The Language of Poetry - LanguageArts-NHS

unit 7
Literary
Analysis
Workshop
Characteristics
The Language of Poetry
Emily Dickinson once wrote, “If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken
off, I know that is poetry.” A good poem can make readers look at the world in a new
way. A simple fork becomes the foot of a strange and unearthly bird; death itself
appears as the driver of a carriage. After reading a poem, you might find yourself
repeating lines in your mind or remembering images that “spoke” to you from the
page. What gives poetry such power? Read a poem closely, and you’ll see how it has
been carefully crafted to affect you.
Part 1: Form
What you’ll most likely notice first about a poem is its form, or the distinctive
way the words are arranged on the page. Form refers to the length and
placement of lines and the way they are grouped into stanzas. Similar to
a paragraph in narrative writing, each stanza conveys a unified idea and
contributes to a poem’s overall meaning.
Poems can be traditional or organic in form. Regardless of its structure,
though, a poem’s form is often deliberately chosen to echo its meaning.
traditional organic
• follows fixed rules, such as a
specified number of lines
• has a regular pattern of rhythm
and rhyme
• includes the following forms: sonnet, ode,
haiku, limerick, ballad, epic
Example
Does the road wind up-hill all the way?
Yes, to the very end.
Will the day’s journey take the whole long day?
From morn to night, my friend.
—from “Up-hill” by Christina Rossetti
Analyze the Example
• Identify the rhyming words at the ends of the
lines to see the rhyme pattern of the stanza.
• Read the lines aloud to hear their regular
rhythm.
• Notice how the singsong musical quality
emphasizes the comforting message.
688 unit 7: the language of poetry
Characteristics
• does not have a regular pattern
of rhythm and may not rhyme
• may use unconventional
spelling, punctuation, and grammar
• includes the following forms: free verse,
concrete poetry
Example
wear your colors
like a present person
today is
here & now
—from “Look Not to Memories”
by Angela de Hoyos
Analyze the Example
• Notice that this poem has no capitalization or
end punctuation.
• Note the lack of rhyme and the use of an
ampersand (&).
• Think about why this structure suits the
“seize the day” message.

model 1: traditional form
The following two stanzas are from an ode, a complex lyric poem that
addresses a serious theme, such as justice, truth, or the passage of time.
While odes can follow just about any structure, “The Fire of Driftwood”
is traditional in form because of its regular stanzas, rhythm, and rhyme.
Here, the speaker—the voice that talks to the reader—sadly reflects on
how he and his friends have grown apart.
from the fire of driftwood
Poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
5
We spake of many a vanished scene,
Of what we once had thought and said,
Of what had been, and might have been,
And who was changed, and who was dead;
And all that fills the hearts of friends,
When first they feel, with secret pain,
Their lives thenceforth have separate ends,
And never can be one again.
model 2: organic form
This poem is written in free verse, with no regular pattern of rhythm
and rhyme. Notice how its form differs from that of Longfellow’s poem.
i am not done yet
Poem by Lucille Clifton
5
10
as possible as yeast
as imminent as bread
a collection of safe habits
a collection of cares
less certain than i seem
more certain than i was
a changed changer
i continue to continue
where i have been
most of my lives is
where i’m going
Close Read
1. How is the form of the
first stanza similar to
that of the second?
Consider the number and
length of the lines, the
pattern of the rhyme,
and the rhythm.
2. Summarize the different
ideas expressed in each
stanza.
Close Read
1. Using the chart on the
preceding page, identify
two characteristics that
make this poem organic
in form.
2. Read the poem aloud.
The short lines and
the rhythm help to
emphasize the ideas
expressed in each line.
Choose two lines and
explain what the speaker
is saying.
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Part 2: Poetic Elements
What gives one poem a brisk rhythm and another the sound of an everyday
conversation? How can two poems on the same subject—for example, the
simplicity of nature—create dramatically different images in your mind? Sound
devices and imagery are the techniques that give dimension to words on a page.
sound devices
Much of the power of poetry depends on rhythm—the pattern of stressed and
unstressed syllables in each line. Poets use rhythm to emphasize important
words or ideas and to create a mood that suits their subject. Some poems have
a regular pattern of rhythm, which is called meter. Analyzing the effects of a
poem’s rhythm begins with scanning, or marking, the meter. Unstressed syllables
are marked with a ( ) and stressed syllables with a ( ) , as in these lines from
“A Dirge” by Percy Bysshe Shelley:
Rough wind, / that moan / est loud a
Grief / too sad / for song; b
Wild wind / when sul / len cloud a
Knells / all the night / long. b
A regular pattern of rhyme is called a rhyme scheme. Rhyme scheme is charted by
assigning a letter of the alphabet to matching end rhymes, as shown in “A Dirge.”
Poets also use many other sound devices to create specific effects. In each of
the following examples, notice how the device helps to establish a mood, create
a rhythm, and suggest different sounds and sights of the sea.
repetition
a sound, word, phrase, or line that is repeated for emphasis
and unity
Break, break, break,
On thy cold gray stones, O Sea!
— from “Break, Break, Break” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
assonance
the repetition of vowel sounds in words that do not end
with the same consonant
The waves break fold on jewelled fold.
—from “Moonlight” by Sara Teasdale
690 unit 7: the language of poetry
alliteration
the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginnings
of words
The scraggy rock spit shielding the town’s blue bay
—from “Departure” by Sylvia Plath
consonance
the repetition of consonant sounds within and at the ends
of words
And black are the waters that sparkled so green.
—from “Seal Lullaby” by Rudyard Kipling

model 1: rhythm and rhyme
The speakers in this next poem could be understood to be the collective
voice of the pool players mentioned underneath the title. Read the poem
aloud to hear its unique rhyme scheme and rhythm. In what ways do
these elements reflect the fast-lane lifestyle that the speakers describe?
We Real C l
The Pool Players.
Seven at The Golden Shovel.
5
model 2: other sound devices
This poem immerses you in the edge-of-your-seat excitement of a close
baseball game. What sound devices has the poet used to create this effect?
5
10
We real cool. We
Left school. We
Lurk late. We
Strike straight. We
Sing sin. We
Thin gin. We
Jazz June. We
Die soon.
Poised between going on and back, pulled
Both ways taut like a tightrope-walker,
Fingertips pointing the opposites,
Now bouncing tiptoe like a dropped ball
Or a kid skipping rope, come on, come on,
Running a scattering of steps sidewise,
How he teeters, skitters, tingles, teases,
Taunts them, hovers like an ecstatic bird,
He’s only flirting, crowd him, crowd him,
Delicate, delicate, delicate, delicate—now!
Poem by Gwendolyn Brooks
Poem by Robert Francis
Literary Analysis Workshop
Close Read
1. Even though the rhyming
words in this poem
fall in the middle of
the lines, they sound
like end rhymes. If you
treat these words as
end rhymes, what is the
rhyme scheme?
2. One way to read this
poem is to stress every
syllable. How would you
describe the rhythm?
Explain how it echoes
the speakers’ attitude
toward life.
Close Read
1. Read the boxed text
aloud. The use of
alliteration emphasizes
the tension that the base
stealer feels. Find another
example of alliteration
and explain its effect.
2. Identify two other sound
devices that the poet uses
and describe their effects.
literary analysis workshop
691

imagery and figurative language
I can remember wind-swept streets of cities
on cold and blustery nights, on rainy days;
heads under shabby felts and parasols
and shoulders hunched against a sharp concern.
—from “Memory” by Margaret Walker
Do these lines make you want to stay indoors, nestled under layers of blankets? If
so, the reason is imagery, or words and phrases that re-create sensory experiences
for readers. Through the highlighted images, the poet helps readers visualize the
bleak scene—the way it looks, sounds, and even feels—in striking detail.
One way poets create strong imagery is through the use of figurative
language, which conveys meanings beyond the literal meanings of words.
Figurative language pops up all the time in everyday speech. For example, if
you say “My heart sank when I heard the disappointing news,” your friends
will understand that your heart did not literally sink. Through this figurative
expression, you are conveying the emotional depth of your disappointment.
In the following examples, notice what each technique helps to emphasize
about the subject described.
figurative language
simile
a comparison between two
unlike things using the words
like, as, or as if
metaphor
a comparison between two
unlike things but without the
words like or as
personification
a description of an object, an
animal, a place, or an idea in
human terms
hyperbole
an exaggeration for emphasis
or humorous effect
692 unit 7: the language of poetry
example
I remember how you sang in your stone shoes
light-voiced as dusk or feathers.
—from “Elegy for My Father” by Robert Winner
The door of winter
is frozen shut.
—from “Wind Chill” by Linda Pastan
Death, be not proud, though some have
callèd thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so.
—from “Sonnet 10” by John Donne
Here once the embattled farmers stood
And fired the shot heard round the world.
—from “The Concord Hymn”
by Ralph Waldo Emerson

