house. Ma and Pa was Meek as a mouse Still waitin' on Roosevelt, Roosevelt, Roosevelt.But when they felt thoseCold winds blowAnd didn’t have noPlace to goPa said, I’m tiredO’waitin' on Roosevelt,Roosevelt, Roosevelt.Damn tired o‘ waitin’ on RooseveltI can’t git a jobAnd I can’t git no grub.Backbone and navel’sDoin' the belly-rub—A-waitin' on Roosevelt,Roosevelt, Roosevelt.And a lot o' other folksWhat’s hungry and coldDone stopped believin'What they been toldBy Roosevelt,Roosevelt, Roosevelt—Cause the pot’s still empty,And the cupboard’s still bare,And you can’t build a bungalowOut o' air—Mr. Roosevelt, listen!What’s the matter here?Source: Langston Hughes, “Ballad of Roosevelt,” New Republic 31 (November 14, 1934): 9.

1. How does this poem’s title relate to the poem? What information does it give us (the readers)?

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

2. How many stanzas does this poem contain? __________________

16

3. What is this poem generally about?

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Who is the speaker of this poem? How do you know?

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

5. What is the author’s tone?

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

6. What type of mood is the author trying to create? How do you know?

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

7. Which literary devices are most obvious? Give an example.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

17

18

Directions: Answer the questions from the section “Your Turn: Applying Reading Skills” on p. 19 of your packet.

1 After reading the stanza aloud three times to yourself, paraphrase it on the lines below.

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

2 What does the figure of speech “word that melts iron and snow” mean?

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

3 Why do you think the poet puts the word word on its own line?

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

19

20

Independent Practice

Directions: Answer the questions from the section “Your Turn: Applying Reading Skills” on p. 22 of your packet.

21

1. How many sentences are in this poem? Paraphrase each one.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Read the poem aloud. What sound devices and rhythms are more apparent when you hear the poem?

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Visualize the bird that the speaker describes. What sensory details help you create a strong mental image?

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Word Denotation Connotation

4. Consider the poet’s use of the word stab in line six. He might also have used poke. What other verbs might

he have selected? What connotations do you associate with stab?

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Choose three key words in the poem and explain their connotations and denotations.

Day 3: Theme22

Aims

SWBAT define theme.SWBAT identify the theme of various poems.

Agenda:

Do Now Notes Guided Practice

Independent Practice Homework Overview Closing

Homework: Poetry #3

Directions: Name the literary device used below.

Word Bank:Simile Metaphor Hyperbole Personification RhymeAssonance Consonance Alliteration Repetition Imagery

1 The storm was a monster.2 Dead in the middle of little Italy, little

did we know that we were lost.3 She was as quick as lightning.4 Don’t go in over your head!5 She must have told you a million times!6 The burglar brought beach balls.7 The waves crashed in gusts onto the

shore and the sky opened up with a dazzling pink burst.

8 Then the waves licked my face.

Theme is . . .

23

Do Now

Notes

Poems have theme, too!

James Weldon Johnson: A BiographyBorn in 1871 in Jacksonville, Florida, James Weldon Johnson was encouraged to study English literature and the European musical tradition. He attended Atlanta University with the intention that the education he received there would be used to further the interests of the black people. After graduation, he took a job as a high school principal in Jacksonville.

In 1900, he wrote the song "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing" on the occasion of Lincoln's birthday; the song which became immensely popular in the black community and became known as the "Negro National Anthem." Johnson moved to New York in 1901 to collaborate with his brother Rosamond, a composer, and attained some success as a songwriter for

Broadway, but decided to take a job as U.S. Consul to Venezuela in 1906. While employed by the diplomatic corps, Johnson had poems published in the Century Magazine and The Independent.

In 1912, Johnson published The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man under a pseudonym, the story of a musician who rejects his black roots for a life of material comfort in the white world. The novel explores the issue of racial identity in the twentieth century, a common theme in the writing of the Harlem Renaissance.

He had a talent for persuading people of differing ideological agendas to work together for a common goal, and in 1920 he became the national organizer for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He edited The Book of American Negro Poetry (1922), a major contribution to the history of African-American literature. His book of poetry God's Trombones (1927) was influenced by his impressions of the rural South, drawn from a trip he took to Georgia while a freshman in college. It was this trip that ignited his interest in the African-American folk tradition.

James Weldon Johnson died in 1938.

This poem was written in response to the racism that persisted in the South after the Civil War had ended.

O Southland!

by James Weldon Johnson

O Southland! O Southland!24

Guided Practice

Have you not heard the call,

The trumpet blow, the word made known

To the nations, one and all?

The watchword, the hope-word

Salvation’s present plan?

A gospel new, for all—for you:

Man shall be saved by man.

O Southland! O Southland!

Do you not hear today

The mighty beat of onward feet

And know you not their way?

’Tis forward, ’tis upward,

On to the fair white arch

Of Freedom’s dome, and there is room

For each man who would march.

O Southland, fair Southland!

Then why do you still cling

To an idle age and a musty page

To a dead and useless thing?

’Tis springtime! ’Tis worktime!

The world is young again!

And God’s above, and God is love,

And men are only men.

1. Who or what is the “Southland”?

25

2. “A gospel new, for all—for you: / Man shall be saved by man.” What does this mean?

3. What is moving “forward” and “upward” to the “fair white arch of Freedom’s dome”?

4. What is the theme of this poem? Explain.

5. Johnson’s biography tells us that he wanted to use his education to further the interests of blacks in America. Do you think this poem accomplishes that? Explain.

My City

by James Weldon Johnson

When I come down to sleep death's endless night,The threshold of the unknown dark to cross,What to me then will be the keenest loss,

26

Independent Practice

When this bright world blurs on my fading sight?Will it be that no more I shall see the treesOr smell the flowers or hear the singing birdsOr watch the flashing streams or patient herds?No, I am sure it will be none of these.

But, ah! Manhattan's sights and sounds, her smells,Her crowds, her throbbing force, the thrill that comesFrom being of her a part, her subtle spells,Her shining towers, her avenues, her slums—O God! the stark, unutterable pity,To be dead, and never again behold my city!

1. What is the tone of this poem?

2. “What to me then will be the keenest loss, / When this bright world blurs on my fading sight?” Put these lines in your own words.

27

3. What is personified in this poem?

4. What will be the greatest tragedy for our speaker?

5. What is the theme of this poem? Explain.

6. The speaker is praising Manhattan, one of the boroughs of New York City. Synthesize this with one other text we have read so far in class. (Bonus bucks for a good response!)

28Homework Reading

In the poem below, the speaker is talking to death.The Suicide

by James Weldon Johnson

For fifty years,Cruel, insatiable5 old World,You have punched me over the heartTill you made me cough blood.The few paltry6 things I gatheredYou snatched out of my hands.You have knocked the cup from my thirsty lips.You have laughed at my hunger of body and soul.

You look at me now and thinking,“He is still strong,There ought to be twenty more years of good punching there.At the end of that time he will be old and broken,Not able to strike back,But cringing and crying for leaveTo live a little longer.”

Those twenty, pitiful, extra yearsWould please you more than the fifty past,Would they not, old World?Well, I hold them up before your greedy eyes,And snatch them away as I laugh in your face.Ha—

5 insatiable: incapable of being satisfied or pleased6 paltry: small, worthless

29

Day 4:

SWBAT differentiate between assonance and alliterationSWBAT identify assonance and alliteration in a poem.

Agenda:

Do Now Notes

Pre-Reading

Reading Homework Overview Closing

Homework: Poetry #4

Directions: Name the literary device used below.

30

Do Now

Aims

TERM DEFINITION EXAMPLE

1 Exaggeration I was so hungry that I almost died!

2 A comparison between two dissimilar things without using “like” or “as”.

My love is a rose.

3 A comparison between unlike things using “”like” or “as.

My love is like a red red rose.

4 A common phrase that means something different than the literal translation.

Don’t bite off more than you can chew.

Nazir just sunk a three.

5 The representation of the abstract through the concrete.

A dove symbolizes peace.

The conch shell symbolizes authority.

The mockingbird symbolizes innocence.

31

6 Giving human qualities (thoughts, emotions) to things that are not human.

The chocolate called my name, but I refused to eat it.

7 The repetition of a vowel sound in the middle or at the end of a word.

The TV screen screamed with glee. (long “e” sound)

8 The repetition of a letter at the start of words.

The sun sizzled on the swimmers’ skin.

9 The use of sensory details to give the reader a picture in their head.

The jail-grey waves crashed onto the salt-slicked rocks as birds swooped into an arrow in the sky.

10 Rhyming words at the end of lines to make a pattern of sound.

Shadows on the wall

Noises down the hall

11 Rhyming words within lines. But the fish said, “No! No! Make that cat go away!Tell that Cat in the Hat you do not want to play. “

12 Words that sound like their meaning.

Crash! Boom! Bang! I heard the rainstorm!

13 A group of lines in a poem that are separated from other stanzas by space.

(a paragraph in poetry)

I can walk on the ocean floor

And never have to breathe.

Not at all

Life doesn’t frighten me at all.

14 Repeating a word or phrase in order to emphasize a point

The birds were heroic. The dawn was heroic. The children, playing, were heroic.

Surcease—to cease or end

Implore—to beg urgently or piteously

Lattice—crossed wooden or metal strips, or the form of a window

Obeisance—a movement of the body expressing a deep respect or a deferential courtesy, similar to a bow

Mien—air, bearing or demeanor, as showing character

Pallas—another name for the Greek Goddess also known as Athena

Craven—cowardly, weak, fearful, contemptibly timid

Plutonian—relating to the underworld

Seraphim—members of the highest orders of angels (usually with a child’s head and wings)

Quaff--to drink a beverage, especially an intoxicating one, plentifully and with hearty enjoyment.

