The Delight Song of Tsoal-Talee
Poem by N. Scott Momaday
READINGS Determine the
figurative meaning of phrases
and analyze how an author's use
of language suggests mood.
1.1-1/111-i1+111-11-141
Four Skinny Trees
Vignette by Sandra Cisneros
•DES'CRIBE
'
Tf
1 am like a
If someone were to ask you to describe yourself, what would you say?
Often, we describe ourselves in comparison to something or someone.
In the selections you are about to read, people compare themselves to
the natural world.
because 1 (2,4
BRAINSTORM Comparing yourself to an element in nature, such as a
blooming sunflower or a powerful tiger, can convey a vivid sense of who
you are: "I am like a tiger, because I am powerful, determined, and proud."
In the notebook, compare yourself to an element of nature. Provide
adjectives to show how you and the element are alike.
Literary Analysis: Mood and Figurative Language
Have you ever described a story with a word like mysterious, creepy, or
cheerful? Then you've described the mood, or the feeling that a writer
creates for a reader. One way writers create mood is through figurative
language, which is language used in imaginative ways to express ideas that
are not literally true. Two types of figurative language are metaphors and
personification.
Figurative Language
Metaphor
a comparison between
two unlike things
that does not use the
words like or as
tam an antelope.
Personification
a comparison that
gives human qualities
to an object, animal,
or idea
My shoes punished
the pavement.
As you read the following selections, notice how the figurative language
helps set the mood of each piece.
248
INTERACTIVE READER / UNIT 5: APPRECIATING POETRY
Reading Strategy: Set a Purpose for Reading
Every time you read, you read with a purpose. That purpose might be to
have fun, or it might be to learn information. In this lesson, your purpose
for reading is to identify the moods of two pieces. To help you do this, look
closely at the figurative language in each poem. As you read the following
selections, you will be asked to fill in the chart below.
Figurative Language in "The
Delight Song of Tsoai-Talee"
(Metaphors)
READING 8 Determine the
figurative meaning of phrases and
analyze how an author's use of
language suggests mood.
RC-7(A) Establish purposes for
reading selected texts to enhance
comprehension.
Figurative Language in "Four
Skinny Trees" (personification)
• "I am a feather on the
bright sky"
Words that describe the mood:
Words that describe the mood:
• "yotprof
THE DELIGHT SONG OF TSOAI-TALEE / FOUR SKINNY TREES
249
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69
067
0 64
SET A PURPOSE
FOR READING
Read this poem to see how
Momaday uses metaphors
to set a mood.
,
f HE
S
1JELIGHT
NG OF
MOAT-MLLE
Poem by
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I
Pe AN
BACKGROUND N. Scott Momaday is a Native
American born to Kiowa and Cherokee parents.
Momaday's Kiowa name, Tsoai-Talee, means "Rock
Tree Boy" and refers to an 865-foot volcanic butte,
or hill, that is sacred to the Kiowa people.
O
MOOD AND FIGURATIVE
LANGUAGE
Reread lines 1-6. Circle each
element of nature to which the
speaker compares himself. Add
each metaphor to the chart on
page 249. What mood do these
metaphors create?
250
I am a feather on the bright sky
I am the blue horse that runs in the plain
I am the fish that rolls, shining, in the water
I am the shadow that follows a child
5 I am the evening light, the lustre of meadows
I am `an eagle playing with the wind 0
I am a cluster of bright beads
I am the farthest star
I am the cold of the dawn
lo I am the roaring of the rain
I am the glitter on the crust of the snow
I am the long track of the moon in a lake
I am a flame of four colors
INTERACTIVE READER / UNIT 5: APPRECIATING POETRY
k 411 1% 4Iv°
AV
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Monitor Your Comprehension
15
I am a deer standing away in the dusk
I am a field of sumac and the pornme blanche'
I am an angle of geese in the winter sky
I am the hunger of a young wolf
I am the whole dream of these things 0
0
MOOD AND FIGURATIVE
LANGAUGE
What does the speaker compare
himself to in line i8? Explain
what he means.
You see, I am alive, I am alive
zo I stand in good relation to the earth
I stand in good relation to the gods
I stand in good relation to all that is beautiful
I stand in good relation to the daughter of Tsen-tainte 2
You see, I am alive, I am alive ?PALISE„..&eliEELECT.':
MusE84 REFLECT
Circle phrases that are repeated
in lines 19-24. What effect does
this repetition create?
1. pomme blanche (porn blawsh): a plant with heavy edible roots, also known
as breadroot.
2. Tsen-tainte: a heroic and respected igth-century Kiowa chief known for his
•bold raids on both white and Native American settlements.
THE DELIGHT SONG OF TSOAI-TALEE
251
`8111 "MA 4811.
Monitor Your Comprehension
SET A PURPOSE
FOR READING
Read this vignette to find
out how the narrator is like
four skinny trees.
Vionette by
BACKGROUND After attending the . Writers'
Workshop in the University of Iowa, Cisneros
began a series of sketches about her old Spanishspeaking neighborhood in Chicago. These
sketches grew into her first book, The House on
Mango Street, which includes "Four Skinny Trees."
G
MOOD AND FIGURATIVE
LANGUAGE
In lines -1-11, underline words
or phrases the author uses to
personify the trees. Add them
to the chart on page 249. What
word or phrase would you use
to describe the mood of these
paragraphs?
252
hey are the only ones who understand me. I am the
only one who understands them. Four skinny trees
with skinny necks and pointy elbows like mine. Four who
do not belong here but are here. Four raggedy excuses
planted by the city. From our room we can hear them, but
Nenny just sleeps and doesn't appreciate these things.