model 3: imagery
Notice the imagery this poet uses to transport you to the hot sands of an
island in the West Indies.
Midsummer, Tobago
5
10
Broad sun-stoned beaches.
White heat.
A green river.
A bridge,
scorched yellow palms
from the summer-sleeping house
drowsing through August.
Days I have held,
days I have lost,
days that outgrow, like daughters,
my harbouring arms.
model 4: figurative language
Poem by Derek Walcott
The use of figurative language in this poem strengthens the contrast
between a lifeless winter day and the vibrancy of the horses.
from
Horses
Poem by Pablo Neruda, translated by Alastair Reid
Text not available for electronic use.
Please refer to the text in the textbook.
Literary Analysis Workshop
Close Read
1. The boxed image
appeals to the senses of
sight and touch. Identify
three other images and
describe the scene they
conjure up in your mind.
2. How does the speaker
feel about the summer
days he or she describes?
Explain how the image in
lines 10–11 helps you to
understand the speaker’s
emotions.
Close Read
1. One example of a simile
is boxed. What does
this comparison tell
you about the air? Find
another simile and
explain the comparison.
2. In line 5, the poet uses
personification to
describe winter. What
characteristics of winter
does this comparison
emphasize?
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Part 3: Analyze the Literature
Apply what you have just learned about the forms, techniques, and effects of
poetry by comparing the next two poems. The first describes the dead-end life
of Flick Webb, a former high school basketball star. Read the poem a first time,
looking for details that help you to understand the character of Flick. Then read
the poem aloud to get the full impact.
5
10
15
20
25
30
ex-Basketball Player
Poem by John Updike
Pearl Avenue runs past the high-school lot,
Bends with the trolley tracks, and stops, cut off
Before it has a chance to go two blocks,
At Colonel McComsky Plaza. Berth’s Garage
Is on the corner facing west, and there,
Most days, you’ll find Flick Webb, who helps Berth out.
Flick stands tall among the idiot pumps—
Five on a side, the old bubble-head style,
Their rubber elbows hanging loose and low.
One’s nostrils are two S’s, and his eyes
An E and O. And one is squat, without
A head at all—more of a football type.
Once Flick played for the high-school team, the Wizards.
He was good: in fact, the best. In ’46
He bucketed three hundred ninety points,
A county record still. The ball loved Flick.
I saw him rack up thirty-eight or forty
In one home game. His hands were like wild birds.
He never learned a trade, he just sells gas,
Checks oil, and changes flats. Once in a while,
As a gag, he dribbles an inner tube,
But most of us remember anyway.
His hands are fine and nervous on the lug wrench.
It makes no difference to the lug wrench, though.
Off work, he hangs around Mae’s Luncheonette.
Grease-gray and kind of coiled, he plays pinball,
Smokes those thin cigars, nurses lemon phosphates.
Flick seldom says a word to Mae, just nods
Beyond her face toward bright applauding tiers
Of Necco Wafers, Nibs, and Juju Beads.
694 unit 7: the language of poetry
Close Read
1. In the second stanza, Flick
stands next to gas pumps,
which are personified as
athletes. Citing details in
the stanza, describe this
image as you see it in your
mind’s eye.
2. Identify the simile in the
third stanza. What does
it tell you about Flick’s
athletic ability in high
school?
3. Now that you know more
about the character of
Flick, reread lines 1–3.
How does the image of
Pearl Avenue remind you
of him?
4. The poet uses alliteration
in the last stanza. One
example is boxed. Find
two more examples.

The description of basketball players in this poem provides a sharp contrast to
the sad portrait of Flick Webb in “Ex-Basketball Player.”
SLAM,
&
DUNK,
HOOK
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
Poem by Yusef Komunyakaa
Fast breaks. Lay ups. With Mercury’s
Insignia on our sneakers,
We outmaneuvered to footwork
Of bad angels. Nothing but a hot
Swish of strings like silk
Ten feet out. In the roundhouse
Labyrinth our bodies
Created, we could almost
Last forever, poised in midair
Like storybook sea monsters.
A high note hung there
A long second. Off
The rim. We’d corkscrew
Up & dunk balls that exploded
The skullcap of hope & good
Intention. Lanky, all hands
& feet . . . sprung rhythm.
We were metaphysical when girls
Cheered on the sidelines.
Tangled up in a falling,
Muscles were a bright motor
Double-flashing to the metal hoop
Nailed to our oak.
When Sonny Boy’s mama died
He played nonstop all day, so hard
Our backboard splintered.
Glistening with sweat,
We rolled the ball off
Our fingertips. Trouble
Was there slapping a blackjack
Against an open palm.
Dribble, drive to the inside,
& glide like a sparrow hawk.
Lay ups. Fast breaks.
We had moves we didn’t know
We had. Our bodies spun
On swivels of bone & faith,
Through a lyric slipknot
Of joy, & we knew we were
Beautiful & dangerous.
Literary Analysis Workshop
Close Read
1. Is the form of this poem
traditional or organic?
Support your answer
with specific examples.
2. Read the boxed lines
aloud and identify two
sound devices that are
used. What does the
rhythm in these lines
remind you of?
3. The speaker describes
the players as “Beautiful
& dangerous” in line 40.
Find two examples of
figurative language that
suggest either of these
qualities. Explain your
choices.
4. Contrast the two poems,
citing three differences.
Think about each poet’s
treatment of the subject,
as well as his use of
poetic techniques.
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696
Before Reading
There Will Come Soft Rains
Poem by Sara Teasdale
Meeting at Night
Poem by Robert Browning
The Sound of Night
Poem by Maxine Kumin
What is our place in nature?
KEY IDEA Are humans more powerful than nature? Think of how we
change landscapes, drive other species to extinction, and otherwise
use nature for our own ends. Or are humans insignificant in the face
of nature’s power?
DISCUSS Think about a recent encounter you had with nature. What
attitude did you express—admiration? indifference? In a small
group, discuss your overall attitudes toward nature.

literary analysis: sound devices
One common sound device used in poetry is rhyme, the
repetition of sounds at the ends of words. End rhyme is
rhyme at the ends of lines, as in this excerpt:
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though.
Another sound device is alliteration, the repetition of
consonant sounds at the beginnings of words, as in Droning
a drowsy syncopated tune.
Still another sound device is onomatopoeia, the use of
words that imitate sounds, as in The buzz saw snarled and
rattled in the yard. As you read the following poems about
nature, notice their sound devices. Record examples on a chart.
Title
“There Will
Come Soft
Rains”
End Rhyme
ground / sound
(lines 1 and 2)
reading strategy: reading poetry
Alliteration Onomatopoeia
Reading poetry requires paying attention not only to the
meaning of the words but to the way they look and sound.
The following strategies will help you.
• Notice how the lines are arranged on the page. Are they
long lines, or short? Are they grouped into regular stanzas or
irregular stanzas, or are they not divided into stanzas at all?
Stanza breaks usually signal the start of a new idea.
• Pause in your reading where punctuation marks appear,
just as you would when reading prose. Note that in poetry,
punctuation does not always occur at the end of a line; a
thought may continue for several lines.
• Read a poem aloud several times. As you read, notice whether
the rhythm is regular or varied. Is there a rhyme scheme, or
regular pattern of end rhyme? For example, you’ll notice that
“There Will Come Soft Rains” is written in couplets, two-line
units with an aa rhyme scheme. Regular patterns of rhythm
and rhyme give a musical quality to poems.
Review: Make Inferences
Sara Teasdale: Love
and War Sara Teasdale
explored the topic of
love in all of its aspects.
Drawing on her own
experiences, she wrote
about the beauty,
pleasure, fragility, and
heartache of love in
exquisitely crafted lyric
poems. In reaction to
World War I, she also
wrote antiwar poems,
such as “There Will
Come Soft Rains.”
Robert Browning:
Painter of Portraits
Robert Browning was
a master at capturing
psychological
complexity. Using the
dramatic monologue,
a poem addressed
to a silent listener,
he conveyed the
personalities of both
fictional and historical
figures. “Meeting at
Night” is one of his
shorter lyric poems.
Maxine Kumin: Poet
of Place The poetry
of Maxine Kumin
is rooted in New
England rural life.
Using traditional verse
forms, Kumin explores
changes in nature,
people’s relationship
to the land and its
creatures, and human
mortality, loss, and
survival.
Sara Teasdale
1884–1933
Robert Browning
1812–1889
Maxine Kumin
born 1925
more about the author
For more on these poets, visit the
Literature Center at ClassZone.com.
697

There Will Come
Soft Rains
Sara Teasdale
5
10
There will come soft rains and the smell of the ground,
And swallows circling with their shimmering sound; a
And frogs in the pools singing at night,
And wild plum-trees in tremulous white;
Robins will wear their feathery fire
Whistling their whims on a low fence-wire; b
And not one will know of the war, not one
Will care at last when it is done.
Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree
If mankind perished utterly;
And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn,
Would scarcely know that we were gone.
698 unit 7: the language of poetry
a READING POETRY
Read the first stanza
aloud. Notice that it is a
rhymed couplet. What
expectations are set up
by this end rhyme?
b SOUND DEVICES
What examples of
alliteration can you
identify in lines 1–6?
ANALYZE VISUALS
What overall feeling
do you get from this
landscape?
Spring Landscape (1909),
Constant Permeke. Constant
Permeke Museum, Jabbeke, Belgium.
© 2008 Artists Rights Society (ARS),
New York/SABAM, Brussels.

Meeting at Night
Robert Browning
700 unit 7: the language of poetry
5
10
1
The gray sea and the long black land;
And the yellow half-moon large and low;
And the startled little waves that leap
In fiery ringlets from their sleep,
As I gain the cove 1 with pushing prow, 2
And quench its speed i’ the slushy sand. c
2
Then a mile of warm sea-scented beach;
Three fields to cross till a farm appears;
A tap at the pane, the quick sharp scratch
And blue spurt of a lighted match,
And a voice less loud, through its joys and fears,
Than the two hearts beating each to each! d
1. cove: a small, partly enclosed body of water.
2. prow (prou): the front part of a boat.
Moonrise (1906), Guillermo
Gomez y Gil. Oil on canvas. Musée
des Beaux-Arts, Pau, France. Photo
© Giraudon/Bridgeman Art Library.
c READING POETRY
Read the first stanza
aloud. What rhyme
scheme do you notice?
d MAKE INFERENCES
Where does the speaker
arrive, and what happens
once he is there?

