Short poems!

"The Rose in the Concrete" by 2pac

Did you hear about the rose that grew

From a crack in the concrete?

Proving nature's laws wrong

It learned to walk without having feet

Funny it seems, but by keeping its dreams

It learned to breathe fresh air

Long live the rose that grew from concrete

When no one else even cared

What is the deeper meaning?

• Sometimes the truth is right in front of you.

• Never give up! You can overcome your obstacles!

• What goes around comes around.

• Every rose has its thorns. Look out for fake people.

"Ozymandias" by Percy Shelley

I met a traveller from an antique land

Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone

Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,

Half sunk, a shatter'd visage lies, whose frown

And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command

Tell that its sculptor well those passions read

Which yet survive, stamp'd on these lifeless things,

The hand that mock'd them and the heart that fed.

And on the pedestal these words appear:

"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:

Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"

Nothing beside remains: round the decay

Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,

The lone and level sands stretch far away.

What is the deeper meaning?

• Nothing lasts forever.

• Don't judge people.

• It's good to take pride in your work.

• The power to face your deepest fears... comes from inside!

Sentimental Moment or Why Did the Baguette Cross the Road?

Don't fill up on bread

I say absent-mindedly

The servings here are huge

My son, whose hair may be

receding a bit, says

Did you really just

say that to me?

What he doesn't know

is that when we're walking

together, when we get

to the curb

I sometimes start to reach

for his hand

What is the deeper message?

• In the eyes of your parents, you never really "grow up."

• Children need to respect their parents.

• Always believe in yourself even when others do not.

When I heard the learn’d astronomer,

When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me,

When I was shown the charts and diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them,

When I sitting heard the astronomer where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room,

How soon unaccountable I became tired and sick,

Till rising and gliding out I wander’d off by myself,

In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time,

Look’d up in perfect silence at the stars.

What is the poem's message?

• In order to appreciate nature, you need to know the science behind it.

• People should just appreciate the beauty of nature.

• The older you get, the more you need to "stop and smell the roses."

The following is from "Casey at the Bat"

Remember, Casey was their MVP player. Everyone was depending on him to save the day. We pick up at the end of the poem after he let the first two pitches go by in order to show off...

The sneer is gone from Casey’s lip, his teeth are clenched in hate,

He pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate;

And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go,

And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey’s blow.

Oh, somewhere in this favoured land the sun is shining bright,

The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light;

And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children

shout,

But there is no joy in Mudville—mighty Casey has struck out.

What is the theme or message?

• Don't be prideful.

• Your heroes will never let you down.

• Don't feel bad if you fail. Nobody's perfect.

From "Nothing Would Grow" by Andrew Tinker

It’s the darkness that makes the sunrise beautiful

It’s the heartbreak that makes love burn

And it’s the shackle that must be broken to know freedom

If the sun shined everyday and we went our whole lives without rain

Nothing would grow

What is the message?

• Going through bad times helps us appreciate the good times and grow as people.

• No one can really know the truth.

• Don't judge people by their appearances.

• The bad times in life are completely meaningless.

This is from "Feel that Way" by Blackalicious

Verse 2

Christmas Day when your mama got your first bike

Type of feeling when you went and won your first fight

How your team felt winning championship games

Celebrate in a huddle dancing in this rain

Have a thought see a shooting star cross your screen

Put in hard work finally you're living your dream

Deaf man get his hearing now in come vibes

Blind man gain his sight see his first sunrise

Young man speaking out, now he's loud and clear

Birthin' your child, smile so proud you wear

Going in your third eye for the styles you hear

Making music that'll bump for a thousand years

Eating right feeling conscious like health is first

Said a prayer that's sincere and you felt it work

Times I feel I want to shout, man it's real that way

When I'm thinking things that make you feel that way

PICK TWO. Which signposts do you see in this song?

• Contrast & contradiction

• Aha moment

• Words of the Wiser

• Again & again

The next few questions are about this song, so slow down and read it.

From "Nothing Better" by The Postal Service

The guy's part is in blue.

The girl's part is in red.

Would someone please call a surgeon

Who can crack my ribs and repair this broken heart

That you're deserting for better company

I can't accept that it's over

And I will block the door like a goalie tending the net

In the third quarter of a tied game rivalry

So just say how to make it right

And I swear I'll do my best to comply

Tell me am I right to think that there could be nothing better

Than making you my bride and slowly growing old together

I feel I must interject here

You're getting carried away, feeling sorry for yourself

With these revisions and gaps in history

So let me help you remember

I've made charts and graphs that should finally make it clear

I've prepared a lecture on why I have to leave

So please back away and let me go

I can't my darling, I love you so

Tell me am I right to think that there could be nothing better

Than making you my bride and slowly growing old together

Don't you feed me lies about some idealistic future

Your heart won't heal right if you keep tearing out the sutures

I know that I have made mistakes

And I swear I'll never wrong you again

You've got allure I can't deny

But you've had your chance so say goodbye

Say goodbye

Which of the following is a theme from the song?

• If you want something badly enough, you will get it.

• Jealousy can be very destructive.

• There are two sides to every story.

Again, From "Nothing Better" by The Postal Service

The guy's part is in blue.

The girl's part is in red.

Would someone please call a surgeon

Who can crack my ribs and repair this broken heart

That you're deserting for better company

I can't accept that it's over

And I will block the door like a goalie tending the net

In the third quarter of a tied game rivalry

So just say how to make it right

And I swear I'll do my best to comply

Tell me am I right to think that there could be nothing better

Than making you my bride and slowly growing old together

I feel I must interject here

You're getting carried away, feeling sorry for yourself

With these revisions and gaps in history

So let me help you remember

I've made charts and graphs that should finally make it clear

I've prepared a lecture on why I have to leave

So please back away and let me go

I can't my darling, I love you so

Tell me am I right to think that there could be nothing better

Than making you my bride and slowly growing old together

Don't you feed me lies about some idealistic future

Your heart won't heal right if you keep tearing out the sutures

I know that I have made mistakes

And I swear I'll never wrong you again

You've got allure I can't deny

But you've had your chance so say goodbye

Say goodbye

How would you characterize the male speaker? Choose TWO!

• persistent

• selfless

• dramatic

• understanding

Again, from "Nothing Better" by The Postal Service

The guy's part is in blue.

The girl's part is in red.

Would someone please call a surgeon

Who can crack my ribs and repair this broken heart

That you're deserting for better company

I can't accept that it's over

And I will block the door like a goalie tending the net

In the third quarter of a tied game rivalry

So just say how to make it right

And I swear I'll do my best to comply

What sort of figurative language is that?

• It's a metaphor. He's saying that their life is one big soccer game.

• It's a simile. He's saying that he is very competitive.

• It's a hyperbole. He's saying that his love is stronger than a soccer player.

• It's a simile. He's saying that he is desperate to keep her from leaving him.