Nepenthe—a drug or drink mentioned by ancient writers as having the power to bring about forgetfulness of sorrow or trouble

Balm in Gilead—a healing substance talked about in the Bible

Aidenn—another spelling for Eden, a garden in the Bible from the story of Adam and Eve

Pallid—pale, white

32

Vocabulary

33

Pre-Reading

34

‘The Raven’ is the title of a poem written by Edgar Allan Poe and published in 1845. Poe was famous for tales of horror and this poem has remained popular for more than 150 years now.

The poem tells the story of a man who is sitting in his study late at night. He hears knocking at the door, but can’t see anyone there. Finally a raven (a big black bird) enters the room. Look at the translated version of the opening verses of the poem below.

The Raven

(translated by T. Gaughan)

One cold and dark midnight a long time ago, I was thinking about many things while I tiredly looked at old books about ancient subjects. I was nodding over the books and nearly asleep when I heard a tapping sound at the door to the room. The sound surprised me, but I said to myself that it was just a visitor making the tapping sound, and nothing else.

Thinking back now, I remember that it was in the middle of a bleak December. The fire had burned down until it was just red coals so there was not much light in the room, and I saw the shadows of the coal upon the floor. I wanted it to be day already. I couldn’t sleep because of my sadness over Lenore, and looking at my books didn’t help my state of mind.

The purple curtains in the room moved slightly and filled me with fear. To calm myself I repeated over and over, “it is some visitor who wants to enter, a late visitor who wants to enter, and nothing else.”

Soon I became less afraid and spoke to the door, “Sir or Madam, I’m sorry, but I was almost asleep and you knocked so lightly on the door that I almost couldn’t hear you.” Then I opened the door but there was nothing there.

I stood and looked into the darkness for a long time. I felt very afraid, but there was no sound and everything was still. I whispered the word, “Lenore?” and heard a quiet echo, “Lenore.” I heard nothing else.

Look at the above passage. What information can you find on the following?

Characters Setting (both time and place) Genre (Clues?)

Summarize your ideas on the past (what happened before the story begins), present and future plot lines in just two sentences for each.

35

Translated Version of “The Raven”

What happened in the past? What is happening now? What will happen next?

← →

Read the first verse of ‘The Raven’ by Edgar Allan Poe

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary

Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore --

While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,

As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.

" 'Tis some visitor, " I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door--

Only this and nothing more."

Questions and Comments

1. Write the number of syllables for each line.

a) line 1 _____ b) line 2 ____ c) line 3 ____ d) line 4 ____ e) line 5 ____ f) line 6 ____

2. What is the poet doing when he gives the final line a small number of syllables?

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

3. What is the rhyme scheme of the first verse? ____________________________________

4. What words create the assonance and alliteration in lines 1 and line 3?

36

Alliteration: ____________________________________________________________________

Assonance: ____________________________________________________________________

The poem has an extremely strong rhyme and syllable pattern. That means that when you read the poem out loud, you feel the strong beat of the poem. Through the whole poem, the feeling is that something is coming and the strong beat gives the sense that no one can stop the unknown thing from coming. In addition the poet repeats many lines, which also adds to this feeling. The poem (like all poems) MUST be read aloud to get the feeling the poet wants to express.

Read the second Verse of ‘The Raven’

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December;

And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.

Eagerly I wished the morrow -- vainly I had sought to borrow

From my books surcease of sorrow -- sorrow for the lost Lenore--

For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore--

Nameless here for evermore.

Questions and Comments

The poet gives us more of the setting and his mood. He also increases the use of internal rhyme in the second verse.

1. Write the number of syllables for each line.

a) line 1 _____ b) line 2 ____ c) line 3 ____ d) line 4 ____ e) line 5 ____ f) line 6 ____

2. There are three important rhymes in the second verse. What are the rhyming words for each?

rhyme 1 rhyme 2 rhyme 3

______________________ _____________________ _____________________

______________________ _____________________ _____________________

______________________ _____________________ ______________________

3. What does the last line of the verse mean? ________________________________________________________

4. List at least one example of alliteration and assonance from stanza two on the lines below.

Alliteration: ____________________________________________________________________

Assonance: ____________________________________________________________________

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Independent Practice

Read the next three stanzas of the poem

And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtainThrilled me -- filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before:So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating." 'Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door--Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door--That it is and nothing more."

Presently my soul grew stronger: hesitating then no longer,"Sir," said I, "or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore:But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,That I scarce was sure I heard you"-- here I opened wide the door--Darkness there and nothing more.

Deep into the darkness peering, long I stood there wondering fearing.Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before:But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token,And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, "Lenore?"This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word "Lenore!"--Merely this and nothing more.

Questions and Comments

The narrator describes the movement of the curtains and how he begins to be afraid. Because the narrator is afraid, we the readers are beginning to be afraid. Darkness, silence and stillness greet the narrator, until he hears the echo of a whisper.

1. Personification is when an object has human qualities. What words does the poet use to personify the curtains?

_______________________________ ______________________________2. List examples of assonance and alliteration from this stanza on the lines below.

