WRITER’S NOTEBOOK
Growing Up: A Poetry Analysis
Language Arts
Name: ______________________________________________________
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Background Knowledge
What does it mean to "grow up?" As an adolescent, you may feel like you're
the only one experiencing changes in your life. However, you are not alone. In
fact, many authors/ poets have explored the theme of "growing up" and what
they experienced as they made this transition in their lives. In this module,
you will read Marley Witham's poem, "After Watching Peter Pan Again," and
gain a better understanding of what others experience as they make the
transition into adulthood. You will utilize your understanding of literary
elements and devices, specifically conflict, imagery, and allusion, to analyze
and understand this poem.
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PRE-WRITE
What are you thoughts on the topic of growing up? What does it involve? Be
sure to identify benefits and challenges in your response. Skip the lines with
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TASK
What does Marley Witham's poem say about growing up?
After reading "After Watching Peter Pan Again," write an essay that addresses
the question and analyzes Witham's use of imagery, allusion, and conflict,
providing examples to clarify your analysis. What conclusion or implications
can you draw? A bibliography is not required.
In your own words, write a brief explanation of what the task is asking you to
do. What resources will you use for this task? Skip the lines with “X’s”.
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VOCABULARY NOTES
Vocabulary
Definition
imagery
Examples/Associations
1.
2.
3.
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VOCABULARY NOTES
Vocabulary
Definition
conflict
Examples/Associations
1.
2.
3.
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VOCABULARY NOTES
Vocabulary
Definition
allusion
Examples/Associations
1.
2.
3.
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PETER PAN BACKGROUND
Shortened Summary of Peter Pan (1953 film)
Wendy gets in trouble for riling up her brothers with stories of Peter Pan. She is to be moved from
the nursery because she is getting too old. However, that later that evening, Wendy and her
brothers are taken on a wild adventure when Peter Pan, the hero of their stories, whisks them away
to the magical world of Never Land from their nursery/bedroom window.
After following Peter and his feisty sidekick Tinker Bell past "the second star to the right and
straight on till morning" to Never Land, they explore the island and Peter's secret hideout with the
rambunctious Lost Boys. They leap into high-flying battles with swashbuckling pirates and the
infamous Captain Hook!
In the end, Wendy and her brothers become homesick and return to their home, only to find out
that their own father remembered Pan from his childhood. This makes Wendy’s parents decide that
she can stay in the nursery longer, maintaining her childhood.
Extended Summary of Peter Pan (1953 film)
George and Mary Darling's preparations to attend a party are disrupted by the antics of the boys,
John and Michael, acting out a story about Peter Pan and the pirates, which was told to them by
their older sister, Wendy. Their father, who is fed up with the stories that have made his children
less practical, angrily declares that Wendy has gotten too old to continue staying in the nursery
with them, and it's time for her to grow up and have a room of her own.
That night, they are visited in the nursery by Peter Pan himself, who teaches them to fly with the
help of his pixie friend, Tinker Bell, and takes them with him to the island of Never Land.
A ship of pirates is anchored off Never Land, commanded by Captain Hook with his sidekick, Mr.
Smee. Hook boldly plots to take revenge upon Peter Pan for cutting off his hand, but he trembles
when the crocodile that ate it arrives; it now stalks him, hoping to taste more.
Hook also forms a plan to find Peter's hideout using the knowledge of Tiger Lily. The crew's
restlessness is interrupted by the arrival of Peter and the Darlings. The children easily avoid them,
and, despite a trick by jealous Tinker Bell to have Wendy killed, they meet up with the Lost Boys: six
lads in animal-costume pajamas, who look to Peter as their leader. Tinker Bell's treachery is soon
found out, and Peter banishes her "forever" (though she is eventually forgiven).
John and Michael set off with the Lost Boys to find the island's Indians, who instead capture them,
believing them to be the ones responsible for taking the chief's daughter, Tiger Lily. Big Chief, the
Indian chieftain and Tiger Lily's father, warns them that if Tiger Lily is not back by sunset, the Lost
Boys (along with John and Michael) will be burned at the stake.
Meanwhile, Peter takes Wendy to see the mermaids. Wendy is considering leaving when the
mermaids try to drown her, but things change when the mermaids flee in terror at the sight of
Hook. Peter and Wendy (who quickly spy on Hook) see that he and Smee have captured Tiger Lily,
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so that they might force her into revealing Peter's hideout. Peter and Wendy free her, and Peter is
honored by the tribe.
Hook then plots to take advantage of Tinker Bell's jealousy of Wendy, tricking her into revealing the
location of Peter's lair. However, his plan to kill Peter becomes a bit compromised when Tinker Bell
makes him promise to "not put a hand or hook on Peter". He agrees, and then locks Tinker Bell in a
lantern as a makeshift jail cell.
