Poetry Packet ____________________________ Name Mrs. Fava Seven Gold English 1 Poetry Vocabulary Form: The way a poem looks on paper Line: a verse of poetry Stanzas: lines of poem may be arranged in groups Structured form: poem has a regular repeated pattern of rhyme and/or rhythm Free Verse: poem has no pattern of rhyme or rhythm Speaker: voice of poem; it may be the poet or a character he or she creates Tone: writer’s attitude toward subject. Is he serious, sarcastic or playful? How does the writer feel about his subject? What is his purpose for the poem? Mood: the feeling the writer creates for the reader. Setting/atmosphere is important to mood. How does the poem make the reader feel? Theme: It is an abstract idea that is expressed through a work of art. A landscape painting might express beauty. A song might be about love. The story "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" portrays the author's opinion about honesty. Imagery and Figurative Language: similar to special effects in a movie, they grab attention and help create mental pictures and moods. Simile: comparison between two unlike things, using the word like or as Metaphor: a comparison between two unlike things that does not contain the word like or as. Personification: a description of an object, animal, place or idea, as if it were human or had human qualities Rhyme: repetition of identical or similar sounds Rhyme Scheme: pattern of rhyme in a poem Rhythm (meter): the pattern of sounds created by the arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables Alliteration: the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words Assonance: the repetition of vowel sounds Onomatopoeia: the use of words whose sounds suggest their meaning like buzz, hiss, and clap 2 Form: The way a poem looks on paper Structured form: poem has a regular repeated pattern of rhyme and/or rhythm “If I Can Stop One Heart from Breaking” “In the Event of My Demise” by Tupac Shakur By Emily Dickinson If I can stop one Heart from breaking I shall not live in vain If I can ease one Life the Aching Or cool one Pain Or help fainting Robin Unto his Nest again I shall not live in Vain In the event of my Demise when my heart can beat no more I Hope I Die For A Principle or A Belief that I had Lived 4 I will die Before My Time Because I feel the shadow's Depth so much I wanted 2 accomplish before I reached my Death I have come 2 grips with the possibility and wiped the last tear from My eyes I Loved All who were Positive In the event of my Demise Principle: value Demise: death 3 1. How are these two poems structured? Give an example of structure from each. __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ 2. What is Dickinson’s philosophy of life? How do you know? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ 3. What is Tupac’s philosophy of life? How do you know? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ 4 Free Verse: poem has no pattern of rhyme or rhythm “Winter Poem” By Nikki Giovanni “In the Inner City” By Lucille Clifton once a snowflake fell on my brow and i loved it so much and i kissed it and it was happy and called its cousins and brothers and a web of snow engulfed me then i reached to love them all and i squeezed them and they became a spring rain and i stood perfectly still and was a flower in the inner city or like we call it home we think a lot about uptown and the silent nights and the houses straight as dead men and the pastel lights and we hang on to our no place happy to be alive and in the inner city or like we call it home 5 1. How do you know “Winter Poem” is free verse? Give two examples. _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 2. What is happening in this poem? Is it really happening? _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 3. How does the speaker of “In the Inner City” feel about the inner city? How does the speaker feel about uptown? Give two examples to support your answer. _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 6 Tone: writer’s attitude toward subject. Is he serious, sarcastic or playful? How does the writer feel about his subject? What is his purpose for the poem? “This is Just to Say” “My Papa’s Waltz” By William Carlos William by Theodore Roethke I have eaten the plums that were in the icebox The whiskey on your breath Could make a small boy dizzy; But I hung on like death: Such waltzing is not easy. and which you were probably saving for breakfast We romped until the pans Slid from the kitchen shelf My mother’s countenance Could not unfrown itself. forgive me they were delicious so sweet and so cold The hand that held my wrist Was battered on one knuckle; At every step you missed My right ear scraped a buckle. You beat time on my head With a palm caked hard by dirt, Then waltzed me off to bed Still clinging to your shirt Waltz: lighthearted dance Romped: played Countenance: facial expression 7 1. In the poem “This is just to say,” is the writer really sorry? What is his tone? Focus on the last stanza for clues. _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 2. In the poem “My Papa’s Waltz,” what is actually happening? Is the dad being abusive or playful? Give two examples to support your opinion. _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 3. What is the tone of the poem? Give an example to support your opinion. _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 8 Speaker: voice of poem; it may be the poet or a character he or she creates “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes Well, son, I’ll tell you. Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair. It’s had tacks in it, And splinters, And boards torn up, And places with no carpet on the floorBare. But all the time I’se been a-climbin’ on, And reachin’ landin’s, And turnin’ corners, And sometimes goin’ in the dark Where there ain’t been no light. So boy, don’t you turn back. Don’t you set down on the steps ‘Cause you finds it’s kinder hard. Don’t you fall nowFor I’se still goin’ honey, I’se still climbin, And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair. 9 1. How old is the speaker? How do you know? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 2. How educated is she? How do you know? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 3. What is her economic status? How do you know? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 4. Where does she live? How do you know? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 5. What is her attitude toward life? How do you know? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 6. Who is she talking to and what is she telling him? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 10 “I Never Said I wasn’t Difficult” By Sara Holbrook I never said I wasn’t difficult, I mostly want my way. Sometimes I talk back or pout and don’t have much to say. I’ve been known to yell, “So what,” when I’m stepping out of bounds. I want you there for me and yet, I don’t want you around. I wish I had more privacy and never had to be alone. I want to run away. I’s scared to leave me home. I’m too tired to be responsible. I wish I were boss. I want to blaze new trails. I’m terrified that I’ll get lost. I wish an answer came every time I asked you, “Why?” I wish you weren’t a know-it-all Why do you question when I’m bored? I won’t be cross-examined. I hate to be ignored. I know, I shuffle messages like cards, some to show and some to hide. But, if you think I’m hard to live with you should try me inside. 11 1. How old is the speaker of “I Never Said I Wasn’t Difficult”? How do you know? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 2. What does the line 24 mean, “I shuffle messages like cards?” What are some examples of mixed messages the speaker gives out? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 3. What is the tone of the speaker? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 4. Make a personal connection with this speaker. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 12 “Little Sister” by Nikki Grimes little sister holds on tight. My hands hurt from all that squeezing, but I don’t mind. She thinks no one will bother her when I’m around, and they won’t if I can help it. And even when I can’t I try ‘cause she believes in me. 13 1. What is the form of this poem? How do you know? _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 2. What word would you use to describe the tone? Resentful or protective? Give one example to support your answer. _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 14 “The Secret in the Cat” by May Swenson I took my cat apart to see what made him purr. Like an electric clock or like the snore of a warming kettle, something fizzed and sizzed in him Was he a soft car, the engine bubbling sound? Was there a wire beneath his fur, or humming throttle? I undid his throat. Within was no stir. I opened his chest as though it were a door: no whisk or rattle there. I lifted off his skull: no hiss or murmur. I halved his little belly but found no gear, no cause for static. So I replaced his lid, laced his little gut. His heart into his vest I slid and buttoned up his throat. His tail rose to a rod and beckoned to the air. Some voltage made him vibrate warmer than before. Whiskers and a tail: perhaps they caught some radar code emitted as a pip, and a dot-anddash of woolen sound. My cat a kind of tuning fork?-amplifier?—telegraph?— Doing secret signal work? His eyes elliptic tubes: there’s a message in his stare. I stroke him but cannot find the dial. throttle: lever emmitted: sent forth elliptic: two meanings are oval-shaped and mysterious 15 1. What is the gender of this speaker? How do you know? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 2. What is the age of this speaker how do you know? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 3.What is the education level of the speaker? How do you know? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 4. What is the speaker doing in the poem? How do you know? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 5. What is the attitude (tone) toward the cat? How do you know? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 16 Mood: the feeling the writer creates for the reader. When you read a poem, you may use some of the following adjectives to describe the mood: uplifting, happy, optimistic, hopeful, pessimistic, gloomy, mournful, suspenseful, eerie. Listen to a recitation of the following poem. Underline words that contribute to the mood. “The Raven” by Edgar Allen 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 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 borrow From 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. And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain Thrilled 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, 17 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.' 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 being Ever 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. 18 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 will he 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 disaster Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore Till the dirges of his hope that melancholy burden bore Of "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 linking Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore What this grim, ungainly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore Meant in croaking `Nevermore.' This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom's core; This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining On the cushion's velvet violet 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 censer Swung by Seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor. `Wretch,' I cried, `thy God hath lent thee - by these angels he has sent thee Respite - respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore! Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe, and forget this lost Lenore!' Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.' `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.' 19 `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 sitting On 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 floor Shall be lifted - nevermore! List some words that contribute to the mood of the poem. 1. 6. 