LANGUAGES by Carl Sandburg

Open Ended

Aim: What happens to language over time?

Do Now: Head to the poem "Languages" on Actively Learn. Then, go over the poem briefly and jot down your favorite line from the poem. Write the line and one or two sentences explaining why you chose it. Take 5. Prepare to share your responses with the class.

LANGUAGES by Carl Sandburg

By V. Ulaj

​THERE are no handles upon a language

Whereby men take hold of it

And mark it with signs for its remembrance.

It is a river, this language,

Once in a thousand years

Breaking a new course

Changing its way to the ocean.

It is mountain effluvia

Moving to valleys

And from nation to nation

Crossing borders and mixing.

Languages die like rivers.

Multiple Choice

In line 4, Sandburg writes that "It is a river, this language" and again in line 12, he writes, "Languages die like rivers." How are languages similar to rivers?

• They cannot disappear because they pass between nations

• They do not travel much at all and stay in one place.

• Man holds onto them and they never change over time

• They are not permanent because they change or end overtime.

​Words wrapped round your tongue today

And broken to shape of thought

Between your teeth and lips speaking

Now and today

Shall be faded hieroglyphics

Ten thousand years from now.

Sing—and singing—remember

Your song dies and changes

And is not here to-morrow

Any more than the wind

Blowing ten thousand years ago.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following best explains why the speaker compares language to hieroglyphics?

• Language has the power to bring nations together

• Languages will become extinct like ancient writings.

• Language is complex and difficult to grasp

• Language can be learned and adapted

Open Ended

Choose two examples of metaphor in which the speaker connects nature to language. Why do you think the speaker uses nature to explain language?

Multiple Choice

PART A: Which of the following best describes a central theme of the text?

• All languages, like everything, will eventually die out and cease to be.

• Preservation of language is key through proper education.

• Identity is strongly informed by what language or languages one speaks.

• Progress means creating and enforcing one universal language.

Multiple Choice

PART B: Which of the following quotes best supports the answer to Part A?

• "Whereby men take hold of it / And mark it with signs for its remembrance." (Lines 2-3)

• "It is mountain effluvia / Moving to valleys /And from nation to nation / Crossing borders and mixing." (Lines 8-11)

• "It is a river, this language, / Once in a thousand years / Breaking a new course / Changing its way to the ocean." (Lines 4-7)

• "Your song dies and changes / And is not here to-morrow / Any more than the wind / Blowing ten thousand years ago." (Lines 20-23)

Multiple Choice

Which of the following best explains the comparison between language and "mountain effluvia" in Line 8?

• The speaker compares language to "mountain effluvia" to depict language as a sort of plague, diffusing into different places and cultures, making them forget their more primal roots.

• The speaker compares language to "mountain effluvia" to describe language as in a state of decay, giving off an unpleasant scent.

• The speaker compares language to "mountain effluvia" because he dislikes the changing untouchability of language (hence the comparison to an unpleasant odor).

• The speaker compares language to "mountain effluvia" to depict language as diffusing and mixing into different places and cultures, molding into different languages all together.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following best explains how the poem's form develops its message?

• The poem is written as a lyric poem, echoing its comparison of language to singing and thus contributing to its message regarding the beauty of language.

• The poem is written in free verse, a modern style, contributing to the poem's message about social progress

• The poem is written in free verse, echoing the poem's message about changing language and structure.

• The poem is written in free verse, which flows naturally like the river or the wind; it therefore contributes to its message about preserving nature.

Open Ended

How does the theme of death emerge in this poem? In the context of this poem, how do people face death? Cite evidence from this text, your own experience, and other literature, art, or history in your answer.

Open Ended

According to Sandburg, if language, "dies and changes," what is the purpose of language? In your groups discuss this question and then write your response here.