Valentine for Ernest Mann

Which statement expresses the main theme of the poem?

• The best way a person can express their love for another person is through a poem.

• The world has conditioned people not to see the beauty in simple things.

• Most people don’t realize all the hard work that goes into writing a poem.

• Meaning and beauty can be found in anything, it just depends on how a person looks at the world.

Which quote from the poem best exemplifies the main idea of the poem?

• “You can’t order a poem like you order a taco. / Walk up to the counter, say, ‘I’ll take two’” (Lines 1-2)

• “In the bottoms of our shoes, / they are sleeping. They are the shadows” (Lines 9-10)

• “Once I knew a man who gave his wife / two skunks for a valentine.” (Lines 14-15)

• “Maybe if we re-invent whatever our lives give us / we find poems” (Lines 26-27)

How does the first stanza contribute to the tone of the text?

• It develops a sense of humor that the speaker feels towards someone’s assumptions about poetry.

• It creates a sense of exasperation that the speaker feels toward people’s limited knowledge of the world.

• It creates a sense of affection that the speaker feels towards the reader and their interest in poetry.

• It develops a sense of irritation that the speaker feels towards those who don’t understand poetry.

How does the structure of the poem contribute to the overall theme?

• A speaker is addressing a character who wishes to write a poem themselves and doesn’t realize the difficulty of the task.

• A speaker is addressing a character who asks for a poem, emphasizing how difficult it can be to find or produce poetry.

• A speaker is addressing an overwhelming assumption people tend to make about poetry, allowing them to correct the faulty information.

• A speaker is offering a character advice on how to create meaningful poetry as a valentine for their love.

How does the story about the man who gave his wife two skunks contribute to the poem?

• The story about the skunks show the wife was not grateful to her husband.

• The story about the skunks shows that Valentine's Day is a difficult holiday to buy the right gift for a loved one.

• The story about the skunks is meant to show that you can find beauty in anything.

• The story about the skunks shows the wife is unappreciative.