Alliteration: ____________________________________________________________________

Assonance: ____________________________________________________________________

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3. Why does the narrator repeat the lines, “‘Tis some visitor entreating entrance‟?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Who is the narrator talking to in the middle stanza above?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Why does the narrator say the word “Lenore‟?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

The RavenBy Edgar Allan Poe

[First published in 1845]

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.`'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, `tapping at my chamber door -Only this, and nothing more.'

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.Eagerly I wished the morrow; - vainly I had sought to borrowFrom my books surcease of sorrow - sorrow for the lost Lenore -For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named Lenore -Nameless here for evermore.

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Homework Reading

And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtainThrilled me - filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating`'Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door -Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door; -This it is, and nothing more,'

Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,`Sir,' said I, `or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,That I scarce was sure I heard you' - here I opened wide the door; -Darkness there, and nothing more.

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before;But the silence was unbroken, and the darkness gave no token,And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, `Lenore!'This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, `Lenore!'Merely this and nothing more.

Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.`Surely,' said I, `surely that is something at my window lattice;Let me see then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore -Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore; -'Tis the wind and nothing more!'

Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore.Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door -Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door -Perched, and sat, and nothing more.

Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,`Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,' I said, `art sure no craven.Ghastly grim and ancient raven wandering from the nightly shore -Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!'Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

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Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly,Though its answer little meaning - little relevancy bore;For we cannot help agreeing that no living human beingEver yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door -Bird or beast above the sculptured bust above his chamber door,With such name as `Nevermore.'

But the raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only,That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.Nothing further then he uttered - not a feather then he fluttered -Till I scarcely more than muttered `Other friends have flown before -On the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown before.'Then the bird said, `Nevermore.'

Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken,`Doubtless,' said I, `what it utters is its only stock and store,Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful disasterFollowed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore -Till the dirges of his hope that melancholy burden boreOf "Never-nevermore."'

But the raven still beguiling all my sad soul into smiling,Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird and bust and door;Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linkingFancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore -What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yoreMeant in croaking `Nevermore.'

This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressingTo the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom's core;This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease recliningOn the cushion's velvet lining that the lamp-light gloated o'er,But whose velvet violet lining with the lamp-light gloating o'er,She shall press, ah, nevermore!

Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censerSwung by Seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor.`Wretch,' I cried, `thy God hath lent thee - by these angels he has sent theeRespite - respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore!Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe, and forget this lost Lenore!'Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

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`Prophet!' said I, `thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil! -Whether tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore,Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted -On this home by horror haunted - tell me truly, I implore -Is there - is there balm in Gilead? - tell me - tell me, I implore!'Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

`Prophet!' said I, `thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil!By that Heaven that bends above us - by that God we both adore -Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels named Lenore -Clasp a rare and radiant maiden, whom the angels named Lenore?'Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

`Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!' I shrieked upstarting -`Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore!Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!Leave my loneliness unbroken! - quit the bust above my door!Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!'Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sittingOn the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming,And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floorShall be lifted - nevermore!

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Day 5: Persona

SWBAT define “persona poetry.”SWBAT analyze the identity of the speaker in a persona poem.

Agenda:

7. Do Now8. Notes9. Pre-Reading

7. Reading8. Homework Overview9. Closing

     Homework: Poetry #5

Directions: Read the following poem, and then answer the following questions.

This Is Just To Say

by William Carlos Williams

I have eatenthe plumsthat were inthe icebox

and whichyou were probablysavingfor breakfast

Forgive methey were deliciousso sweetand so cold

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Do Now

1. What is the tone of the poem?

2. What is the purpose for writing?

Aims

Persona poetry is . . .

Examples:

The word persona comes from the ___________________ translation for

____________________. In classical theatre, masks were employed not only to offer visual

characterization change, but also to note auditory change. Inside the masks, which were

often very large, primitive amplifying systems were inserted to both bolster and

__________________ the actor’s voice, thus indicating a change in _______________________.

The word “persona,” then, has roots beyond “mask”—it stems from the larger idea of

___________________________.

Persona poetry is poetry that aims to capture another’s voice. This other can be a real

person, like Abraham Lincoln, or a fictionalized character from a horror movie or video

game, or even the poet’s brain.

Whatever the case, to write successful persona poems, you have to abandon how you

personally __________________, ___________________, and _______________________. Much like

an actor, you have to give yourself __________________________________ over to someone

else.

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Notes

The poet Frank Bidart—an old, white American male—does this very riskily in his poem

“Ellen West,” a long poem that captures the voice of a young woman struggling with an

eating disorder.

Pre-Reading QuesitonDoes an old, white American male have the right to assume the voice of a young girl suffering from an eating disorder?

Ellen West (excerpt)

by Frank Bidart

Frank BidartI love sweets,—                       heaven would be dying on a bed of vanilla ice cream . . .

But my true self   is thin, all profile

and effortless gestures, the sort of blond   elegant girl whose                             body is the image of her soul.

—My doctors tell me I must give up   this ideal;                   but I WILL NOT . . . cannot.