2. 7. 3. 8. 4. 9. 5. 10. Looking at these words, what is the mood of the poem? a. b. c. d. Hopeful Uplifting Eerie Peaceful 20 Theme: an abstract idea that is expressed through a work of art. A landscape painting might express beauty. A song might be about love. The story "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" portrays the author's idea about honesty. Possible literary themes to consider are listed below. Ambition Death Peace War Friendship Jealousy Beauty Loneliness Betrayal Love Loss Courage Loyalty Perseverance Fear Prejudice Freedom Suffering Happiness Truth Duty Patriotism “Nothing Gold Can Stay” by Robert Frost Nature's first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf's a flower; But only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay. 21 1. What happens in this poem to nature’s first green? _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 2. What happens to the Garden of Eden? _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 3. What happens to the day? _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 4. Frost describes these events for a reason. What do they all have in common? What is the theme of this poem? _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 22 “Sympathy” by Paul Laurence Dunbar I know what the caged bird feels, alas! When the sun is bright on the upland slopes; When the wind stirs soft through the springing grass, And the river flows like a stream of glass; When the first bird sings and the first bud opes, And the faint perfume from its chalice steals-I know what the caged bird feels! I know why the caged bird beats its wing Till its blood is red on the cruel bars; For he must fly back to his perch and cling When he fain would be on the bough a-swing; And a pain still throbs in the old, old scars And they pulse again with a keener sting-I know why he beats his wing! I know why the caged bird sings, ah me, When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,-When he beats his bars and he would be free; It is not a carol of joy or glee, But a prayer that he sends from his heart's deep core, But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings-I know why the caged bird sings! 23 1. What does the caged bird do in Dunbar’s poem? _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 2. What type of song does the bird sing? Is it a happy song? _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 3. What human experience is Dunbar describing using the metaphor of the caged bird? What is the theme of this poem? _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 24 Imagery and Figurative Language: similar to special effects in a movie, they grab attention and help create mental pictures and moods. Poems rich in imagery appeal to the senses to help the reader experience the text. “Preludes” excerpt By T.S. Elliot The winter evening settles down With the smell of steaks in passageways. Six o'clock. The burnt-out ends of smoky days. And now a gusty shower wraps The grimy scraps Of withered leaves about your feet And newspapers from vacant lots; The showers beat On broken blinds and chimneypots, And at the corner of the street A lonely cab-horse steams and stamps. And then the lighting of the lamps. “A Dream Deferred” By Langston Hughes 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-like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode? 25 Pick one of the poems on page 25 and list imagery. 1. What can you smell? _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 2. What can you see? _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 3. What can you hear? _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 4. What can you taste? _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 5. What can you feel? _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 26 6. Personification: a description of an object, animal, place or idea, as if it were human or had human qualities “ Sleeping in the Forest” by Mary Oliver I thought the earth remembered me, she took me back so tenderly, arranging her dark skirts, her pockets full of licens and seeds. I slept as never before, a stone on the riverbed, nothing between me and the white fire of the stars but my thoughts, and they floated light as moths among the branches of the perfect trees. All night I heard the small kingdoms breathing around me, the insects, and the birds who do their work in the darkness. All night I rose and fell, as if in water, grappling with a luminous doom. By morning I had vanished at least a dozen times into something better. “The City is So Big” By Richard Garcia The city is so big Its bridges quake with fear I know, I have seen at night The lights sliding from house to house And trains pass with windows shining Like a smile full of teeth I have seen machines eating houses. And stairways walk all by themselves And elevator doors opening and closing And people disappear. 27 List three examples of personification from “Sleeping in the Forest” 1. 2. 3. List three examples of personification in “The City is So Big”: 1. 2. 3. 28 “Be Like the Bird” By Victor Hugo Be like the bird, who Halting in his flight On limb to slight Feels it give way beneath him, Yet sings Knowing he hath wings 1. What is the simile? What is the poet asking us to be like? _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 2. What happens when the bird stops to rest on the limb? _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 3. What does the bird do in line 5 when the branch begins to break? _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 4. So when life is difficult and we want to give up, how should we be like a bird? _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 29 “Ode to enchanted light” by Pablo Neruda Under the trees light has dropped from the top of the sky. light like a green latticework of branches, shining on every leaf, drifting down like clean white sand. A cicada send its sawing song high into the empty air The world is a glass overflowing with water. List two similes from the above poem: 1. 2. List one metaphor: 1. 