Their strength is secret. They send ferocious roots
beneath the ground. They grow up and they grow down
and grab the earth between their hairy toes and bite the
10 sky with violent teeth and never quit their anger. This is
how they keep.
Let one forget his reason for being, they'd all droop
like tulips in a glass, each with their arms around
the other. Keep, keep, keep, trees say when I sleep.
They teach.
INTERACTIVE READER / UNIT 5: APPRECIATING POETRY
;.•
Monitor Your Comprehension
When I am too sad and too skinny to keep keeping,
when I am a tiny thing against so many bricks, then it is I
look at trees. When there is nothing left to look at on this
street. Four who grew despite concrete. Four who reach
20 and do not forget to reach. Four whose only reason is to
be and be. 0 :PAUSE & -IIEFLECT
O
MOOD AND FIGURATIVE
LANGUAGE
Reread lines 16-21. What words
and phrases stand out to you?
Circle them. What mood do
these words create?
CM'
Why do you think the trees are
personified with qualities that
could also describe the narrator?
ti
-1;4
FOUR SKINNY TREES
253
Literary Analysis: Mood and Figurative Language
You've learned that writers use figurative language, such as metaphors and
personification, to express interesting ideas and convey moods. In the chart
READING 8 Determine the
figurative meaning of phrases
and analyze how an author's use
of language suggests mood.
below, identify each figure of speech as a metaphor or personification.
Then describe how you think it adds to the overall mood or effect of the
selection.
_
.
"The Delight Song of Tsoai-Talee"
Line from Poem
Figure of Speech
Mood/Effect
,
"1 am a cluster of bright
beads"
metaphor
The image conveys a.
joyful feeling.
•
.
"1 am a field of sumac
and the pomme blanche"
"1 am the hunger of a
young wolf"
'
"Four Skinny Trees"
•
"They are the only ones
who understand me:'
"Four skinny frees with
skinny necks and pointy
elbows like mine:'
•
"They ... bite the sky
with violent teeth and
never quit their anger:"
254
INTERACTIVE READER / UNIT 5: APPRECIATING POETRY
•
How : u you DESCRIBE - volurselk-.
- Look back at the element of nature you chose in the activity on page 248.
Write a one-stanza poem in which you compare yourself to that element
of nature. Use the selections you just reaclas inspiration.
READING 8 Determine the
figurative meaning of phrases
and analyze how an author's use
of language suggests mood.
Academic Vocabulary in Speaking
encounter
integrity
specific
vary
tradition
TURN AND TALK Which writer used figurative language more effectivelyMomaday or Cisneros? Discuss your opinion with a partner, citing specific
details from the poems as suppQrt. Use.at least one Academic Vocabulary
word in your response. Definitions of these words are on page 211.
Texas Assessment Practice
DIRECTIONS Use "The Delight Song of Tsoai-Talee" a
d "Four Skinny
Trees" to answer questions 1-4.
1 A comparison that gives human qualities to an
object, animal, or idea is called —
mood
repetition
metaphor
personification
2 The speaker in "The Delight Song of Tsoai-Talee"
compares himself to all of the following animals
except —
JO
horse
bear
deer
wolf
3 How would you describe the overall mood of
"Four Skinny Trees"?
determined
B) cheerful
bitter
CD) silly
4 The speaker is like the trees because she —
is sad
(G) is graceful
doesn't belong
C) is skinny and weak
THE DELIGHT SONG OF TSOAI - TALEE / FOUR SKINNY TREES
255
fitMEV4ORK.
Name
Date
THE DELIGHT SONG OF TSOAI-TALEE / FOUR SKINNY TREES
Reading Strategy
•
SET A PURPOSE FOR READING
If you set a purpose when you read, you will get more from your reading. Your
purpose might be to learn specific information. Or, your purpose for reading might be
just to have fun. In this lesson, your purpose for reading is to compare the moods of
two pieces. Analyzing the figurative language can help you accomplish this purpose.
Directions: After you have read both poems, reread the selections again. Record
examples of figurative language for each poem. Then write a word that describes the
mood of each poem. An example has been done for you.
"I am a feather on the bright sky"
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2
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Mood:
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Mood:
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Resource Manager
Unit 5 115
Grade 7
Name
Date
THE DELIGHT SONG OF TSOAI-TALEE I FOUR SKINNY TREES
Question Support
LITERARY ANALYSIS
For questions 1-3, see page 618 of the. Student Edition.
Directions: Answer each question.
Reread lines 1-10 of "The Delight Song of
Tsoai-Talee." The poet uses metaphors to compare himself to several things.
Identify three of the metaphors. Then complete the following sentences.
4. Analyze Figurative Language
The first metaphor is
It creates a feeling of
The second metaphor is
It creates a feeling of
The third metaphor is
It creates a feeling of
.5.
-
Interpret Meaning N. Scott Momaday's Native American name is "TsoaiTalee," which means "Rock Tree Boy." It refers to a landform that is sacred to
his people. The poet refers to Tsen-tainte, a brave Kiowa chief from the 1800s.
The poet says that he is related to this chiefs daughter. Circle the sentence that
describes what he means by the lines 23-24.
c. His heritage is alive.
a. He is really dead.
b. The chief is long dead
6. Make Inferences Complete the following sentence with details from "Four
Skinny Trees."
O
Details that describe both the trees and the narrator are
0
-
0
0
Personification is a comparison that gives human qualities
to an object, animal, or idea. The poet uses personification in "Four Skinny
Trees" to create a certain mood. Circle a word in parentheses and complete the
following sentences.
7. Analyze Mood
0
Three examples of personification are
o
•
The mood of "Four Skinny Trees" is (sad, determined, hopeful) because
Resource Manager
Unit 5
Grade 7
117