Only to my husband I’m not simply a “case.”

But he is a fool. He married   meat, and thought it was a wife.

1. Describe the speaker. What is the speaker’s motive?

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2. What is “this ideal” that Ellen is asked to give up?

3. What does the vanilla ice cream symbolize?

4. Why does Bidart choose to write “WILL NOT” in all capital letters? What does this suggest?

5. How does the speaker view her husband? Herself?

6. What do the last two lines mean?

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Day 6: Apostrophe

SWBAT define and identify apostrophe and extended metaphor.SWBAT use historical background to analyze extended metaphor.

Agenda:

Do Now Notes Pre-Reading

Reading Homework Overview Closing

     Homework: Poetry #6

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Do Now

Aims

1.Based on the title of the poem, which of these is the poem most likely about?a. hiking in the woods b. choosing exercises c. making choices d. unchanging futures

2.Which best describes the meaning of “... our dream, a storm, overwhelms us?”

a. the ocean may calm people b. the path we choose may be wrong c. nightmares may change your life d. life has many challenges

3.Read this line from the poem. Not over-wise, nor foolish,A simple soul am I.

Which is the best meaning for this stanza?a. I am an intelligent person b. I am a complicated person c. I am an ordinary person d. I am a proud person

4.Which verse identifies a conflict that the author is resolving?a. “can we all win or must someone lose” b. “there are many, many like me” c. “true to our thoughts and our feelings” d. “a dream, a house, is carefully built”

5.Which word best describes the mood of the last stanza?a. angry b. gloomy c. energeticd. hopeful

6.Which of the following is the best meaning of the first stanza?a. choices reflect your reputation b. decisions can be changed c. life is a journey d. ideas mark your path

7.Which literary device is used in the poem above?a. simileb. extended metaphorc. apostrophed. hyperbole

8. What is the difference between a denotative and connotative meaning?a. Denotative is the associated feeling; connotative is the dictionary definition.b. Denotative and connotative meaning are synonyms; they mean the same thing.c. Denotative is the dictionary definition, and connotative is the associated feeling.d. Ms. Pickett made up both of those words and they don’t exist in the English language.

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Term Definition Cheat Sheet Ms. P’s Example Class ExampleApostrophe

Extended Metaphor

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Term Review

Notes

Pre-Reading

TERM DEFINITION EXAMPLE

Hyperbole

Simile

Metaphor

Idiom

Symbolism

Personification

Assonance

Alliteration

Imagery

External Rhyme

Internal Rhyme

onomatopoeia

Stanza

Repetition

Building Background: Whitman’s Motivation

When President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, 1865, a war-weary nation was plunged into shock. The last great battles of the Civil War were still a recent memory, and the murder of the president seemed to be a bloody, pointless coda to four years of conflict and instability. There was a great outpouring of grief across the country, and poems and songs were written mourning the nation’s loss.

One American who grieved for the fallen president was the poet Walt Whitman. Whitman had lived in Washington for most of the war and was a great admirer of Lincoln, whom he felt embodied the American virtues of plain-spokenness, courage, and "horse-sense." He often saw the president riding around town on horseback, and the two men sometimes exchanged cordial bows.

Lincoln’s death inspired Whitman to write one of his most memorable works—a simple, three-stanza poem of sorrow that bore little resemblance to his other, more experimental writings. "O Captain! My Captain!" was published in New York’s Saturday Press in November of 1865, and was met with immediate acclaim. The poem’s evocation of triumph overshadowed by despair spoke to readers throughout the shattered nation, and it was widely reprinted and published in anthologies. "O Captain! My Captain!" became the most popular poem Whitman would ever write, and helped secure for him a position as one of the greatest American poets of the 19th century.

Whitman was very particular about the appearance of his poems and paid careful attention to every detail of spelling and punctuation. When Whitman noticed several errors in one edition of "O Captain! My Captain!" he tore the page out and mailed it to the publishers with his corrections marked in ink. As you read this version of the poem, look at Whitman’s notes and ask yourself how his changes contributed to the poem’s impact.

Literary Devices Poem Paraphrasing (What happened? How does the speaker feel?

O Captain! My Captain!

O CAPTAIN! my Captain! our fearful trip is done;The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is won;The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring:But O heart! heart! heart!O the bleeding drops of red,Where on the deck my Captain lies,Fallen cold and dead.

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O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;Rise up--for you the flag is flung--for you the bugle trills; For you bouquets and ribbon'd wreaths--for you the shores a-crowding;For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;Here Captain! dear father!This arm beneath your head;It is some dream that on the deck,You've fallen cold and dead.

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still;My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will;The ship is anchor'd safe and sound, its voyage closed and done;From fearful trip, the victor ship, comes in with object won; 20Exult, O shores, and ring, O bells!But I, with mournful tread,Walk the deck my Captain lies,Fallen cold and dead.

1. What is this poem generally about?

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

2. What is the author’s tone?

_________________________________________________________________________________________

_3. What type of mood is the author trying to create? How do you know?