30 Extended Metaphor: “Scaffolding” by Seamus Heaney Masons, when they start upon a building, Are careful to test out the scaffolding; Make sure that planks won’t slip at busy points, Secure all ladders, tighten bolted joints. And yet all this comes down when the job’s done Showing off walls of sure and solid stone. So if, my dear, there sometimes seem to be Old bridges breaking between you and me Never fear. We may let the scaffolds fall Confident that we have built our wall. 31 1. What two things are being compared? How do you know? _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 2. What do they have in common? _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 3. Using this metaphor, what does the poet say about relationships? _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 32 “Identity” by Julio Noboa Polanco Let them be as flowers, always watered, fed, guarded, admired, but harnessed to a pot of dirt. I'd rather be a tall, ugly weed, clinging on cliffs, like an eagle wind-wavering above high, jagged rocks. To have broken through the surface of stone, to live, to feel exposed to the madness of the vast, eternal sky. To be swayed by the breezes of an ancient sea, carrying my soul, my seed, beyond the mountains of time or into the abyss of the bizarre. I'd rather be unseen, and if then shunned by everyone, than to be a pleasant-smelling flower, growing in clusters in the fertile valley, where they're praised, handled, and plucked by greedy, human hands. I'd rather smell of musty, green stench than of sweet, fragrant lilac. If I could stand alone, strong and free, I'd rather be a tall, ugly weed. Give an example of a simile: Give an example of a metaphor: 33 1.What is the extended metaphor of this poem? What is the author comparing flowers and weeds to? _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 2.Looking at the extended metaphor, what is the theme of the poem? How does the author feel about freedom? Give an example to support your answer. _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 3.Which would you rather be? A flower or a weed? Why? _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 34 Rhyme: repetition of identical or similar sounds Rhyme Scheme: pattern of rhyme in a poem. Assign each line of a stanza a letter of the alphabet, starting with “a” for the first line; assign the same letter to lines that rhyme There was an old man who supposed a That the street door was partially closed; a But some very large rats, b Ate his coats and his hats, b While that futile old gentleman dozed. a Show the rhyme scheme in the following poem: “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same , And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ 35 Rhythm (meter): the pattern of sounds created by the arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables. Fireworks by Amy Lowell You hate me and I hate you, And we are so polite, we too! But whenever I see you, I burst apart And scatter the sky with my blazing heart. In spits and sparkles in stars and balls, Buds into roses—and flares, and falls. Scarlet buttons, and pale green disks, Silver spirals and asterisks, Shoot and tremble in a mist Peppered with mauve and amethyst. I shine in the windows and light up trees, And all because I hate you, if you please. And when you meet me, you rend asunder And go up in a flaming wonder Of saffron cubes, and crimson moons, And wheels all amaranths and maroons. Golden lozenges and spades, Arrows of malachites and jades, Patens of copper, azure sheaves. As you mount, you flash in the glossy leaves. Such fireworks as we make, we two! Because you hate me and I hate you. . Think and Write! How does the rhythm or meter of the poem contribute to its tone? 36 Alliteration: the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words. Assonance: the repetition of vowel sounds “Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would not take the garbage out!” by Shel Silverstein Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would not take the garbage out! She'd scour the pots and scrape the pans, Candy the yams and spice the hams, And though her daddy would scream and shout, She simply would not take the garbage out. And so it piled up to the ceilings: Coffee grounds, potato peelings, Brown bananas, rotten peas, Chunks of sour cottage cheese. It filled the can, it covered the floor, It cracked the window and blocked the door With bacon rinds and chicken bones, Drippy ends of ice cream cones, Prune pits, peach pits, orange peel, Gloppy glumps of cold oatmeal, Pizza crusts and withered greens, Soggy beans and tangerines, Crusts of black burned buttered toast, Gristly bits of beefy roasts. . . The garbage rolled on down the hall, It raised the roof, it broke the wall. .. Greasy napkins, cookie crumbs, Globs of gooey bubble gum, Cellophane from green baloney, Rubbery blubbery macaroni, Peanut butter, caked and dry, Curdled milk and crusts of pie, Moldy melons, dried-up mustard, Eggshells mixed with lemon custard, Cold french fried and rancid meat, Yellow lumps of Cream of Wheat. At last the garbage reached so high That it finally touched the sky. And all the neighbors moved away, And none of her friends would come to play. And finally Sarah Cynthia Stout said, "OK, I'll take the garbage out!" But then, of course, it was too late. .. The garbage reached across the state, From New York to the Golden Gate. And there, in the garbage she did hate, Poor Sarah met an awful fate, That I cannot now relate Because the hour is much too late. But children, remember Sarah 37 Stout And always take the garbage out! List some examples of alliteration of consonance: List some examples of assonance: 38 Onomatopoeia: the use of words whose sounds suggest their meaning like buzz, hiss, and clap “The moan of doves in immemorial elms, And murmuring of innumerable bees.” (From “The Princess: Come Down Oh Maid” by Tennyson) Underline the sound words in the following poem: The rusty spigot sputters, utters a splutter, spatters a smattering of drops, gashes wider; slash, splatters, scatters, spurts, finally stops sputtering and plash! gushes rushes splashes clear water dashes. by Eve Merriam Think and Write! List as many words that sound like what they are. 39 40