04-13-2010+ENGL1120

Learning Team Discuss the following questions and issues and be prepared to discuss them in class:

a. "My Papa's Waltz" (p. 718) i. What is the theme of the poem? (Ray) A father abusing his child. (Dave) A father who is a drunk abusing his child (Kassie) Child Abuse ii. What does the title suggest before, during, and after you read it? (Ray) (Before) It’s about a dance. (During) It’s about getting spanked. (After) It’s about getting a beating with a belt. (Dave) (Before) A fathers dance (During) a drunken father abusing his child (After) A young boy, coming to terms, after receiving a whipping from his drunken father. (Kassie) (Before) His father's dance (During) Punishment (After) The child's interpretation of his relationship with his father iii. How could the title be ironic? (Ray) The title suggests a dance, which some may enjoy; when actually it is about getting whipped with a belt. (Dave) Suggesting his father’s way of dancing. (Kassie) A waltz is a graceful, intimate dance. iv. Why is the setting appropriate? (Ray) No idea. (Dave)No, not morally, but appropriate for this poem. (Kassie) It takes place in their home, under the watch of the child's mother. v. Analyze all aspects of prosody (meter, rhyme, sound effects,punctuation, and stanza pattern). (Ray) (Dave) meter: good, rhyme: very good, sound effects: very good, Punctuation: good, stanza pattern: good. (Kassie) Meter: alternating lines of trochaic trimeter and ??? (7 syllables - I'm a little stuck on this one); Rhyme: both slant & end rhyme; Sound Effects: None; Punctuation: Normal, correct punctuation; Stanza: Quatrain vi. What is the most important line of the poem? (Ray) “Such waltzing was not easy.” (Dave) "The whiskey on your breath could make a small boy dizzy." (Kassie) "Suck waltzing was not easy" b. "White Lies" (p. 724) i. What is the major theme of the poem? (Ray) A black child wanting to be like everyone else. (Dave) A child embarrassed by her home and dress trying to impress her peers. (Kassie) Shame, secrecy ii. In what way does the title suggest something the narrator? (Ray) The title suggests that, by not saying anything, the child is lying about race, or that not admitting that he or she is black is just a small lie (a little whit lie). (Dave) It’s about her race and station in life. (Kassie) The title infers that the narrator feels the lie was harmless iii. What is the most important word in the poem? (Ray) Lie (Dave) Lies. (Kassie) Lie iv. Summarize the poem in a sentence or two. (Ray) A black child (light enough to pass for white) thinks it would be easy to lie and pass for white, and thinks that it is alright. She seems to hope that the ‘Ivory (white) soap’ will lighten her from the inside out, allowing her to ‘fit in’ in a racial society. (Dave) A girl, of mixed race, wanting to be accepted by her peers, tells little white lies to be accepted. (Kassie) A black girl who can convince others that she's white daydreams of what life would be like if she actually were. She becomes so attached to the fantasy that she continually lies about it. v. Why is the setting significant? (Ray) The setting seems to be a public place, such as school or church, where children of different cultures would be together. The black child (light enough to pass for white) wants to be like everyone else and be accepted. (Dave) To show her class and station in life. (Kassie) While the racial make up of the town is mixed, blacks and whites are divided by both location and economic status. vi. Describe the tone of the poem. (Ray) Sad. (Dave) In a black place, describing the poor way she grew up. (Kassie) Tense. She knows she's lying and denying who she is, and she knows she'll be in trouble if her mother finds out. vii. What is the effect of the repetition of the last line? (Ray) ??? (Dave) It showed us she wanted to be honest. (Kassie) I'm with Ray.....???? The last line isn't repeated. c. "Rites of Passage" (p. 734) i. What is the theme of the poem? (Ray) A birthday party for six and seven year olds. (Dave) Boys will always be boys. (Kassie) Competition ii. How close is the speaker to the action in the poem? (Ray) The speaker is the mother of the birthday boy. (Dave) She is the boy’s mother. (Kassie) She's in the home, witnessing all of this happening. iii. Describe the tone of the poem. (Ray) (Dave) Boys competing with each other. (Kassie) Almost ironic. She refers to them as if they're adults, but they're all between 6-7 years old. iv. What rite of passage does the poem describe? (Ray) The bigger kids are stronger and superior to smaller ones. (Dave) Boys are strong and very competitive. (Kassie) A birthday; Competitive spirit v. How would the others in the poem react to the speaker's thoughts? (Ray) (Dave) Boys will always be boys, competitive, constantly competing against each other. (Kassie) Perhaps wondering why she refers to them as men

d. "This Is Just to Say" (p. 750) i. What is the theme of the poem? (Ray) Apology (Dave) It’s about a note of apology. (Kassie) Apology; Asking for forgiveness ii. Describe the setting of the poem. (Ray) A note hanging on the fridge. (Dave) It’s about someone; perhaps a husband, writing a note to a wife. (Kassie) I picture the note being left on the fridge or on the kitchen table iii. What does the title suggest is "just to say"? (Ray) It's just to say "sorry" (Dave) It’s about telling someone something. (Kassie) The narrator did not ask permission, but is asking for forgiveness. iv. What is the tone of the poem? (Ray) It's a heart-felt apology. (Dave) It is upbeat and apologetic. (Kassie) Very matter of fact v. What is the most important word or line in the poem? (Ray) "Forgive me" (Dave) I have eaten. (Kassie) "Forgive me" Why? (Ray) The plums looked to good to resist, and after the fact, the narrator was sorry for not at least sharing them. (Dave) It tells what happened. (Kassie) The narrator is explaining what happened in the note, and apologizing.

e. "Love Calls Us to the Things of This World" (p. 786) i. What is the theme of the poem? (Ray) An awakening. (Dave) A spiritual awakening. (Kassie) ii. What are the "things of this world"? (Ray) Things encountered in everyday life. (Dave) The “things of this world” are people, living their daily lives. (Kassie) getting out of bed each day and living life iii. How does love call us to those things? (Ray) Through believing in the Lord; and heaven and earth. (Dave) Love calls us to live. (Kassie) It gives us a reason to go through the day to day iv. What is the general tone of the poem? (Ray) A heavenly dream. (Dave) It's about someone having a spititual awakning from a near death experience. (Kassie) Dream-like v. What is the most significant image in the poem? (Ray) Angels flying and swooning down. (Dave) Living is hard and painful, whereas sleep is like the spirit world. (Kassie) The opening scene when the narrator is waking up. vi. What is the style of the poem? (Ray) Symbolic. (Dave) prose (Kassie) There is use of formatting to create emphasis on specific phrases.

f. "Piute Creek," (p. 803) i. What is the theme of the poem? (Ray) The beauty of nature. (Dave) It’s about nature. (Kassie) the wilderness ii. How do both the setting and tone contribute to the poem? (Ray) It is 'awe inspiring'. (Dave) To show what we are as humans in our world. (Kassie) ?? iii. What moral dilemmas are suggested in the poem? (Ray) We don't always see the beauty of the world in everyday life. (Dave) That we are nothing apart from God. (Kassie) How to respect and interact with nature iv. What is the significance of the title of the poem? (Ray) Maybe, Piute Creek runs through the setting of the visual nature scene. (Dave) The significance is that the title is the scene of the poem. (Kassie) It's the setting of the poem v. What is the final effect of the poem? (Ray) The beauty of nature allows you to forget the things of the world, if only for a breif moment. (Dave) How small we are in this big large universe, but God still cares for us. (Kassie) The overwhelming feeling that we, as humans, are unimportant compared to how grand the world can be.