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Which literary devices are most obvious? Give an example.

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__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Why is there rejoicing at the same time the Captain of the ship has died?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

6. The central idea of this poem centers around the death of a hero. Which line from the poem best illustrates this central idea?

a. “O Captain! My Captain! Our fearful trip is done” b. “For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning” c. “The ship is anchor’d safe and sound, its voyage closed and done” d. “I, with mournful tread,/Walk the deck my Captain lies, Fallen cold and dead”

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Day 7: Synthesis

SWBAT read and synthesize two poems to unlock author’s meaning.

Agenda:

Do Now Notes Pre-Reading

Reading Homework Overview Closing

     Homework: pg. 59-60

1. Review the poem from last night’s reading. Who do you think is speaking in stanza 6? Find evidence to support your answer.

____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________

2. Was the verdict just or unjust? Why?

_____________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

3. How are stanzas 1-5 different from 6-9? Why do you think the author did this? _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________

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Do Now

Aims

4. How are dreams a GOOD thing? _______________________________________________________

5. How can dreams be DANGEROUS?_____________________________________________________

What is analysis? ____________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

What is synthesis? ____________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

by Tupac Shakur

“The Rose That Grew From Concrete (Autobiographical)”

Did you hear about the rose that grewfrom a crack in the concrete?Proving nature's law is wrong itlearned to walk without having feet.Funny it seems, but by keeping its dreams,it learned to breathe fresh air.Long live the rose that grew from concretewhen no one else ever cared.

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Notes

Reading 1: The Rose That Grew From Concrete (Autobiographical)

1. What is an autobiography? What is the significance of Shakur including “Autobiographical” in the title?

________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. What is this poem generally about? How does the poem connect to everyday life?

________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. What does the rose symbolize? What does the concrete symbolize?

________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. What is the theme or message that the author is trying to convey?

________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

by Langston Hughes

“Harlem”

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?Or fester like a sore—And then run?Does it stink like rotten meat?Or crust and sugar over—

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Reading 2: Harlem

like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sagslike a heavy load.

      Or does it explode?

1. List everything you know about Harlem – location, atmosphere, famous people, what life was like, etc.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. The author doesn’t mention Harlem at all except for the title. Why does he name it Harlem? What connection are we meant to draw between the title and the content of the poem?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. What is the main piece of figurative language that Hughes uses? What does he want us to understand about “dreams deferred”?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Hughes sets the last line off by itself and italicizes it. Why? What is the significance of that line? How is it meant to affect the mood?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Homework: Synthesis

Answer the following pre-writing questions in complete sentences.

1. What is “The Rose That Grew From Concrete (Autobiographical)” mainly about? What is the theme of the text? Provide a piece of evidence to support your response.

Summary 1

Summary 2

Theme

Quote of Support

Line#

Explanation

2. What is “Harlem” mainly about? What is the theme of the text? Provide a piece of evidence to support your response.

Summary 1

Summary 2

Theme

Quote of Support

Line#

Explanation

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3. Both of these texts discuss the idea of dreams. How are their understandings of dreams similar? How are they different?

Topic Sentence

Similarity

Text 1 Difference

Quote of Support

Line#

Explanation

Text 2 Difference

Quote of Support

Line#

Explanation

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Day 8: Figurative Language Review

SWBAT review poetic terms and figurative language.SWBAT independently answer reading comprehension questions about a poem.

Agenda:

Do Now Notes Pre-Reading

Reading Homework Overview Closing

     Homework: pg. 59-60

Directions: Copy your paragraph from page 60 onto the lines below. If you did not complete this assignment, use the prompts to write a paragraph now!

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Aims

Do Now

Text 1 (“The Rose”) Text 2 (“Harlem”)

Important Poetic Terms

1. Syntax

2. Diction

3. Persona Poem

4. Tone

5. Mood

6. Theme

7. Speaker

8. Metaphor

9. Simile

10.Hyperbole

11.Personification

12.Symbol

13. Imagery

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14.Line break

15.Stanza

16. Internal Rhyme

Go Back to May 1937

by Sharon Olds Sharon Olds I see them standing at the formal gates of their colleges, I see my father strolling out under the ochre sandstone arch, the   red tiles glinting like bent plates of blood behind his head, I see my mother with a few light books at her hip standing at the pillar made of tiny bricks, the wrought-iron gate still open behind her, its sword-tips aglow in the May air, they are about to graduate, they are about to get married,   they are kids, they are dumb, all they know is they are   innocent, they would never hurt anybody.   I want to go up to them and say Stop,   don’t do it—she’s the wrong woman,   he’s the wrong man, you are going to do things you cannot imagine you would ever do,   you are going to do bad things to children,

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you are going to suffer in ways you have not heard of, you are going to want to die. I want to go up to them there in the late May sunlight and say it, her hungry pretty face turning to me,   her pitiful beautiful untouched body, his arrogant handsome face turning to me,   his pitiful beautiful untouched body,   but I don’t do it. I want to live. I   take them up like the male and female   paper dolls and bang them together   at the hips, like chips of flint, as if to   strike sparks from them, I say Do what you are going to do, and I will tell about it.

