“Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin
In a few sentences, summarize the story.
What is the theme (or message) of the story?
What genre, or type, of music is featured in the story?
“Recipe” by Janice Mirikitani
What is the tone of the poem?
What is the poem about?
How does the style of the poem affect the reader’s interpretation or understanding of the poem?
“A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor
In a few sentences, summarize the story.
What is the irony of this story?
Which character represents societal repression?
What is the theme of this story (hint: it’s what Flannery O’Connor is known for)?
“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates
Give 5 words to describe Connie.
What is the theme of the story?
**This story was influenced by the author’s experiences with the song “It’s all over now Baby Blue,” the serial
killer Charles Schmid of Tucson, AZ, and the Holy Bible**
“The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambera
**”The Lesson” examines economic inequity, African American values, and the duality of being black and
American**
From whose perspective is the story told?
What is the lesson that’s learned?
“Daddy” by Sylvia Plath
How did the speaker really “kill” her dad?
What type of man does the speaker end up marrying?
“We Real Cool” by Gwendolyn Brooks
Who is/are the speaker(s) of the poem?
How does the poem represent the lack of education of the speaker(s)?
What’s the significance of the name of the pool hall, The Golden Shovel?
**The poem conveys the futility of street life, the vicious and violent cycles in youth culture and the importance
of education**
“America” by Allen Ginsberg
How is this poem satirical (satire)?
**Ginsberg was a member of a countercultural group of writers known as the Beat Generation
What is the purpose of this poem?
**The poem can be described as a monologue**
Terms to know
Point of view (how do you know whether it’s 1st or 3rd person)?
Personification: giving human qualities to non-human things (give an example)
Symbolism: Using one object to represent something else (give an example)
Allusion: reference to a well-known literary figure, historical event, person, place, etc. (give an example)
Alliteration: the repetition of initial consonant sounds (give an example)
Imagery: the “mental pictures” that readers experience when reading literature. This relates to all sensory
perceptions referred to in a poem (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste)