Windy Nights By Robert Louis Stevenson There are three poems in this passage. Read each one to determine the topic of the poem. Compare the poems. How are the topics the same? How does the poet describe the topic? Whenever the moon and stars are set, Whenever the wind is high, All night long in the dark and wet, A man goes riding by. Late in the night when the fires are out, Why does he gallop and gallop about? Whenever the trees are crying aloud, And ships are tossed at sea, By, on the highway, low and loud, By at the gallop goes he. By at the gallop he goes, and then By he comes back at the gallop again. DID YOU KNOW? A stanza is a group of lines in a poem separated by a space. These poems have rhymed stanzas. Find the rhymes at the end of each line in Windy Nights. Poets often have rhyme schemes, or patterns, for their rhyme. Write a capital letter A next to the word set. Write another A next to the word at the end of another line that rhymes with set. For each set of words that rhyme, use a different letter. The first stanza in Windy Nights has the pattern ABABCC. What is the pattern for the second stanza? Credits: Linda Prater/Wilkinson Studios, Inc. 1
of Thunder From the Navajo tradition The voice that beautifies the land! The voice above, The voice of thunder Within the dark cloud Again and again it sounds, The voice that beautifies the land. The voice that beautifies the land! The voice below, The voice of the grasshopper Among the plants Again and again it sounds, The voice that beautifies the land. DID YOU KNOW? og By Carl Sandburg The fog comes on little cat feet. It sits looking over harbor and city on silent haunches and then moves on. Figurative language uses words or phrases that are used to mean something different from their dictionary meaning. For example, It is a pea soup fog does not mean that you can eat the fog. It compares the thickness of thick fog to pea soup. What does the poet compare fog to in the poem? Credits: Linda Prater/Wilkinson Studios, Inc. 2
There are two poems in this passage. Read each one to determine the topic of the poem. Compare the poems. How are the topics the same? How does the poet describe the topic? I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud By William Wordsworth I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. Continuous as the stars that shine And twinkle on the Milky Way, They stretched in never-ending line Along the margin of a bay: Ten thousand saw I at a glance, Tossing their heads in sprightly dance. The waves beside them danced, but they Out-did the sparkling waves in glee: A Poet could not but be gay, In such a jocund company I gazed and gazed but little thought What wealth the show to me had brought: For oft, when on my couch I lie In vacant or in pensive mood, They flash upon that inward eye Which is the bliss of solitude; And then my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the daffodils. Credits: right: Don Dyen/Wilkinson Studios, Inc. 1
My Shadow By Robert Louis Stevenson I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me, And what can be the use of him is more than I can see. He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head; And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed. The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow; For he sometimes shoots up taller like an india-rubber ball, And he sometimes gets so little that there s none of him at all. He hasn t got a notion of how children ought to play, And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way. He stays so close beside me, he s a coward you can see; I d think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me!... DID YOU KNOW? Imagery is all of the words that appeal to the senses. Images describe how something looks, sounds, smells, tastes, or feels. Ask yourself what the images mean to you. How do they help you understand the poem? Credits: right: Don Dyen/Wilkinson Studios, Inc. 2
There are two poems in this passage. Read I like to see it lap the miles (383) each one to determine the topic of the poem. Compare the poems. How are the topics the same? How does the poet describe the topic? DID YOU KNOW? A metaphor compares two things. It does not use like or as. Poets use metaphor to help readers connect to the images and the theme in the poem. What metaphors can you find in these poems? Credits: right: Dan Bridy/Wilkinson Studios, Inc. 1
The Children s Hour By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow I hear in the chamber above me The patter of little feet, The sound of a door that is opened, And voices soft and sweet. They climb up into my turret O er the arms and back of my chair; If I try to escape, they surround me; They seem to be everywhere. From my study I see in the lamplight, Descending the broad hall stair, Grave Alice, and laughing Allegra, And Edith with golden hair. They almost devour me with kisses, Their arms about me entwine, Till I think of the Bishop of Bingen In his Mouse-Tower on the Rhine!... A whisper, and then a silence: Yet I know by their merry eyes They are plotting and planning together To take me by surprise. A sudden rush from the stairway, A sudden raid from the hall! By three doors left unguarded They enter my castle wall! I have you fast in my fortress, And will not let you depart, But put you down into the dungeon In the round-tower of my heart. And there will I keep you forever, Yes, forever and a day, Till the walls shall crumble to ruin, And moulder in dust away! Credits: right: Dan Bridy/Wilkinson Studios, Inc. 2
Frances Harper was an African-American writer who lived from 1825 1911. She worked to promote equality for women and the end of slavery. In this poem, she refers to Norse mythology. When warriors died, they followed the Valkyrie to Valhalla. The Valkyrie were supernatural beings who appeared over battlefields as armored women holding weapons. The Valkyrie worked for the god Odin, who protected warriors and heroes. Death of the Old Sea King By Frances E. W. Harper Twas a fearful night the tempest raved With loud and wrathful pride, The storm-king harnessed his lightning steeds, And rode on the raging tide. The sea-king lay on his bed of death, Pale mourners around him bent; They knew the wild and fitful life Of their chief was almost spent. His ear was growing dull in death When the angry storm he heard, The sluggish blood in the old man s veins With sudden vigor stirred. I hear them call, cried the dying man, His eyes grew full of light; Now bring me here my warrior robes, My sword and armor bright. In the tempest s lull I heard a voice, Credits: right: Carlos Aon/Wilkinson Studios, Inc. 1
DID YOU KNOW? A symbol is something that stands for something else. For example, a bald eagle is a symbol of the United States. In poetry, words have symbolic meaning. In this poem, the raging storm symbolizes the last battle the sea-king will face going to Valhalla, or Odin s hall. I knew twas Odin s call. The Valkyrs are gathering round my bed To lead me unto his hall. Bear me unto my noblest ship, Light up a funeral pyre; I ll walk to the palace of the braves Through a path of flame and fire. Oh! wild and bright was the stormy light That flashed from the old man s eye, As they bore him from the couch of death To his battle-ship to die, And lit with many a mournful torch The sea-king s dying bed, And like a banner fair and bright The flames around him spread. But they heard no cry of anguish Break through that fiery wall, With rigid brow and silent lips He was seeking Odin s hall. Through a path of fearful splendor, While strong men held their breath, The brave old man went boldly forth And calmly talked with death. Credits: right: Carlos Aon/Wilkinson Studios, Inc. 2
Ernest Lawrence Thayer was a journalist. He wrote this ballad in 1888 for the San Francisco Examiner. It describes what happens during a baseball game in the final inning. Casey at the Bat A Ballad of the Republic Sung in the Year 1888 By Ernest Lawrence Thayer The outlook wasn t brilliant for the Mudville nine that day: The score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play... A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The rest Clung to the hope which springs eternal in the human breast; They thought, If only Casey could but get a whack at that We d put up even money now, with Casey at the bat.... Then from five thousand throats and more there rose a lusty yell; It rumbled through the valley, it rattled in the dell; It pounded on the mountain and recoiled upon the flat, For Casey, mighty Casey, was advancing to the bat.... Connecting Passage Credits: right: Ron Mahoney/Wilkinson Studios, Inc. 1
Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt; Five thousand tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt; Then while the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip, Defiance flashed in Casey s eye, a sneer curled Casey s lip. And now the leather-covered sphere came hurtling through the air, And Casey stood a-watching it in haughty grandeur there. Close by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped That ain t my style, said Casey. Strike one! the umpire said.... DID YOU KNOW? This poem is a ballad. A ballad is a poetic form that is often sung. With a smile of Christian charity great Casey s visage shone; He stilled the rising tumult; he bade the game go on; He signaled to the pitcher, and once more the dun sphere flew; But Casey still ignored it and the umpire said, Strike two!... The sneer is gone from Casey s lip, his teeth are clenched in hate, He pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate; And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go, And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey s blow. Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright, The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light; And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout, But there is no joy in Mudville mighty Casey has struck out. Connecting Passage Credits: right: Ron Mahoney/Wilkinson Studios, Inc. 2
Student Response Sheet Individual Reading Name Key Question How does a poet create images that support the theme of a poem? On Your Own 1. Read the Key Question. Next read How to Read a Poem. Then read your poem(s). Look at your notes. When you have more than one poem, identify the theme of two poems. If you have one poem, identify the theme of that poem. How to Read a Poem First, read the poem. Then reread the poem and put an asterisk (*) next to words you don t know. Find words that help you make a picture in your mind. Circle these details. Write a note that explains what it makes you think of. Third, read the poem again. This time, look up words you don t know and pay attention to how the language supports the theme. 2. Look for words that help you answer the Key Question. Write the details in the chart. Poem What I Picture How It Supports the Theme My First Answer 1
Student Response Sheet Team Discussion Name Key Question How does a poet create images that support the theme of a poem? Share Your Ideas Meet with your team. Talk about each poem your team read. 1. Tell the team theme(s) and images in the poem(s) you read and how the language supports the theme. Show the chart you made. 3. Compare how the images support the themes in the poems by looking at all the charts you made. Answer these questions together: How does a poet s language help readers make a mental image? How does a mental image help understand the theme of a poem? Next, write the details that answer the Key Question in the chart. Write only the details that are true of every poem your team read. What I Picture How It Supports the Theme Answer the Key Question Review the details in your team s chart. As a team, write an answer to the Key Question. Use the details that apply to all the poems to support your answer. How does a poet create images that support the theme of a poem? 2