First they came...

Today you will be reading 2 poems and answering multiple choice questions on each.

Pay attention to the style of the questions - these are similar to the EOG.

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The final step: you will have a final essay question based on all 3 poems together.​ I want you to use your ACE writing strategy on this question.

​Before you begin, look up any words, terms, or phrases you do not understand.

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Read ​the poem again so you understand what you are reading.

Multiple Choice

PART A: Which of the following best describes the message of the poem?

• People should define themselves by their similarities, not by their differences.

• Fear can cause people to stop caring about others or their suffering.

• People should speak out when they see injustice, or they may risk experiencing it themselves.

• Staying silent while witnessing a crime is the same thing as committing the crime.

Multiple Choice

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

• "First they came for the Socialists" (Line 1)

• "Because I was not a Trade Unionist" (Line 2)

• "I did not speak out — Because I was not a Jew." (Line 3)

• "Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak for me." (Line 4)

Multiple Choice

What does the phrase "because I was not" emphasize about the speaker?

• The speaker is lonely and distanced from the rest of society, which is why he did not speak out.

• The speaker is deeply sorry and wants to justify why he did not speak out against the arrests.

• The speaker regrets not speaking out because he was not being targeted and ignored those who were.

• The speaker is a selfish, prejudiced person who did not care about the suffering of other people.

​'No Man is an Island' by John Donne

No man is an island entire of itself;

every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;

if a clod be washed away by the sea,

Europe is the less,

as well as if a promontory were,

as well as any manner of thy friends or of thine own were;

any man's death diminishes me,

because I am involved in mankind.

And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;

it tolls for thee.

​Again, if there are words or terms you do not know, define them and then re-read the poem.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following best describes a theme in the text?

• People tend to care only about themselves and cannot easily connect with others.

• Peace among different people and countries is possible through shared grief.

• Everyone and everything in the world is connected as part of a larger whole.

• Loneliness is one of the worst fates one can suffer and no one should have to bear it.

Multiple Choice

How does the figurative language in lines 1-4 develop the text's theme?

• It compares people to land masses, and when one clod is washed away it lessens the continent; this develops the theme of connection between individuals as parts of a whole.

• It compares people to islands, and when one island loses land it only impacts the one island; this develops the theme of people who exist within their own worlds.

• It compares the world to the continent of Europe; this develops the theme of European expansion across the world, uniting different parts of it under colonial rule.

• It compares different peoples to land masses, and when one clod is washed away it lessens the continent; this develops the theme of peace and unity among different countries.

Multiple Choice

PART A: What does the word "diminish" most likely mean as used in line 6?

• to end

• to belittle

• to lessen

• to sadden

Multiple Choice

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

• "No man is an island entire of itself" (Line 1)

• "if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe / is the less" (Lines 3-4)

• "as any manner of thy friends or of thine / own were" (Lines 5-6)

• "I am involved in mankind." (Line 7)

Open Ended

What do these poems teach us about personal responsibility? Use your ACE writing strategy to respond to this question.