Wendy and her brothers eventually grow homesick and plan to return home. They invite Peter and
the Lost Boys to return to London and be adopted by the Darling parents. The Lost Boys agree, but
Peter is so set against growing up that he refuses, assuming that all of them will return shortly. The
pirates lie in wait and capture the Lost Boys and the Darlings as they exit, leaving behind a ticking
bomb to kill Peter. Tinker Bell learns of the plot just in time to snatch the bomb from Peter as it
explodes.
Peter rescues Tinker Bell from the rubble and together they confront the pirates, releasing the
children before they can be forced to walk the plank. Peter engages Hook in single combat as the
children fight off the crew, and finally succeeds in humiliating the captain.
Hook and his crew flee, with the crocodile in hot pursuit. Peter gallantly commandeers the deserted
ship, and with the aid of Tinker Bell's pixie dust, flies it to London with the children aboard.
However, the Lost Boys decide to return to Never Land rather than be adopted in London.
Mr. and Mrs. Darling return home from the party to find Wendy not in her bed, but sleeping at the
open window; John and Michael are asleep in their beds. The parents have no idea that the children
have even been anywhere. Wendy wakes and excitedly tells about their adventures. The parents
look out the window and see what appears to be a pirate ship in the clouds. Mr. Darling, who has
softened his position about Wendy staying in the nursery, recognizes it from his own childhood, as
it breaks up into clouds itself.
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POEM
After Watching Peter Pan Again (Marley Witham)
I return to my room with tears in my eyes.
When I was little, this was pure adventure.
Now
I stare out the open window
and begin to imagine.
The unreasonable part of methe part that
once upon a time
let me be a princess,
let me sail with pirates,
the part that believes good
always
triumphs over evilhopes that Pan himself
will come swooping to my window
and take me away,
take me,
so I will never, ever become a grown-up.
But the reasonable part of methe part that concedes
it's just a movie,
that shouts everyone must grow up,
the part that helps me with maththat side states in a calm voice:
You need to get over it.
Tonight I ignore the voice of reason.
I continue to gaze out my window.
Warm summer air drifts in.
I can smell the night on it
and the subtle scent of fresh cut grass.
Thin clouds stretch over stars,
ghostly and pale.
I strain my neck till I'm dangling out the window,
searching for some sign of a flying boy.
Of course, there is none,
just as there never was.
Still, I stay like this
until my mother yells to me to get ready for bed.
I replace the screen,
step away,
and, earthbound,
move on.
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ORGANIZING NOTES
What is the author trying to tell you about growing up? Which parts of the text show you
that? How are conflict, allusion, and imagery used to help you gain a deeper understanding
of the poem's message? Record the following notes as you read “After Watching Peter Pan
Again.”
Imagery
Example/ Evidence from the Text
My Conclusion/ Thoughts
Example/ Evidence from the Text
My Conclusion/ Thoughts
Example/ Evidence from the Text
My Conclusion/ Thoughts
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ORGANIZING NOTES
What is the author trying to tell you about growing up? Which parts of the text show you
that? How are conflict, allusion, and imagery used to help you gain a deeper understanding
of the poem's message? Record the following notes as you read “After Watching Peter Pan
Again.”
Conflict
Example/ Evidence from the Text
My Conclusion/ Thoughts
Example/ Evidence from the Text
My Conclusion/ Thoughts
Example/ Evidence from the Text
My Conclusion/ Thoughts
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ORGANIZING NOTES
What is the author trying to tell you about growing up? Which parts of the text show you
that? How are conflict, allusion, and imagery used to help you gain a deeper understanding
of the poem's message? Record the following notes as you read “After Watching Peter Pan
Again.”
Allusion
Example/ Evidence from the Text
My Conclusion/ Thoughts
Example/ Evidence from the Text
My Conclusion/ Thoughts
Example/ Evidence from the Text
My Conclusion/ Thoughts
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SAMPLE PAPER ANALYSIS
“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.
“Nothing Gold Can Stay” is a poem by Robert Frost. Although this poem
at first seems to be about nature, it also speaks to the act of growing up.
Frost’s use of imagery, allusion, and conflict show that he sees childhood as a
temporary time that should be held on to for as long as possible but is
inevitably lost due to the natural passing of time.