The Sound
of Night
Maxine Kumin
5
10
15
20
25
And now the dark comes on, all full of chitter noise.
Birds huggermugger 1 crowd the trees,
the air thick with their vesper 2 cries,
and bats, snub seven-pointed kites,
skitter across the lake, swing out,
squeak, chirp, dip, and skim on skates
of air, and the fat frogs wake and prink
wide-lipped, noisy as ducks, drunk
on the boozy black, gloating chink-chunk. e
And now on the narrow beach we defend ourselves from dark.
The cooking done, we build our firework
bright and hot and less for outlook
than for magic, and lie in our blankets
while night nickers around us. Crickets
chorus hallelujahs; paws, quiet
and quick as raindrops, play on the stones
expertly soft, run past and are gone;
fish pulse in the lake; the frogs hoarsen.
Now every voice of the hour—the known, the supposed, the strange,
the mindless, the witted, the never seen—
sing, thrum, impinge, 3 and rearrange
endlessly; and debarred 4 from sleep we wait
for the birds, importantly silent,
for the crease of first eye-licking light,
for the sun, lost long ago and sweet.
By the lake, locked black away and tight,
we lie, day creatures, overhearing night.
1. huggermugger: disorderly.
2. vesper: pertaining to the evening; a type of swallow that sings in the evening.
3. impinge (Gm-pGnjP): to strike or push upon.
4. debarred: prevented or hindered.
Trees at Night (c. 1900), Thomas Meteyard. Berry Hill Gallery, New
York. Photo © Edward Owen/Art Resource, New York.
e SOUND DEVICES
What examples of
onomatopoeia can
you identify in the first
stanza? What do they
add to the poem?
meeting at night / the sound of night 701

After Reading
Comprehension
1. Clarify According to the speaker in Teasdale’s poem, how would the natural
world react if “mankind perished utterly”?
2. Clarify Whom does the speaker in Browning’s poem meet when he arrives at
his destination?
3. Clarify What time and place are described in Kumin’s poem?
Literary Analysis
4. Reading Poetry Which poem did you appreciate most when read aloud?
Explain the qualities that were brought out in an oral reading.
5. Analyze Rhyme Describe how end rhyme is used in each poem. Which
poems employ a regular rhyme scheme? What ideas are emphasized through
end rhyme? Use a chart like the one shown to plan your answer.
“There Will Come Soft Rains”
“Meeting at Night”
“The Sound of Night”
6. Recognize Alliteration Which poem makes the most obvious use of
alliteration? What feelings or ideas are suggested by these repeated
consonant sounds?
7. Relate Theme and Sound Devices Describe the qualities of nature conveyed
in each poem. How are sound devices used to suggest these qualities? Refer
to your sound devices chart to plan your answer.
8. Draw Conclusions What does each poem suggest about humans and nature?
Literary Criticism
Rhyme Important
Scheme Rhyming Words
9. Critical Interpretations According to one critic, Teasdale’s poetry “expresses
the fragility of human life where the only real certainty comes from nature.”
How does this comment apply to “There Will Come Soft Rains”?
702 unit 7: the language of poetry

Reading-Writing Connection
Broaden your understanding of the poems by responding to these prompts.
Then use Revision: Grammar and Style to improve your writing.
writing prompts self-check
A. Short Response: Support an Opinion
Which of the three poems expresses the greatest
appreciation of nature? Defend your choice in one or
two paragraphs, using examples from the poems.
B. Extended Response: Interpret Theme
What is the theme or message of each poem that you
read? Drawing on details from the poems, write a
three-to-five-paragraph response.
revision: grammar and style
USE PRECISE LANGUAGE It is important for writers to choose words that
effectively express the rhythm, sound, and imagery they wish to convey to their
audience. Notice how Maxine Kumin’s use of precise verbs in “The Sound of
Night” makes the description livelier and more specific than if she had used
verbs such as “fly” or “communicate.”
and bats, snub seven-pointed kites,
skitter across the lake, swing out,
squeak, chirp, dip, and skim on skates
of air . . . (lines 4–7)
Careful consideration of word choice can be given to all types of writing, not
just poetry. Notice that the revisions in red are precise verbs that enhance the
description in this first draft. Revise your responses to the prompts by changing
any dull, general verbs to more precise ones.
student model
urges
In “There Will Come Soft Rains,” Sara Teasdale asks us to consider that
annihilated
nature will go on long after humans have done away with themselves.
A strong opinion statement
will . . .
• identify one poem as
expressing the most
appreciation of nature
• show how the imagery and
tone of the poem express
this appreciation
An effective response will . . .
• give a clearly stated
interpretation of each poem
• present details that support
the interpretation
writing
tools
For prewriting, revision,
and editing tools, visit
the Writing Center at
ClassZone.com.
. . . soft rains / meeting at night / the sound of night 703

704
Before Reading
I dwell in Possibility—
Poem by Emily Dickinson
Variation on a Theme by Rilke
Poem by Denise Levertov
blessing the boats
Poem by Lucille Clifton
What if you couldn’t fail?
KEY IDEA Think about living in a world of endless possibility. You
have no limitations, and you have every advantage available to you.
If you want to sing, you have an extraordinary voice. If you want to
feed the hungry, world leaders adopt your plans. What would you do
in life if you knew that you could only succeed?
QUICKWRITE Make a short to-do list of things you’d
like to accomplish if success were assured. Then, with a
partner, discuss your list. What are some of the entries?
How do you feel inside as you imagine completing these
tasks?
To-Do List
1. Compete in the Olympics
2.
3.

poetic form: lyric poetry
A lyric poem is a short poem in which a single speaker
expresses personal thoughts and feelings on a subject. In
ancient Greece, lyric poets expressed their feelings in song,
accompanied by a lyre. While modern lyric poems are no
longer sung, they still retain common characteristics such as:
• a sense of rhythm and melody
• imaginative language
• exploration of a single feeling or thought
Reading the lyric poems on the following pages aloud will help
you appreciate these characteristics.
literary analysis: figurative language
Figurative language is an expression of ideas beyond what the
words literally mean. Three basic types of figurative language,
or figures of speech, follow:
• A simile compares two unlike things that have something
in common, using like or as. (bats, sailing like kites)
• A metaphor compares two unlike things by saying that one
thing actually is the other. (bats, snub seven-pointed kites)
• Personification lends human qualities to an object, animal,
or idea. (bats, performing a graceful ballet)
Poets use figurative language both to convey abstract thoughts
and to offer a fresh outlook on everyday things. As you read
the following poems, use a chart like this one to record and
analyze examples of simile, metaphor, and personification.
Example Type Two Things
Compared
“I dwell in
Possibility—/ A
fairer House than
Prose–”
metaphor poetry/possibility
and a house
reading skill: compare and contrast
Ideas
Suggested
Comparing and contrasting the poems—identifying the
similarities and the differences between them—will help you
understand each poem’s central theme. As you read, compare
the feelings expressed and the figurative language used.
Emily Dickinson:
Passionate Poet
As an adult, Emily
Dickinson rarely left
her father’s home or
welcomed visitors.
Yet she managed to
write poems that
are remarkable for
their originality and
awareness of human
passion. Using unusual
imagery and syntax,
she explored such powerful emotions as
love, despair, and ecstasy.
Denise Levertov:
A Poetic Vocation
Denise Levertov’s
view that writing
poetry should be like
a religious calling was
influenced by the early
20th-century poet
Rainer Maria Rilke,
whom she claimed as
a role model. Levertov
often used her art in
service of political
ideals, tackling such issues as the Vietnam
War and the nuclear arms race.
Lucille Clifton:
Honoring Heritage
Lucille Clifton’s
poetry honors African
heritage and expresses
optimism about life.
Clifton is a professor
of humanities at
St. Mary’s College,
which boasts a
premier varsity sailing
program. Sailboat
races there may have
inspired “blessing the boats.”
Emily Dickinson
1830–1886
Denise Levertov
1923–1997
Lucille Clifton
born 1936
more about the author
For more on these poets, visit the
Literature Center at ClassZone.com.
705

706 unit 7: the language of poetry
5
10
I dwell in Possibility—
emily dickinson
I dwell in Possibility—
A fairer House than Prose—
More numerous of Windows—
Superior—for Doors— a
Of Chambers as the Cedars—
Impregnable 1 of Eye—
And for an Everlasting Roof
The Gambrels 2 of the Sky— b
Of Visitors—the fairest—
For Occupation—This—
The spreading wide my narrow Hands
To gather Paradise—
1. Impregnable: unconquerable.
2. Gambrels: a type of roof with two slopes on each side.
a FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
The speaker is not literally
living in a House of
Possibility. What idea is
really being conveyed in
this metaphor?
b FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
An extended metaphor
compares two unlike
things in more than one
way. The house metaphor
continues from the first
stanza to the next. In lines
5–8, what is Dickinson
saying about the size and
scope of this house?
Detail of Cape Cod Morning (1950),
Edward Hopper. Oil on canvas,
34 1 /8˝ × 40 1 /4˝. Smithsonian
American Art Museum, Washington,
D.C. © Heirs of Josephine N.
Hopper, licensed by the Whitney
Museum of American Art.

ANALYZE VISUALS
In what way does this
image illustrate the
feelings expressed in
Dickinson’s poem?
Give specific details.
i dwell in possibility 707

708
Variation on a Theme by Rilke
(The Book of Hours, Book I, Poem I, Stanza I)
denise levertov
A certain day became a presence to me;
there it was, confronting me—a sky, air, light:
a being. And before it started to descend
from the height of noon, it leaned over
5 and struck my shoulder as if with
the flat of a sword, granting me
honor and a task. The day’s blow c
rang out, metallic—or it was I, a bell awakened,
and what I heard was my whole self
10 saying and singing what it knew: I can. d
c FIGURATIVE
LANGUAGE
In this poem, a day is
given human qualities.
What idea does Levertov
highlight through this
use of personification?
d COMPARE AND
CONTRAST
How similar are the
feelings expressed in this
poem and Dickinson’s
poem?

20
5
10
blessing the boats
(at St. Mary’s)
lucille clifton
may the tide
that is entering even now
the lip of our understanding
carry you out
beyond the face of fear
may you kiss
the wind then turn from it
certain that it will
love your back may you
open your eyes to water
water waving forever
and may you in your innocence
sail through this to that e
e LYRIC POETRY
What feeling is the
speaker expressing?
variation on a theme by rilke / blessing the boats 709

After Reading
Comprehension
1. Recall In Dickinson’s poem, what is the speaker’s house “fairer than”?
2. Recall What did the speaker of Levertov’s poem hear when “the day’s blow
rang out”?
3. Paraphrase What does the speaker of Clifton’s poem wish?
Literary Analysis
4. Interpret Metaphor In Dickinson’s poem, the house is the basis for a
metaphor that is carried throughout the poem. What does this extended
metaphor suggest about being a poet and living a life of the imagination?
5. Interpret Figurative Language Reread lines 4–7 in Levertov’s poem and
identify two examples of figurative language. What idea is conveyed? How
does the figurative language illustrate the relationship between the speaker
and the day?
6. Analyze Personification Find two or three examples of personification in
Clifton’s poem. What is given human qualities, and to what effect?
7. Evaluate Figurative Language Refer to the chart you created as you read.
Which poem made the best use of figurative language? Explain your choice.
8. Compare and Contrast Themes Complete a chart like the one shown.
Based on this information, do the poems suggest similar or different ideas
about possibility?
“I dwell in Possibility ”
“Variation on a Theme
by Rilke”
“blessing the boats”
9. Evaluate Lyric Poems Review the characteristics of lyric poetry listed on page
705. Which poem would work best as the lyrics of a song, and why?
Literary Criticism
Feelings Expressed Figurative
Language Used
10. Critical Interpretations French poet Jean de La Fontaine said, “Man is so made
that when anything fires his soul, impossibilities vanish.” Evaluate the three
poems against his statement. Do they support his claim? Why or why not?
710 unit 7: the language of poetry

Reading-Writing Connection
Broaden your understanding of the poems by responding to these prompts.
Then use Revision: Grammar and Style to improve your writing.
writing prompts self-check
A. Short Response: Write a Lyric Poem
In four or more lines, write a poem about a feeling
you’ve had. Incorporate at least two examples of
figurative language.
B. Extended Response: Analyze Theme
Who or what inspires the speakers of the three
poems to be open to possibility? Write three to five
paragraphs in which you explore the people, places,
ideas, or things that embolden the three speakers.
revision: grammar and style
CREATE RHYTHM Parallelism is the use of similar grammatical constructions to
express ideas that are related or equal in importance. In the following excerpt
from her poem “blessing the boats,” Lucille Clifton uses parallelism to add
rhythmic cadence to her writing. Notice how, in two different instances, she
uses an inverted sentence structure that begins with the words “may you,”
followed by predicates.
may you kiss
the wind then turn from it
certain that it will
love your back may you
open your eyes to water
water waving forever (lines 6–11)
Note how the revisions in red use parallelism to improve this first draft. Revise
your responses to the prompts by making similar changes.
student model
A successful poem will . . .
• describe a single impression
• include similes, metaphors,
or personification
And through
Through poetry, the speaker sees the unseen. Poetry also helps the speaker
s
experience heaven on earth.
An effective analysis will . . .
• include statements about
the speakers’ inspiration
• present details from the
poems to support conclusions
• devote at least one paragraph
to each poem
writing
tools
For prewriting, revision,
and editing tools, visit
the Writing Center at
ClassZone.com.
i dwell . . . / variation . . . / blessing the boats 711

712
Before Reading
The Fish
Poem by Elizabeth Bishop
Christmas Sparrow
Poem by Billy Collins
The Sloth
Poem by Theodore Roethke
What animal
reminds you of yourself ?
KEY IDEA Think about your pets or other animals you’ve seen at the
zoo or on TV nature shows. Do they ever behave in a way that seems
almost human? Have you ever thought you knew what they were
feeling? In the poems that follow, you will meet three animals with
distinctive “human” qualities.
DISCUSS Choose one animal you identify with the most. Explain to a
partner why you relate to it and what characteristics you share with it.

poetic form: free verse
Most modern poems are written in free verse, a poetic form
with no regular pattern of rhyme or rhythm. A free verse poem
can be structured as one long, unbroken stanza, as in “The
Fish,” or with many stanzas of varying length, as in “Christmas
Sparrow.” The lines in free verse poems may also vary in
length. Without a strict meter, the rhythm of free verse poetry
often seems more like everyday speech. As you read, notice
how the line length, sounds of words, and punctuation create
a rhythm in each poem.
literary analysis: imagery
Sometimes a poem can seem like a portrait of a moment, a
person, an animal, or an object. Imagery, or words and phrases
that appeal to the reader’s senses, can help create these types
of portraits and often reinforce certain ideas about the subject
described. For example, in “The Fish,” Bishop appeals to the
senses of sight and touch when she describes the fish’s skin.
Lines like these help depict a beautifully fragile old fish.
hung in strips / like ancient wallpaper
shapes like full-blown roses / stained and lost through age
As you read the poems, record strong, evocative imagery on a
chart like the one shown. Identify
• the sense the word or phrase appeals to
• the associations the imagery conjures up
• the idea that is being reinforced
Poem Title:
Imagery Sense(s) Associations Idea Reinforced
reading strategy: visualize
As you read the following poems, notice how the imagery,
descriptions, and specific words help you visualize the animals,
settings, and events in the poems. Use your imagination to
“see” what they might look like. For example, what image of a
fish comes to mind when you read the following description?
He hung a grunting weight, / battered and venerable / and
homely. . . .
Elizabeth Bishop:
Soulful Poet The poetry
of Elizabeth Bishop is
marked by its exact and
tranquil descriptions
of the physical world.
Hidden beneath her
poems’ air of serenity
and simplicity, however,
are underlying themes
of great depth. When
writing about loss
and pain, the struggle to belong, and other
themes, Bishop worked hard to ensure that
“the spiritual [was] felt.”
Billy Collins: Poet for
the People Billy Collins
remembers publishing
a poem in his high
school newspaper that
was later confiscated.
Rising to national and
popular prominence
years later, Collins
became U.S. Poet
Laureate (2001–2003)
and launched the
Elizabeth Bishop
1911–1979
Billy Collins
born 1941
“Poetry 180” program, which aimed to get
more high school students to read wellwritten,
understandable poetry each day
during the 180-day school year.
Theodore Roethke:
Passion for Nature
“When I get alone
under an open sky,”
wrote Theodore
Roethke, “where man
isn’t too evident—
then I’m tremendously
exalted. . . .” A passion
for nature pervades
Roethke’s poetry. His Theodore Roethke
1908–1963
poems also explore
love, mortality, and the
quest for spiritual wholeness.
more about the author
For more on these poets, visit the
Literature Center at ClassZone.com.
713

The Fish
Elizabeth Bishop
714 unit 7: the language of poetry
I caught a tremendous fish
and held him beside the boat
half out of water, with my hook
fast in a corner of his mouth.
5 He didn’t fight.
He hadn’t fought at all.
He hung a grunting weight,
battered and venerable
and homely. Here and there a
10 his brown skin hung in strips
like ancient wallpaper,
and its pattern of darker brown
was like wallpaper:
shapes like full-blown roses
15 stained and lost through age.
He was speckled with barnacles,
fine rosettes of lime,
and infested
with tiny white sea-lice,
20 and underneath two or three
rags of green weed hung down.
While his gills were breathing in
the terrible oxygen
—the frightening gills,
25 fresh and crisp with blood,
that can cut so badly—
I thought of the coarse white flesh
packed in like feathers,
the big bones and the little bones,
30 the dramatic reds and blacks
of his shiny entrails,
a FREE VERSE
Notice how the lines of
this poem are unequal in
length. How do the short
lines affect the rhythm in
the poem?

