Read the following poem and answer all the questions that follow.
Cooks Brook
By Al Pittman
At the pool where we used to swim
In Cooks Brook
Not everyone had guts enough
To dive from the top ledge
Not that it would have been
A difficult dive
Except for the shelf of rock
That lay two feet below the surface
And reached quarter of the way out
Into the width of the pool
One by one the brave few of us
Would climb the cliff to the ledge
And stand poised
Ready to plunge headfirst
Into the dark water below
And always there was that moment of terror
When you’d doubt that you could
Clear the shelf
Knowing full well
It would be better to die
Skull smashed open in the water
Than it would be to climb
Backwards down to the beach
So always there was that moment
When you prayed for wings
Then sailed arms outspread into the buoyant* air
What you feel is something
Impossible to describe
As the water parts like a wound
To engulf you
Then closes just as quickly
In a white scar where you entered
And you are surprised always
To find yourself alive
Following the streaks of sunlight
That lead you gasping to the surface
Where you make your way
Leisurely to shore
As though there had been nothing to it
As though it was every day of the week
You daringly defied the demons
Who lived so terribly
In the haunted hours of your sleep
Choose the best answer for each question
1. Which word best describes how the speaker feels before he dives?
a)
b)
c)
d)
courageous.
Fearful.
Proud.
Carefree.
2. What poetic device is used in the line, “as the water parts like a wound”?
a)
b)
c)
d)
alliteration.
Metaphor.
Simile.
Personification.
3. Mood refers to a feeling a piece of writing creates in the reader. The
mood of this poem is:
a)
b)
c)
d)
happy.
curious.
sad.
exciting.
4. In the final stanza, the line, “as though there had been nothing to it”
refers to:
a)
b)
c)
d)
the dive.
The shore.
The sunlight.
The surface.
5. “Then closes quickly in a white scar” is an example of what figurative
language?
a)
b)
c)
d)
Simile.
Metaphor.
Imagery.
Personification.
6. In the line, “you daringly defied the gods”, the word defied means:
a)
b)
c)
d)
Disagreed with.
Obeyed.
Prayed to.
Rebelled against.
7. “Skull smashed” is an example of what poetic device?
a)
b)
c)
d)
Onomatopoeia.
Personification.
Imagery.
Alliteration.
8. In the line “and stand poised ready to plunge headfirst”, poised means:
a)
b)
c)
d)
balanced.
nervously.
brave.
calmly.
9. Tone is the attitude the poet feels about what he is writing through word
choice (diction). What word from the poem shows the speaker’s
attitude?
a)
b)
c)
d)
leisurely
engulf
terror
difficult.
10. A good theme or message for this poem would be:
a)
b)
c)
d)
It takes courage to stand up to bullying.
It takes courage to go diving.
It takes courage to be daring.
It takes courage to accomplish many things.
Answer all the questions below on your own paper; make sure you use the guidelines in your
exercise to answer all the questions.
1. What did the divers fear would happen to them?
2. What does the narrator pray for just before a dive?
3. Find examples of the following poetic devices in the poem: 1 simile, 2 metaphors, 3
instances of alliteration. To what two things does the poet compare the water?
4. Develop a character sketch of the narrator. Use the information in the poem as hints
about the narrator’s personality. Remember, characters are developed through their
actions and speech, their physical appearance, their thoughts and feelings, and other’s
reactions to them.
5. Pretend you are the speaker and write another stanza to show what happens next to the
speaker and the watchers. Your stanza should not repeat any of the ideas already
expressed. Be sure to demonstrate the same point of view. Your stanza should have the
following:
minimum of 10 lines
an example of figurative language
an example of alliteration and/or onomatopoeia.
be original and expressive. (10%)