1. The poem starts, “I see them standing . . .” Who is “them”?

2. “I want to go up to them and say Stop, / don’t do it.” What is it that the speaker doesn’t want them to do? Why?

3. What does the speaker ultimately decide not to do? Why?

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4. Does the speaker make the right decision? Explain.

5. What is the tone of the poem’s last line?

6. Describe the relationship the speaker has with her parents. Use a quote for support.

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Homework Reading

Shafro

by Terrance Hayes

Now that my afro's as big as Shaft's7

I feel a little better about myself.

How it warms my bullet-head in Winter,

black halo, frizzy hat of hair.

Shaft knew what a crown his was,

an orb8 like the eyes

of the woman sleeping next to him.

(There was always a woman

sleeping next to him. I keep thinking,

If I'd only talk to strangers . . .

grow a more perfect head of hair.)

His afro was a crown.

Bullet after barreling bullet,

fist-fights & car chases,

three movies & a brief TV series,

never one muffled strand,

never dampened by sweat—

I sweat in even the least heroic of situations.

I'm sure you won't believe this,

but if a policeman walks behind me, I tremble:

What would Shaft do? What would Shaft do?

Bits of my courage flake away like dandruff.

I'm sweating even as I tell you this,

I'm not cool,

I keep the real me tucked beneath a wig,

I'm a small American frog.

I grow beautiful as the theatre dims.

Directions: Use “Shafro” to answer the following questions. SPELLING COUNTS!7 Shaft: the main character from a 1970s African American action film who had a large afro8 orb: a sphere, a globe

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1. Hayes uses a simile in stanza 8. What two things are being compared?A. His afro and a hatB. His afro and a crownC. His courage and dandruffD. Himself and a small frog

2. Hayes writes, “How it warms my bullet-head in Winter.” What does this metaphor mean?A. His head is smooth, like the casing of a bullet.B. His head is cold, like the metal of a bullet in the winter.C. He is hard headed, like the metal casing of a bullet.D. He can think fast – at the speed of a bullet.

3. In writing this poem, Terrance Hayes likely wanted his audience to . . . A. feel pity for his miserable lifeB. respect ShaftC. laugh at his silly descriptions of himselfD. empathize with his shortcomings

4. In this poem, what does an afro symbolize?A. Athleticism and intelligenceB. Bullets and fightingC. Pride in Black cultureD. The 1970s

5. “Bullet after barreling bullet”—this is an example of what type of figurative language?

6. “His afro was a crown”—this is an example of which type of figurative language?

__________________________________________________________________

7. “fist-fights & car chases”—this is an example of which type of figurative language?

__________________________________________________________________

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Day 9: Unit Test ReviewSWBAT review important terms and concepts to prepare for their unit test.

Directions: Write the letter of the definition next to each vocabulary word.

1. _______ Theme A. When words end with the same sound

2. ________ Imagery B. A comparison of two unrelated things that includes the word “like” or “as”

3. ________ Rhyme C. The author’s message to the readers about life and the world.

4. ________ Repetition

5. ________ Metaphor

6. ________ Simile

7. ________ Personification

8. ________ Mood

D. How the author wants the reader to feel

E. A comparison of two unrelated things that does NOT use “like” or “as”

F. Saying something over and over

G. To give something that is not human a human characteristic

H. The words an author uses to create a picture in the reader’s mind.

9. ________ Which of the following is a metaphor? A My ice skates are my blood; it’s like they’re a part of me. B My ice skates are like my blood. They’re a part of me. C My ice skates danced across the ice – it was almost like they were steering me!D My ice skates are important to me. My ice skates rock.

10. ________ Which of the following is personification? A Those raindrops are beautiful. B The raindrops felt like water in a desert when you haven’t drank anything for days. C Raindrops are great! They’re really first rate. D The raindrops danced across the sky.

67Notes

Your unit test is worth _________________ points.

____________ Short Answer questions (_____________ points)

____________ Extended Response questions (______________ points)

____________ Multiple Choice Questions (_____________ points)

Your test will cover the following topics:

Author’s Tone & Purpose Literary Devices (Figurative Language) Making Inferences Theme Reading Comprehension

Your test will contain poems, and you will have to identify the elements of poetry that are listed on the first page of this study guide.

You will also have to explain why the author chose to use this specific figurative language.

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Read the following stanza from “Ode to Los Raspados.”

We have green lime And dark cola, And we have An umbrella Of five colors. When the truck stops, The kids come running, Some barefooted, Some in tee-shirts

That end at The cyclone knot Of belly buttons, Some in swimming Trunks and dripping Water from a sprinkler And a brown lawn.

11. How does the poet create an image of the summertime?

A The poet uses a simile in the line “the cyclone knot” B The poet describes the way the children look C The poet uses a metaphor, comparing a sprinkler and the lawnD The poet describes the way the children run

12. What is the main idea of the stanzas above?

A Children are eating ices. B Children are looking at a lawn being watered. C The clothes of different childrenD Children are running to a truck.

13. Which of the following words below best describes the mood of the stanzas above?

A calm B deliciousC happy

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D eager

14. Read the stanza below.

Away with my spoons and off with my bib!Off to my bath and into my crib!Where now I can dream and think of my chance;a time soon to come when my dinner will dance!

Which of the following is an example of personification? A Off to my bath B Where now I can dream C A time soon to come D My dinner will dance

15. Which line contains internal rhyme?

No. You could sock me,Feed me some broccoli, Tickle me till I turned blue,But in between gigglesAnd sniggles and wrigglesI'd say no to you.

A Line 1

B Line 3

C Line 4

D Line 5

16. Read the stanza below. What is the author’s main purpose for repeating the line, “I hear flutes”?

The wind still bends my head low.Slush sloshes my boots.Everyone's talking more snow.I hear flutes!I hear flutes!It's the music that says, World wake up--it comesJust before springtime.

A. The poet repeats the line because it helps the reader imagine music. B. The poet repeats the line because it shows that springtime is coming. C. The poet repeats the line because it helps the reader imagine what winter sounds like. D. The poet repeats the line because it shows that the marching band is playing music.

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Toasting Marshmallows

By Kristine O'Connell George

1 I am a careful marshmallow toaster,

2 a patient marshmallow roaster,

3 turning my stick oh-so-slowly,

4 taking my time, checking often.

5 Roasting marshmallows is art---

6 a time of serious reflection

7 as my pillowed confection9

8 slowly reaches golden perfection.

9 My brother

10 grabs ‘em with grubby hands

11 shoves ‘em on the stick

12 burns ‘em to a crisp

13 cools ‘em off

14 flicks soot

15 eats quick.

16 I’m still turning my stick.

17 He’s already eaten six.

9 confection: something that is created in an elaborate way; a dish made with sweet ingredients72

17. What does stanza 1 suggest about the speaker? A. The speaker is careless when it comes to roasting marshmallows. B. The speaker is thoughtful when it comes to roasting marshmallows.C. The speaker jokes around when it comes to roasting marshmallows.D. The speaker values roasting marshmallows quickly.

18. Line 8 states that the marshmallow reaches “golden perfection.” Which of the following lines supports this image?

A. taking my time, checking often.B. as my pillowed confection C. shoves ‘em on the stickD. eats quick

19. Which line in the poem first signals a change in mood?A. taking my time, checking oftenB. time of serious reflectionC. slowly reaches golden perfectionD. My brother grabs ‘em with grubby hands

20. Which line in the poem is a metaphor?A. taking my time, checking oftenB. Roasting marshmallows is artC. He’s already eaten six.D. My brother grabs ‘em with grubby hands

21. This poem is mostly about ____________________________. A. A brother and sister that enjoy their time in the woods B. A brother and sister that enjoy crispy and sugary marshmallows C. A brother and sister that roast marshmallows at different pacesD. A family that competes for who can roast the best marshmallow

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Directions: Read the following poem and answer the questions that follow.

Sunflakes

by Frank Asch

If sunlight fell like snowflakes,gleaming yellow and so bright,we could build a sunman, we could have a sunball fight, we could watch the sunflakesdrifting, playing in the sky.We could go sleighingin the middle of Julythrough sundrifts and sunbanks,we could ride a sunmobile,and we could touch sunflakes—I wonder how they’d feel.

22. This poem is mostly about _____________. A. What would happen if sun could take the form of snowB. What would happen if there could never be any more snowC. How to create sunflakesD. How sunflakes are better than snowflakes

23. How do the poet’s invented words such as “sunmobile” and “sunman” contribute to the poem? A. They add to the poem’s depressing mood B. The make the poem seem less realC. They make the poem funnierD. They help the reader imagine the poem

24. How do you think the poet feels about snow?A. Snow activities should be available throughout the seasonsB. Snow activities would be fun in warm weather, tooC. It is too cold to enjoy activities in the snow D. Snow makes doing fun activities much harder

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25. Why does the poet repeat the phrase “we could”? A. To make every stanza sound the same to the readerB. To add a metaphor to the poem.C. To show that the poem is hypothetical D. To make the reader feel like snowflakes are real

26. How would you best describe the mood of this poem? A. Thoughtful B. Grateful C. Heartbroken D. Disappointed

27. Read the following line from the poem.

“If sunlight fell like snowflakes”

This line is an example of __________________. A. ToneB. MetaphorC. PersonificationD. Simile

28. Which of the following lines includes an example of personification? A. If sunlight fell like snowflakesB. we could watch the sunflakesC. drifting, playing in the skyD. I wonder how they’d feel

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29. How does the poet create an image of the sunflakes in readers’ minds? Use descriptive language from the text to support your answer. 2 points

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30. What might be another good title for this poem? How does this title help show the main idea? Use details from the text to support your answer. 4 points

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