35
40
45
50
55
60
65
70
75
and the pink swim-bladder
like a big peony.
I looked into his eyes
which were far larger than mine
but shallower, and yellowed,
the irises backed and packed
with tarnished tinfoil
seen through the lenses
of old scratched isinglass.
They shifted a little, but not
to return my stare.
—It was more like the tipping
of an object toward the light. b
I admired his sullen face,
the mechanism of his jaw,
and then I saw
that from his lower lip
—if you could call it a lip—
grim, wet, and weaponlike,
hung five old pieces of fish-line,
or four and a wire leader
with the swivel still attached,
with all their five big hooks
grown firmly in his mouth.
A green line, frayed at the end
where he broke it, two heavier lines,
and a fine black thread
still crimped from the strain and snap
when it broke and he got away.
Like medals with their ribbons
frayed and wavering,
a five-haired beard of wisdom
trailing from his aching jaw. c
I stared and stared
and victory filled up
the little rented boat,
from the pool of bilge
where oil had spread a rainbow
around the rusted engine
to the bailer rusted orange,
the sun-cracked thwarts,
the oarlocks on their strings,
the gunnels—until everything
was rainbow, rainbow, rainbow!
And I let the fish go.
b VISUALIZE
Reread lines 34–44. What
aspects of the fish’s
character can you “see” in
this description of its eyes?
c IMAGERY
What senses does this
description of the fish’s
face appeal to? What
associations form in your
mind about the fish?
the fish 715

5
10
15
20
Christmas
Sparrow
The first thing I heard this morning
was a rapid flapping sound, soft, insistent—
wings against glass as it turned out
downstairs when I saw the small bird
rioting in the frame of a high window,
trying to hurl itself through
the enigma of glass into the spacious light. d
Then a noise in the throat of the cat
who was hunkered on the rug
told me how the bird had gotten inside,
carried in the cold night
through the flap of a basement door,
and later released from the soft grip of teeth.
On a chair, I trapped its pulsations
in a shirt and got it to the door,
so weightless it seemed
to have vanished into the nest of cloth.
But outside, when I uncupped my hands,
it burst into its element,
dipping over the dormant garden
in a spasm of wingbeats
then disappeared over a row of tall hemlocks.
716 unit 7: the language of poetry
Billy Collins
d IMAGERY
What images describe the
bird in lines 1–7? What
senses do these images
appeal to?

25
30
For the rest of the day,
I could feel its wild thrumming
against my palms as I wondered about
the hours it must have spent
pent in the shadows of that room,
hidden in the spiky branches
of our decorated tree, breathing there
among the metallic angels, ceramic apples, stars of yarn,
its eyes open, like mine as I lie in bed tonight e
picturing this rare, lucky sparrow
tucked into a holly bush now,
a light snow tumbling through the windless dark.
e VISUALIZE
What details help you
imagine how the bird
looks and feels as it hides
in the Christmas tree?
christmas sparrow 717

The
Sloth
Theodore Roethke
5
10
o
In moving-slow he has no Peer. 1
You ask him something in his Ear,
He thinks about it for a Year;
And, then, before he says a Word
There, upside down (unlike a Bird),
He will assume that you have Heard—
A most Ex-as-per-at-ing Lug.
But should you call his manner Smug,
He’ll sigh and give his Branch a Hug; f
Then off again to Sleep he goes,
Still swaying gently by his Toes,
And you just know he knows he knows.
1. peer: equal.
718 unit 7: the language of poetry
f IMAGERY
Reread line 9. What does
this image suggest about
the sloth?

After Reading
Comprehension
1. Recall How does the fish in Bishop’s poem react when it is caught?
2. Recall How did the bird in Collins’s poem get trapped inside the house?
3. Summarize What is the sloth’s response when asked a question?
Literary Analysis
4. Visualize Describe in detail the mental picture you form of each animal in the
poems.
5. Analyze Imagery Review the examples of imagery you recorded in your chart.
Identify some images that appeal to your sense of sight and others that
appeal to your sense of touch. What is the most striking image in each poem?
Why?
6. Analyze Free Verse How is the experience of reading Bishop’s and Collins’s
free verse poems different from reading Roethke’s more traditional poem?
7. Interpret Themes How are the three animals in these poems like people?
What does each poem suggest about the relationship between human beings
and animals?
8. Compare and Contrast Texts Compare and contrast the Bishop and Collins
poems. In a chart like the one shown, consider subject, mood, and theme in
your answer.
Subject
Mood
Theme
Literary Criticism
“The Fish” “Christmas Sparrow” Similarities Differences
9. Critical Interpretations According to Billy Collins, the best poems begin in
clarity and end in mystery. Would you say that this is true for each of the
three poems in this lesson? Why or why not?
the fish / christmas sparrow / the sloth 719

720
Before Reading
Piano
Poem by D. H. Lawrence
Fifteen
Poem by William Stafford
Tonight I Can Write . . . / Puedo Escribir
Los Versos . . .
Poem by Pablo Neruda
Which memories last?
KEY IDEA Think back to a moment from your past that evokes
powerful feelings in you. Why has this memory made such a lasting
impression? Was it the person you shared the experience with, or
the activity itself? In the poems that follow, three speakers recall
moments that have had a lasting impact.
QUICKWRITE In a short paragraph, describe a particular memory.
Why is this recollection special? What feelings do you remember?
Include sensory details that help present a clear picture.

literary analysis: sound devices
In the poems that follow, the poets use rhyme and other sound
devices to convey rhythm and meaning:
• Assonance—the repetition of vowel sounds in words that
don’t rhyme
We could find the end of a road, meet
the sky on out Seventeenth. . . .
• Consonance—the repetition of consonant sounds within and
at the ends of words
Softly, in the dusk, a woman is singing to me;
Taking me back down the vista of years, till I see
• Repetition—a sound, word, phrase, or line that is repeated
I loved her, and sometimes she loved me too.
She loved me, sometimes I loved her too.
Listen for the various sound devices that establish each poem’s
rhythmic flow, and notice how they help to evoke specific
memories. Record examples in a chart.
“Piano”
“Fifteen”
“Tonight I Can
Write . . .”
reading skill: understand line breaks
End-stopped lines of poetry end at a normal speech pause, as in
these lines from “Tonight I Can Write . . .”:
The same night whitening the same trees.
We, of that time, are no longer the same.
This emphasizes the line endings and makes a reader view each
line as a complete unit of meaning.
Enjambed lines run on without a natural pause, as in “Fifteen”:
South of the bridge on Seventeenth
I found back of the willows one summer
day a motorcycle with engine running
Enjambment can create a tension and momentum until the
thought is complete. As you read each poem, think about how
line breaks affect rhythm and meaning.
Review: Make Inferences
Assonance Consonance Repetition
D. H. Lawrence: Writer
of Experience
Although impoverished
during his childhood,
D. H. Lawrence found
great pleasure in
learning and culture,
a love of which
was instilled by his
mother. Lawrence’s
confessional, earnest
D. H. Lawrence
1885–1930
style is illustrated in
the poem “Piano.” He
wrote it in memory of his mother.
William Stafford:
Remembering the Past
William Stafford
remembered, growing
up in Kansas, being
“surrounded by songs
and stories and poems,
and lyrical splurges of
excited talk. . . .” These
memories eventually
became the stuff of
his poetry. “Fifteen” is
part of a collection of
poems that recall his past.
Pablo Neruda: Boy
Wonder Pablo Neruda
was drawn to poetry
at an early age, even
though his workingclass
family scoffed at
his literary ambitions.
By age 20 he had
achieved literary
stardom with the
publication of Twenty
Love Poems and a Song
of Despair. The book
William Stafford
1914–1993
Pablo Neruda
1904–1973
chronicles a passionate love story, from the
couple’s first meeting to eventual breakup.
“Tonight I Can Write” is the 20th poem.
more about the author
For more on these poets, visit the
Literature Center at ClassZone.com.
721

The Spinet (1902), Thomas Wilmer Dewing. Oil on wood, 15 1 /2˝ × 20˝. Smithsonian American Art
Museum, Washington, D.C. Photo © Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C./Art
Resource, New York.
Piano
D. H. Lawrence
5
10
Softly, in the dusk, a woman is singing to me;
Taking me back down the vista of years, till I see
A child sitting under the piano, in the boom of the
tingling strings
And pressing the small, poised feet of a mother who
smiles as she sings.
In spite of myself, the insidious mastery of song
Betrays me back, till the heart of me weeps to belong
To the old Sunday evenings at home, with winter outside
And hymns in the cozy parlour, the tinkling piano
our guide. a
So now it is vain for the singer to burst into clamour
With the great black piano appassionato. The glamour
Of childish days is upon me, my manhood is cast
Down in the flood of remembrance, I weep like a child
for the past.
722 unit 7: the language of poetry
a SOUND DEVICES
Reread lines 5–9
aloud. Where can you
find assonance and
consonance in this
stanza?

Fifteen
William Stafford
5
10
15
20
South of the bridge on Seventeenth
I found back of the willows one summer
day a motorcycle with engine running
as it lay on its side, ticking over
slowly in the high grass. I was fifteen.
I admired all that pulsing gleam, the
shiny flanks, the demure headlights
fringed where it lay; I led it gently
to the road and stood with that
companion, ready and friendly. I was fifteen. b
We could find the end of a road, meet
the sky on out Seventeenth. I thought about
hills, and patting the handle got back a
confident opinion. On the bridge we indulged
a forward feeling, a tremble. I was fifteen.
Thinking, back farther in the grass I found
the owner, just coming to, where he had flipped
over the rail. He had blood on his hand, was pale—
I helped him walk to his machine. He ran his hand
over it, called me good man, roared away.
I stood there, fifteen.
b LINE BREAKS
Notice how Stafford
continues a thought
or sentence from one
line to the next. How
does this enjambment
affect the way you
read the lines?
piano / fifteen 723

Tonight I Can Write . . .
Pablo Neruda
724 unit 7: the language of poetry
Text not available for electronic use.
Please refer to the text in the textbook.

Puedo Escribir Los Versos . . .
Pablo Neruda
Puedo escribir los versos más tristes esta noche.
Escribir, por ejemplo: ‘La noche está estrellada,
y tiritan, azules, los astros, a lo lejos.’
El viento de la noche gira en el cielo y canta.
5 Puedo escribir los versos más tristes esta noche.
Yo la quise, y a veces ella también me quiso.
En las noches como ésta la tuve entre mis brazos.
La besé tantas veces bajo el cielo infinito.
Ella me quiso, a veces yo también la quería.
10 Cómo no haber amado sus grandes ojos fijos.
Puedo escribir los versos más tristes esta noche.
Pensar que no la tengo. Sentir que la he perdido.
Oir la noche inmensa, más inmensa sin ella.
Y el verso cae al alma como al pasto el rocío.
15 Qué importa que mi amor no pudiera guardarla.
La noche está estrellada y ella no está conmigo.
Eso es todo. A lo lejos alguien canta. A lo lejos.
Mi alma no se contenta con haberla perdido.
Como para acercarla mi mirada la busca.
20 Mi corazón la busca, y ella no está conmigo.
La misma noche que hace blanquear los mismos árboles.
Nosotros, los de entonces, ya no somos los mismos.
Ya no la quiero, es cierto, pero cuánto la quise.
Mi voz buscaba el viento para tocar su oído.
25 De otro. Será de otro. Como antes de mis besos.
Su voz, su cuerpo claro. Sus ojos infinitos.
Ya no la quiero, es cierto, pero tal vez la quiero.
Es tan corto el amor, y es tan largo el olvido.
Porque en noches como ésta la tuve entre mis brazos,
30 mi alma no se contenta con haberla perdido.
Aunque éste sea el último dolor que ella me causa,
y éstos sean los últimos versos que yo le escribo.
Waiting (2001), Ben McLaughlin. Oil on board, 30.5 cm × 30.5 cm. Private
collection. Photo © Bridgeman Art Library.
tonight i can write . . . / puedo escribir . . . 725

Reading for Information
JOURNAL ARTICLE In 1971, nearly 50 years after writing “Tonight I Can Write . . .” Pablo Neruda
was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature. For Neruda, this meant a prize of $450,000 and
worldwide fame, although he was already quite famous in and around Chile, his native country.
The following selection gives background on this prestigious award.
The
In 1888, the well-known scientist and
inventor Alfred Nobel experienced the shock of
reading his own obituary. A French journalist
had mistakenly reported his passing and
described him as a “merchant of Death.” The
name was a reference to Nobel’s most famous
invention: dynamite.
This description troubled Nobel. He had
often spoken out against violence and considered
himself a pacifist. Many believe that
he was moved to create a more positive legacy;
for when he did die, his will specified that
his fortune be used to honor people whose
achievements enrich human life.
Since 1900, the Nobel Prize has rewarded
some of the world’s most dazzling achievements
in the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine,
economics, peace, and literature. Given out
each year by the Swedish Academy, the prize
consists of a gold medal, a diploma, and money
(in 2000, it reached one million dollars),
but its actual worth is much higher. Nobel
winners, or laureates, are considered among
the most important and influential people in
the world. The Nobel Prize has both launched
new careers and brought closure to long and
successful ones.
Nobel’s will required that a prize winner’s
work provide “the greatest benefit to mankind.”
For achievements in literature, however, Nobel
had a second requirement: this work must
726 unit 7: the language of poetry
N obel Prize
inLiterature
also be “in an ideal direction.” Over the past
century, there has been debate over what “ideal
direction” means, and why any particular writer
should be chosen. As a result, the prize has
been used at different times to honor different
things: talented but unknown writers, for
example, or writers who pioneer new styles.
Pablo Neruda falls into the “pioneers” category,
while recent winning poets Seamus Heaney
(1995) and Wislawa Szymborska (1996), were
honored as “unknown masters.”
When Neruda won his Nobel Prize in 1971,
the Academy’s presentation speech stated that
“his work benefits mankind precisely because of
its direction.” Neruda’s early poems describing
“isolation and dissonance” gave way to later
ones declaring “harmony with Man and the
Earth.” The Academy saw this as an “ideal
direction” for all of mankind to take. Neruda’s
work was also praised for its political content,
particularly as it criticized the oppression of
writers and artists.
In recent years, the Academy has moved
away from determining “ideal direction” in
favor of simply honoring writers for work which
“furthers knowledge of man and his condition.”
This tendency might have pleased Neruda, who
once stated, “The books that help you most
are those which make you think the most . . . a
great book that comes from a great thinker is a
ship of thought, deep freighted with truth and
beauty.”

After Reading
Comprehension
1. Recall How does the speaker in Stafford’s poem react to finding the motorcycle?
2. Recall What are some nature images in Neruda’s poem?
3. Summarize In Lawrence’s poem, what is the speaker remembering?
Literary Analysis
4. Visualize Cite specific lines from both Lawrence’s and Stafford’s poems that
helped you to visualize what the speakers remember. For example, what
mental pictures did you form when reading lines 3 and 4 of Lawrence’s poem?
5. Analyze Sound Devices What examples of sound devices did you list as
you read? Explain what ideas are emphasized through repetition of words
and phrases.
6. Analyze Figurative Language For each poem, record one or two effective
examples of figurative language on a chart like the one shown. Note whether
each example is a simile, metaphor, or personification. Also indicate what
ideas each comparison suggests.
Poem Example Type of Figurative
Language
7. Examine Line Breaks Compare and contrast the poets’ use of end-stopped
and enjambed lines. How do their choices affect the rhythm of the poems?
8. Compare and Contrast Themes Compare and contrast the speakers’
memories. In your opinion, why have these memories endured?
9. Evaluate Read “The Nobel Prize in Literature” on page 726, and consider
“Tonight I Can Write . . .” in light of the Swedish Academy’s comments
on Neruda’s work. Does the poem have more to do with isolation and
dissonance, or harmony?
Reading-Writing Connection
Extended Response: Analyze Imagery
What do the images from nature in Neruda’s poem
reveal about the speaker’s relationship with the woman?
What do they tell the reader about the speaker’s emotions?
Use details from the poem to write a response in three to
five paragraphs.
Ideas Suggested
writing prompt self-check
An effective analysis will . . .
• cite examples of nature
imagery
• describe what feelings are
evoked in these examples
piano / fifteen / tonight i can write . . . 727

728
Before Reading
Sonnet 18
Poem by William Shakespeare
Sonnet XXX of Fatal Interview
Poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay
What makes a good
love poem?
KEY IDEA How do you describe something you cannot see or
taste or touch? Like a love song, a love poem uses familiar objects
and experiences to make sense of the mysterious feelings of love.
As you’ll see in “Sonnet 18” and “Sonnet XXX,” the results can be as
different as day and night.
BRAINSTORM In a group, brainstorm a list of
comparisons you might use to describe how it feels
to be in love. Think of song lyrics you know or
poems you have read. As you create your list, discuss
what aspect or quality of love each comparison
communicates.
Love is like . . .
1. Fever
2. A red, red rose
3. A faucet

poetic form: sonnet
The sonnet has been a popular poetic form for centuries, and,
traditionally, love has been its subject. While different types of
sonnets have been developed by various poets, there are some
characteristics that are common to all sonnets.
• Typically, the sonnet is a 14-line lyric poem written with a
strict pattern of rhyme and rhythm.
• The English, or Shakespearean, sonnet has a rhyme scheme
of abab cdcd efef gg. Notice how this divides the poem into
four distinct line groups: three quatrains, or four-line units,
followed by a couplet—a pair of rhymed lines, or two-line unit.
• The meter, or the repeated pattern of rhythm, in each line
of a sonnet is typically iambic pentameter. Each rhythmic
unit of meter is known as a foot. The most commonly used
metrical foot is an iamb, which is an unstressed syllable
followed by a stressed syllable. Note the iambs in the
following example from Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18”:
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
In each line, notice that there are five units of iambs. When a
line has five feet in it, it is referred to as pentameter. Therefore,
this meter is called iambic pentameter.
As you read the poems in this lesson, compare their rhyme
schemes and meter.
reading strategy: reading sonnets
Through their structure, sonnets often express complex ideas.
These strategies will help you better understand sonnets:
1. Identify the situation, problem, or question introduced at the
beginning of the poem.
2. Identify the turning point, if there is one.
3. Determine how the situation is clarified, the problem
resolved, or the question answered.
As you read, apply these strategies and record the results on a
chart like the one shown.
Strategy
Situation/Problem/Question
Turning Point
Solution/Resolution/Answer
Sonnet 18 Sonnet XXX
William Shakespeare:
Renaissance Man
Although Shakespeare
is best known for his
plays, he was also a
brilliant poet. When
Shakespeare began his
career in the 1590s, the
sonnet was a literary
fashion in England,
usually written as
William Shakespeare
1564–1616
a longing tribute to
a faraway beloved.
In fact, many of Shakespeare’s sonnets
are addressed to a “dark lady” whose
identity has never been discovered. First
published in 1609, the complete series of
154 sonnets includes some of the finest love
poems written in English. For more about
Shakespeare, see the extended biography on
page 1084.
Edna St. Vincent Millay:
A True Original Edna
St. Vincent Millay
was only 19 when her
poem “Renascence”
made her an instant
celebrity. Although
Millay’s youth and freespirited
lifestyle fit the
image of the rebellious
artist, her highly
crafted poems often
took on traditional
Edna St. Vincent Millay
1892–1950
poetic forms, such as the sonnet. In 1923 she
became the first woman to win the Pulitzer
Prize in poetry, a tribute to her technical skill.
more about the author
For more on William Shakespeare
and Edna St. Vincent Millay, visit the
Literature Center at ClassZone.com.
sonnet 18 / sonnet xxx 729