Frost uses imagery and metaphor to paint a picture of his thoughts on
growing up. He notes, “Nature’s first green is gold, her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower.” Literally, these three lines describe how new leaves
emerge as yellow or golden blossoms before developing into green leaves. In
the fourth line, he specifies that this phase lasts, “but only so an hour.” This
shows that the golden blossoms do not last forever. The blossoms’ beauty is
temporary and transient; it must change inevitably. This imagery can also be a
figurative metaphor for childhood. Just as the golden blossoms are beautiful
but temporary, so too is childhood. Growing up is inevitable; childhood and
the innocence associated with it is a person’s hardest hue to hold. Frost
observes that “leaf subsides to leaf.” This means that the golden blossom,
while yellow for a week or so, is destined to be a green leaf for the larger part
of its life. Similarly, human beings spend most of their time as adults, which
only further makes childhood seem fleeting and brief. When Frost notes later
that “dawn goes down to day,” he again refers to the very short period of time,
dawn, which is temporary in the span of a day. Through these examples of
imagery and metaphor, Robert Frost acknowledges the beauty and brevity of
childhood.
Frost also uses allusion to make a point about growing up. He writes,
“So Eden sank to grief.” The mention of Eden is an allusion to the biblical story
of Adam and Eve in the book of Genesis from the Bible. This biblical story
introduces a talking Serpent who tempts Eve to eat the fruit of the forbidden
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tree. The woman eats and gives the fruit to the man, who eats also, "and the
eyes of both of them were opened." They hide from God when he comes to his
garden to walk in the cool of the evening, and then blame each other and the
snake when God discovers their disobedience. God pronounces punishment
on all three: the snake will no longer walk but will crawl on his belly, the
woman will suffer pain in childbirth, and the man will be condemned to work
the ground until he dies and returns to it. God then expels them from Eden.
The fact that Robert Frost uses the word “grief” in the allusion implies that the
transition from childhood to adulthood is unfortunate. It seems appropriate
that Frost would include an allusion to the story of Adam and Eve because
growing up involves a loss of innocence. As humans age, they become aware
of the good and evil in the world. This allusion further shows that Frost sees
childhood as a treasure that should be held on to for as long as possible,
especially because growing up has its challenges.
Lastly, Frost uses conflict to make a point about growing up. The conflict
is character versus nature. Frost states that the golden blossom is “the
hardest hue to hold.” Although childhood should be held on to, it is fleeting.
Time and nature do not allow us as human beings to cling to and maintain the
innocence of childhood. Instead, we unavoidably grow up, becoming what we
were destined to be. Frost’s use of conflict shows that while we struggle to
hold on to the cherished days of childhood, filled with playing and lack of
responsibility, it is a futile struggle because nature always wins.
Through imagery, metaphor, allusion, and conflict, Robert Frost makes a
case that childhood is a short, yet beautiful time to hold on to but that children
eventually grow up, which has its challenges. Overall, I agree with what Frost’s
poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay” says about growing up. It is true that growing
up is inevitable and that childhood is a time in one’s life that should be
cherished and held on to. However, I also feel that Frost’s poem focuses too
much on the negative side of growing up. He leaves out the benefits and
surprises that come with growing up, such as the joys of finding one’s self,
finding love in another person, and the wisdom that comes with age and
experience. Although Frost falls short of accurately portraying the joys of
growing up, he does a great job of portraying the struggle to hold on to
childhood, the time that so fleetingly passes us and which we recall fondly as
we grow older.
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Strengths of the Paper
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PAPER OUTLINE
Introduction
 Identify the title and author of the poem.
 State thesis statement. (What is the author trying to say about growing
up?)
 Preview the paper by identifying the three literary devices/elements
used by the poet. (How does the reveal what he/she’s trying to say
about growing up?)
Body
 Start with a topic sentence that introduces the literary device/element.
 Provide examples of the literary device/ element with direct quotes
from the text. (Remember to use transitions to effectively incorporate
these!)
 Explain/ elaborate on the quotes, making sure to identify how they
relate to the topic of growing up.
 End with a concluding statement that summarizes the “gist” of the
paragraph.
Conclusion
 Summarize what the author tries to say about growing up. (Answer
question again.)
 End by adding your own thoughts about (evaluate) whether the author
accurately portrays the act of growing up. (Do you agree with what the
author says about growing up?)
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ESSAY ROUGH DRAFT
TASK
What does Marley Witham's poem say about growing up?
After reading "After Watching Peter Pan Again," write an essay that addresses
the question and analyzes Witham's use of imagery, allusion, and conflict,
providing examples to clarify your analysis. What conclusion or implications
can you draw? A bibliography is not required.
Introduction
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Body: Paragraph 1 (1st Literary Device/Element)
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Body: Paragraph 2 (2nd Literary Device/Element)
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Body: Paragraph 3 (3rd Literary Device/Element)
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Conclusion
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