Details/ Interpretive Inference Chart for Short Stories and Poems (Per. 2)
Story or Poem
Details (Evidence)
“Song”- Adrienne
Repeats ” lonely”
Rich
“If …lonely…as… boat, driving, plane, travel, things in
nature (see images in the poem)
“The Stones” Richard Shelton
The young stones like to travel and move freely and
play in the water.
“Most stones have a secret desire which their parents
had before them but have forgotten ages ago”
“I Know Why the
Caged Bird
Sings”- Maya
Angelou
She tries to redefine “lonely”
She enjoys travel, solitude, and the ability to continue traveling
to new places
Meaning of Song – enjoys her life and her independence
The stones represent people and reveal how younger people
want to travel but as people grow older, they get held back
by…
The old stones fear change and the younger stones leaving.
The elders talk about a frightening subject—the moon.
One elder states that it pulls at us, urging us to follow”
Another stone replies, “It’s a stone gone mad.”
The old stones are conservative; young stones want to
escape the “domination of parents”
It’s about a bird wishing to be free again from its
trapped space (bars of rage)
The young ones want to enjoy a carefree, adventurous life. The
old stones are lazy and unmotivated.
His “wings are clipped” and his “feet are tied”
The bird hopes to fly like people want to live a normal life and
be free from oppression. It wants a life it was meant to enjoy &
to make its own decisions
On the distance hill, he sings of freedom
He thinks about the fat worms waiting on the dawn
bright lawn
“Diverging Paths
and All That” –
Maryanne
O’Hara
Interpretive Inferences (Analysis)
Two characters intend to steal and one decides not to
take the “peeper stick” while “Billy’s headed
someplace else.”
During the impeachment of Nixon.
While about to steal, the narrator hesitates and then
remembers that the president is a crook too.
Notices the adults who yell out, “Impeach the crook.”
The youth versus older generation.
It represents a human being imprisoned and not allowed to be
free
The cage represents slavery or confinement of some sort
(people have a right to be free/happy)
The worms might represent something people might miss or
things that feed/nourish a person
Billy is going down the wrong path (morality vs. corruption)
The narrator feels tense, anxious & guilty. She is afraid to get
caught.
People can make different choices and decide to do the right
thing.
The choices one makes control the future.
“A Lesson Not
Learned” – Carol
Sherman-Jones
Girl has a problem with losing things and distrusts her
father because he laughed while he hit her
Negative reinforcement does not help people learn lessons in
life
She learned not to trust his laughter because his
laughter hurts
That was the first time he hit her
She will never forget the pain with that moment
Girl has problem with responsibility
Mom reacts by saying “Mike, what are you doing?”
Still misplaces things
Thematic Subject:
Thesis:
Individuality/Making Personal Choices:
Personal Choices will determine a person’s future in positive or negative ways.
Adults who are poor role models can teach children to make poor decisions in life.
Thematic Subject: Freedom vs. Captivity (Contrast freedom with imprisonment)
Thesis:
Independence is necessary for a fulfilling life.
People, who fear change, don’t get to experience adventures.
Evidence (Detail) 1: “Caged Bird” The wings are clipped and the feet are tied and are not allowed to travel
Evidence (Detail) 2: “The Stones” The young stones want to travel…
Thematic Subject:
Thesis:
Fear of Change
People who fear change don’t get to experience adventures.
People who fear change limit the possibilities for their life.
People who have limited possibilities in life remained trapped and lonely.