Sonnet 18
William Shakespeare
5
10
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate: 1
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature’s changing course untrimmed; 2 a
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest; 3
Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
1. temperate (tDmPpEr-Gt): moderate, mild.
2. untrimmed: stripped of beauty.
3. thou owest (thou IPGst): you own; you possess.
730 unit 7: the language of poetry
ANALYZE VISUALS
Describe the relationship
of the figures shown.
What specific details
support your inferences?
a READING SONNETS
Reread the second
quatrain, or grouping of
four lines. What situation
does it describe?
Offering of the Heart (1400-1410).
French tapestry from Arras. Wool
and silk, 247 cm × 209 cm. Louvre,
Paris. Photo © Réunion des Musées
Nationaux/Art Resource, New York.

selection title 731

Sonnet xxx
of fatal interview
Edna St. Vincent Millay
732 unit 7: the language of poetry
5
10
The Cathedral (1908), Auguste
Rodin. Bronze, 24 1 /2˝ × 10 3 /4˝ ×
11 3 /4˝. Photo © Timothy
McCarthy/Art Resource, New York.
Love is not all: it is not meat nor drink
Nor slumber nor a roof against the rain;
Nor yet a floating spar 1 to men that sink
And rise and sink and rise and sink again;
Love can not fill the thickened lung with breath,
Nor clean the blood, nor set the fractured bone;
Yet many a man is making friends with death
Even as I speak, for lack of love alone. b
It well may be that in a difficult hour,
Pinned down by pain and moaning for release,
Or nagged by want 2 past resolution’s power,
I might be driven to sell your love for peace,
Or trade the memory of this night for food.
It well may be. I do not think I would.
1. spar: a pole used to support a ship’s sails.
2. want: need.
b SONNET
How does the rhyme
scheme of lines 1–8
compare with that of
Shakespeare’s sonnet?

After Reading
Comprehension
1. Recall What is the main comparison developed in “Sonnet 18”?
2. Clarify In “Sonnet 18,” the speaker promises the subject of the poem that “thy
eternal summer shall not fade.” What is the basis for this promise?
3. Recall What contrast opens “Sonnet XXX”?
4. Paraphrase Reread the second quatrain of “Sonnet XXX.” What is the
speaker’s claim about love in these lines?
Literary Analysis
5. Identify Metaphor In poetry, an extended metaphor is a comparison
between two distinctive things that is continued across a number of lines.
Consider the extended metaphor used in “Sonnet 18.” What qualities does
this metaphor help communicate?
6. Interpret Imagery Consider the images
that Millay presents in describing what
love is not, or what it cannot do. These
images are examples of what kinds of
human needs? What is the point of
contrasting love with these needs? Use a
Love Is Not
meat
Love Cannot
fill the lung with breath
chart like the one shown to record the images from the poem.
7. Analyze Sonnet Structure Review the chart you developed as you read. How
do the ideas expressed in the sonnet relate to its quatrains and couplets? Cite
evidence from the poems to explain your answer.
8. Compare Form Although separated by more than 300 years, Millay and
Shakespeare both wrote poetry using the sonnet form. Determine the rhyme
scheme and meter for both sonnets. Then reread the top of page 729.
Is Millay’s poem a Shakespearean sonnet? Explain your answer.
Reading-Writing Connection
writing prompt self-check
Extended Response: Interpret Theme
How would the speaker of each poem respond to
the statement “Love lasts forever”? Use details from
“Sonnet 18” and “Sonnet XXX” to write a three- to fiveparagraph
response.
A successful response will . . .
• describe each speaker’s
concept of love
• provide examples to support
your opinion
sonnet 18 / sonnet xxx 733

poetic form: ballad
The earliest ballads were stories told in song, using the voice
and language of everyday people. They were composed orally,
and singers often added or changed details to make the songs
meaningful for their audience. These early ballads, typical of
the medieval period, are known as folk ballads.
Like a work of fiction, a ballad has characters, setting, and
dialogue. Like a song, it uses repetition and has regular rhyme
and meter. A traditional ballad—such as “Lord Randall,” the
written version of an older folk ballad—has these characteristics:
• consists of four-line stanzas with a simple rhyme scheme
• narrates a single tragic incident through dialogue
A ballad’s rhyme scheme may be very loose or seem
inconsistent. A loose rhyme scheme gave the singer more
freedom to improvise lyrics. And, because pronunciations
change over time, words that once rhymed may no longer
sound alike.
As you read “Ballad” and “Midwinter Blues,” consider how
these poems expand the traditional ballad form.
reading skill: understand dialect
People who inhabit a particular region or who belong to
a particular social or ethnic group may speak in a dialect,
a variation of a language. Their speech may differ in
pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar from the standard
form of the language.
Dialect often provides clues about a poem’s setting, as in
“Lord Randall,” which uses an 18th-century Scottish dialect. It
can also reveal information about the speaker’s identity, such
as ethnicity and social class, as in “Midwinter Blues.”
As you read “Lord Randall,” record on a graphic organizer
words and phrases written in dialect, and then rewrite them
in standard English. Make a similar graphic organizer for
“Midwinter Blues.”
Title: “Lord Randall”
Speaker’s English
What gat ye to your dinner?
Standard English
What did you eat?
Gabriela Mistral:
Voice of the Poor
Chilean poet Gabriela
Mistral (mC-strälP)
wrote about the lives of
everyday people. She
believed the poet had
a duty to speak for his
or her own people and
age. “What the soul is
to the body,” she once
remarked, “so is the
artist to his people.”
Mistral’s themes include love and loss, faith,
childbearing, and motherhood. Many of
her finest poems grappled with the suicide
of her fiancé Romelio Ureta, who had left
Mistral prior to his death. In 1945, Mistral
became the first Latin American writer to
receive the Nobel Prize for literature.
Langston Hughes:
Man of the People
Langston Hughes was
a central figure of the
Harlem Renaissance,
a cultural movement
of the 1920s and 1930s
celebrating African-
American artistic
expression. He was one
of the first to champion
the artistry of blues
Gabriela Mistral
1899–1957
Langston Hughes
1902–1967
songs, which he called music from “black,
beaten, but unbeatable throats.” Blues
songs, and the “low-down folks” who sang
them, were a lifelong inspiration to Hughes,
who drew on their rhythms, motifs, and
themes in his poems, short stories, essays,
and novels.
more about the author
For more on these poets, visit the
Literature Center at ClassZone.com.
735

Lord Randall
Anonymous
5
10
15
20
“Oh where ha’e ye 1 been, Lord Randall my son?
O where ha’e ye been, my handsome young man?”
“I ha’e been to the wild wood: mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m weary wi’ 2 hunting, and fain 3 wald 4 lie down.” a
“Where gat ye 5 your dinner, Lord Randall my son?
Where gat ye your dinner, my handsome young man?”
“I dined wi’ my true love: mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m weary wi’ hunting, and fain wald lie down.”
“What gat ye to your dinner, Lord Randall my son?
What gat ye to your dinner, my handsome young man?”
“I gat eels boiled in broo: 6 mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m weary wi’ hunting and fain wald lie down.”
“What became of your bloodhounds, Lord Randall my son?
What became of your bloodhounds, my handsome young man?”
“O they swelled and they died: mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m weary wi’ hunting and fain wald lie down.”
“O I fear ye are poisoned, Lord Randall my son!
O I fear ye are poisoned, my handsome young man!”
“Oh yes, I am poisoned: mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m sick at the heart, and I fain wald lie down.” b
1. ha’e ye (hAP yCP): have you.
2. wi’ (wG): with.
3. fain (fAn): gladly, eagerly.
4. wald (wBld): would.
5. gat ye (gBt yC): did you get.
6. broo (brL): brew, broth.
736 unit 7: the language of poetry
ANALYZE VISUALS
Which character in “Lord
Randall” might this image
represent? Cite details
that support your answer.
a DIALECT
Reread the first stanza.
What words capture
the qualities of spoken
language?
b BALLAD
How does the ballad’s
pattern of repetition
change in this stanza?
The Vitriol Thrower (1894), Eugene
Grasset. Color lithograph. Cecil
Higgins Art Gallery, Bedford,
Bedfordshire, United Kingdom.
Photo © Bridgeman Art Library.

738 unit 7: the language of poetry
Gabriela Mistral
5
10
15
20
He passed by with another;
I saw him pass by.
The wind ever sweet
and the path full of peace.
And these eyes of mine, wretched,
saw him pass by!
He goes loving another
over the earth in bloom.
The hawthorn 1 is flowering
and a song wafts by.
He goes loving another
over the earth in bloom! c
He kissed the other
by the shores of the sea.
The orange-blossom moon
skimmed over the waves.
And my heart’s blood did not taint 2
the expanse of the sea!
He will go with another
through eternity.
Sweet skies will shine.
(God wills to keep silent.)
And he will go with another
through eternity!
Translated by Doris Dana
1. hawthorn: a spring-flowering shrub.
2. taint (tAnt): contaminate.
c BALLAD
Reread stanzas 1
and 2. What patterns
of repetition can
you identify?

