English 9
Mr. Davis
Investigating Personification
Classic
Mirror
Contemporary
I am Music
By Common
You can feel me all over alive,
I help culture survive, I open the eyes of many
Styles y’all wrote in the skies, with your lows and highs,
By Sylvia Plath
I am silver and exact.
I have no preconceptions.
Whatever I see I swallow immediately.
Just as it is, unmisted by love or dislike.
I am not cruel, only truthful –
Open your mind to hear me
In the streets I beat cops and obsolete
On every station it’s hot you can’t stop my heat
I taught Jay and Dre how to rock the beat
On what’s going on today yo, I gots to speak
I take the stand, yo you could feel me bam
Whether in Larry Graham or Steely Dan
Like I be killing it man For how long I survived yo I’m realer than man
Got a soft side but I’m still a man
For me women cry and children dance,
I’m trying to eat I could’a got a mil and ran
But like Sly for the fam still I stand
I am music.
English 9
Mr. Davis
Investigating Personification – Classic and Contemporary
NAME:__________________________________
/14
Personification: A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings,
thoughts, or attitudes. (ex: My computer stared at me, decided if it wanted to cooperate)
Poetic Theme: Truth as a Matter of Perspective
1. Name three human actions that the mirror takes in Plath’s poem. ( /3)
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2. What kind of “human attitude” has the poet giving the mirror? Make sure to explain where the
attitude comes from. (
/2)
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3. Plath is known for her sparse, stoic (indifferent to feelings) poems that leave the reader with
sharp feelings of despair and gloom. Explain why this poem fits into that category. (2)
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4. In “I am Music,” what are some of the human actions taken by music? (3)
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5. What kind of human attitude has the poet given music? Make sure to explain where the
attitude comes from. (
/2)
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6. The poet Common is known for his politically/spiritually conscious lyrics. Explain why his
poem, “I Am Music” fits into the category of being aware of his spirituality and politics. (
/2)
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English 9
Mr. Davis
Poetic Theme: Truth as a Matter of Perspective
1. Name three human actions that the mirror takes in Plath’s poem. ( /3)
The mirror has the ability to speak in the first person (I). It can also see (line 3), swallow (line 3)
and has the human ability to eb both cruel and truthful (line 5)
2. What kind of “human attitude” has the poet giving the mirror? Make sure to explain where
the attitude comes from. (
/2)
The mirror has an attitude of indifference, which comes across as cold and unfeeling. Since the
mirror can only reflect the truth, it has no opinion or preconceptions other than that which is
before it.
*There may be other answers as long as they are well explained.
3. Plath is known for her sparse, stoic (indifferent to feelings) poems that leave the reader with
sharp feelings of despair and gloom. Explain why this poem fits into that category. (2)
This poem is typical of Plath because as humans, we don’t just speak the truth, we take people’s
feelings into consideration. The mirror in the poem does not and as such, it comes off as an
unfeeling, cold being that will tell us thing we are scared to know about ourselves. Thus, if you
truthfully engage with the mirror, you will be left with feelings of despair.
Sometimes the truth hurts.
4. In “I am Music,” what are some of the human actions taken by music? (3)
Opens people’s eyes (line 2), teacher other artists how to ply their craft (line 7), takes a political
stand (line 9)
5. What kind of human attitude has the poet given music? Make sure to explain where the
attitude comes from. (
/2)
1 - Music is portrayed in a very positive light and has the attitude of being smooth, easy and
“cool” in the poem. It is also shows the flexibility to be compassionate, thoughtful, insightful,
inspirational, omnipresent and unstoppable.
2 - Reference poem.
6. The poet Common is known for his politically/spiritually conscious lyrics. Explain why his
poem, “I Am Music” fits into the category of being aware of his spirituality and politics. (
/2)
He mentions other artists so he is aware of the bigger picture. The fact that he mentions how long
he has been around shows awareness of the past.