5
10
15
20
Gabriela Mistral
El pasó con otra;
yo le vi pasar.
Siempre dulce el viento
y el camino en paz.
¡Y estos ojos míseros
le vieron pasar!
El va amando a otra
por la tierra en flor.
Ha abierto el espino;
pasa una canción.
¡Y él va amando a otra
por la tierra en flor!
El besó a la otra
a orillas del mar;
resbaló en las olas
la luna de azahar.
¡Y no untó mi sangre
la extensión del mar!
El irá con otra
por la eternidad
Habrá cielos dulces.
(Dios quiere callar.)
¡Y él irá con otra
por la eternidad!
Melancholy, Edvard Munch. National Gallery, Oslo, Norway. © 2008 The Munch Museum/The Munch-Ellingsen Group/
Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo © Scala/Art Resource, New York.
ballad / balada 739

Blu Blues Blu Blues
lues
740 unit 7: the language of poetry
Midwinter
Midwinter
5
10
15
20
Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes
In the middle of the winter,
Snow all over the ground.
In the middle of the winter,
Snow all over the ground—
’Twas the night befo’ Christmas
My good man turned me down. d
Don’t know’s I’d mind his goin’
But he left me when the coal was low.
Don’t know’s I’d mind his goin’
But he left when the coal was low.
Now, if a man loves a woman
That ain’t no time to go. e
He told me that he loved me
But he must a been tellin’ a lie.
He told me that he loved me.
He must a been tellin’ a lie.
But he’s the only man I’ll
Love till the day I die.
I’m gonna buy me a rose bud
An’ plant it at my back door,
Buy me a rose bud,
Plant it at my back door,
So when I’m dead they won’t need
No flowers from the store.
Graffiti Divas (2003), Jen Thario. Spray paint on paper,
22˝ × 22˝. © Jen Thario.
d BALLAD
Compare this opening
stanza with that of “Lord
Randall.” What qualities
do the poems share?
e DIALECT
Based on the dialect used
in this poem, what do you
learn about the speaker’s
identity?

After Reading
Comprehension
1. Recall Where has Lord Randall been, and what has happened to him?
2. Clarify Why is the speaker of “Ballad” so distressed?
3. Summarize In “Midwinter Blues,” what is the speaker’s situation?
Literary Analysis
4. Identify Ballad Reread “Lord Randall” and “Ballad.” Using a chart like the one
shown, compare how the elements of the traditional ballad are used in both
poems. How does Mistral’s poem depart from a traditional ballad?
Ballad Characteristics
Single tragic incident
Repetition
Dialogue
Four-line stanzas
Regular rhyme and meter
Examples from
“Lord Randall”
Examples from “Ballad”
5. Analyze Dialect Review your dialect chart. How does dialect help establish
the voices of the speakers in “Lord Randall” and “Midwinter Blues”?
6. Contrast Speakers Contrast the attitudes of the speakers in “Ballad” and
“Midwinter Blues.” How does the language used in each poem communicate
the speaker’s emotional state?
7. Compare Styles Consider qualities that make a poem musical. How do
poems based on song forms differ from others you have read?
Reading-Writing Connection
writing prompt self-check
Extended Response: Support an Opinion
Compare and contrast the experiences of each speaker.
What do their experiences suggest about the nature of
romantic love? Support your argument with details from
the poems in a three-to five-paragraph response.
A successful response will . . .
• point out similarities and
differences between the
speakers’ experiences
• formulate a conclusion that
is supported by details
lord randall / ballad / midwinter blues 741

iReading for
Information
Use with “Lord Randall,”
“Ballad,” and “Midwinter
Blues,” pages 736–740.
742 unit 7: the language of poetry
from Blues Poems
Essay by Kevin Young
What’s the Connection?
The speakers of the poems you just read all share the experience of
lost love, a theme that runs through blues music. But sorrow isn’t the
only way to face hard times. In the following selection, you’ll learn
how people transform sorrow into solace by singing the blues.
Skill Focus: Take Notes
Note taking is a strategy for organizing information by showing how
ideas relate to one another. To take notes effectively, you need to
identify which ideas are important (main ideas) and which facts or
examples support those ideas (supporting details). Using a chart
will enable you to see at a glance how main ideas connect with
supporting details. To complete such a chart, follow these steps:
• Identify the topic of the selection—in this case, the blues. Write it
at the top of the chart.
• On a first reading, examine the supporting details used to elaborate
the topic, and organize them into categories. In this essay, you can
organize the details the author provides into four main categories:
the origin of the blues, the feeling of the blues, the form of blues
music and poetry, and the subjects of the blues.
As you read the selection a second time, fill in the chart started here
by relating the supporting details to the appropriate categories. This
will prepare you to identify the main ideas the author presents about
the blues.
The Blues
Origin
Feeling
• Originated in African-
American culture
Form Subjects

10
20
FOREWORD BY KEVIN YOUNG
There are feelings and states of mind that are hard to describe—some
might say that don’t properly exist—until we have a word for them.
Catharsis, angst, schadenfreude, duende, ennui: all feelings we now know
in English, but that still retain the tenor of their country and culture of
origin. One could easily add the blues to this list. Indeed, you might say
that the blues contain all these other words in one.
The blues, after all, describe a state of being, a feeling, a form and
sound not yet named until their 12 bars and repeated refrains came into
being—and now that black folks have invented and named the blues,
people all over the world speak them. Being part of our common language
in no way denies the blues’ origins in African American culture and
mouths and hands. Too many people, however, mistake the feeling of the
blues with the form of the blues themselves.
For in spite of navigating the depths of despair, the blues ultimately are
about triumphing over that despair—or at least surviving it long enough to
sing about it. With the blues, the form fights the feeling. Survival and loss,
sin and regret, boasts and heartbreak, leaving and loving, a pigfoot and a
bottle of beer—the blues are a series of reversals, of finding love and losing
it, of wanting to see yourself dead in the depths of despair, and then soon
as the train comes down the track, yanking your fool head back. . . . As one
saying goes, the blues ain’t nothin’ but a good man (or woman) feelin’ bad.
a
a TAKE NOTES
Paraphrase the first
sentence of this
paragraph. What point
is the author making?
reading for information 743

TAKE NOTES
How are contradictory
emotions important to
the form of the blues?
c TAKE NOTES
Review the author’s
list of blues subjects.
What attitude do blues
songs express about
these subjects?
744 unit 7: the language of poetry
30
40
50
But another saying knows the opposite is true: the blues ain’t nothin’ but a
bad woman (or man) feelin’ good. b
. . . As Langston Hughes often said, the blues are “laughing to keep
from crying”; the fact that this line also appears in the song “Trouble in
Mind” tells us that even when there’s trouble, we still can laugh about it.
We must, the blues insist. Ralph Ellison puts it this way:
The blues is an impulse to keep the painful details and episodes of
a brutal experience alive in one’s aching consciousness, to finger its
jagged grain, and then transcend it, not by the consolation of
philosophy but by squeezing from it a near-tragic, near-comic
lyricism. As a form, the blues is an autobiographical chronicle of
personal catastrophe expressed lyrically.
Indeed, for me the blues provide a fresh way to express the lyric poem’s
mix of emotion and intensity, all the while evoking not so much strict
autobiography as a personal metaphor for life’s daily struggles. “You’ve
been a good old wagon, but you done broke down.”
The blues can be about work, or the lack of it; about losing hope or your
home, your lover or your mind or your faith; or all of these at once! The
blues are unafraid of talking about violence, whether of the physical kind
(as reflected in Hughes’ “Beale Street Love” and Ma Rainey’s “See See
Rider Blues”) or the often more troubling psychological sort. Still, the
heartbreak the blues rails against and trains us to overcome is never far
from ironic and even comic, and for every “Nobody Knows You When
You’re Down and Out,” Bessie Smith declares “Tain’t Nobody’s Business if I
Do.” That Nobody sure is fickle. c
The blues ain’t polite—they don’t say please, though sometimes they say
“Good Morning.” They are, in the end, often more loyal than the sweet
mistreater whom the singer loves but wants “to lay low”. . . after feeling
low for days. Or nights—the blues after all, began as Saturday night
entertainment, making us laugh and move and maybe even forget our
troubles, not by pretending everything’s all right, but by admitting it’s a
hard road full of forks and crossroad devils. By finding out that the
powerful voice onstage, or on the jukebox, or coming from the radio, has
been there too. The blues are loyal to a fault.

Comprehension
1. Recall According to Young, what do the blues describe?
2. Recall What are some typical subjects found in blues music?
3. Clarify According to Ralph Ellison, how do the blues help us transcend
personal tragedy?
Critical Analysis
4. Analyze Notes Review the details you recorded in your chart. Based on these
details, what are the main characteristics of blues music?
5. Identify Tone What tone, or attitude, toward blues music does Young convey
in his essay? Cite specific words and phrases that help convey this tone.
Read for Information: Evaluate Poems
writing prompt
Of the three poems on pages 736–740, which best matches Young’s
description of the blues? Use excerpts from the poems and descriptive
details from the essay to support your response.
To answer this prompt, follow these steps:
1. Review your chart to make sure you understand Young’s main points about
the blues. Restate his main points in your own words.
2. Analyze the poems to see how many characteristics of blues songs you
can find in each. Decide which poem best matches Young’s description of
the blues.
3. State your conclusion(s) in a topic sentence. Then, support those
conclusions with ideas and details from the poems.
Characteristics
of the Blues
Characteristics
of Poem 1
Conclusion:
Characteristics
of Poem 2
Characteristics
of Poem 3
Reading for Information
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