How I Learned English

Which excerpt from “How I Learned English” uses first-person point of view to peek into the speaker’s mind?

• It was in an empty lot

  Ringed by elms and fir and honeysuckle.

• Ron O’Neill, Jim, Dennis, were talking it up

  In the field, a blue sky above them

• I watched it closing in

  Clean and untouched, transfixed

• Someone said “shin” again,

  There was a wild stamping of hands on the ground,

Which excerpt from “How I Learned English” uses the first-person point of view to show that the main character feels out of place in his new environment?

• It was in an empty lot

  Ringed by elms and fir and honeysuckle.

  Bill Corson was pitching in his buckskin jacket,

• Unnatural and without any moves,

  My notions of baseball and America

  Growing fuzzier each time I whiffed

• I watched it closing in

  Clean and untouched, transfixed

  By its easy arc before it hit

• There was a wild stamping of hands on the ground,

  A kicking of feet, and the fit

  Of laughter overtook me too,

Why does Gregory Djanikian most likely use the first-person point of view in "How I Learned English”?

• to share directly what the main character is thinking and feeling

• to help readers create a mental picture of what is happening in the story

• to show the conflict between the main character and the other boys

• to better develop the events that are part of the story’s rising action

Read the excerpt from "How I Learned English.”

Someone said "shin” again,

There was a wild stamping of hands on the ground,

A kicking of feet, and the fit

Of laughter overtook me too,

And that was important, as important

As Joe Barone asking me how I was

Through his tears, picking me up

And dusting me off with hands like swatters,

And though my head felt heavy,

I played on till dusk

Which role does the first-person point of view play in this excerpt?

• It helps readers understand how amused Joe Barone feels when he helps the main character.

• It helps readers understand that the main character is beginning to feel accepted.

• It helps readers identify better with Joe Barone’s opinion of the main character.

• It helps readers identify the events that occur during the story’s climax and falling action.

Read the excerpt from “How I Learned English.”

It was in an empty lot

Ringed by elms and fir and honeysuckle.

Bill Corson was pitching in his buckskin jacket,

Chuck Keller, fat even as a boy, was on first,

His t-shirt riding up over his gut,

Ron O’Neill, Jim, Dennis, were talking it up

In the field, a blue sky above them

Tipped with cirrus.

And there I was,

Just off the plane and plopped in the middle

Of Williamsport, Pa. and a neighborhood game,

Unnatural and without any moves,

My notions of baseball and America

Growing fuzzier each time I whiffed.

Which detail from this excerpt helps readers determine that the poem is written from a first-person point of view?

• the description of the speaker as “unnatural”

• the description of the boys “talking it up”

• the use of the words “I” and “my”

• the use of the words “his” and “them”

Read the excerpt from “How I Learned English.”

It was in an empty lot

Ringed by elms and fir and honeysuckle.

Bill Corson was pitching in his buckskin jacket,

Chuck Keller, fat even as a boy, was on first,

His t-shirt riding up over his gut,

Ron O’Neill, Jim, Dennis, were talking it up

In the field, a blue sky above them

Tipped with cirrus.

How is this excerpt important to the poem as a whole?

• It provides readers with information about the conflict in the poem

• It shows readers how the characters feel, think, and behave.

• It shows readers how the speaker feels about the other boys.

• It gives readers information about the setting, characters, and situation.

Read the excerpt from "How I Learned English.”

Someone said "shin” again,

There was a wild stamping of hands on the ground,

A kicking of feet, and the fit

Of laughter overtook me too,

And that was important, as important

As Joe Barone asking me how I was

Through his tears, picking me up

And dusting me off with hands like swatters,

And though my head felt heavy,

I played on till dusk

This excerpt shows that the speaker no longer feels like an outsider because...

• he enjoys a funny moment with the other boys.

• he becomes a better baseball player.

• he learns how to correctly use English words.

• he allows the other boys to make fun of him.

Read the excerpt from “How I Learned English.”

Someone said “shin” again,

There was a wild stamping of hands on the ground,

A kicking of feet, and the fit

Of laughter overtook me too,

And that was important, as important

As Joe Barone asking me how I was

Through his tears, picking me up

And dusting me off with hands like swatters,

And though my head felt heavy,

I played on till dusk

Missing flies and pop-ups and grounders

And calling out in desperation things like

“Yours” and “take it,” but doing all right,

Tugging at my cap in just the right way,

Crouching low, my feet set.

“Hum baby” sweetly on my lips.

How do things change for the speaker after he laughs with the other boys?

• He tries harder to impress others.

• He finally has a sense of belonging.

• He no longer cares about fitting in.

• He no longer avoids playing baseball.

Read the excerpt from “How I Learned English.”

I fell back,

Dazed, clutching my brow,

Groaning, “Oh my shin, oh my shin,”

And everybody peeled away from me

And dropped from laughter, and there we were,

All of us writhing on the ground for one reason

Or another.

Readers can tell that this is the climax of the poem, because it

• gives information about what the speaker thinks and feels.

• adds to the idea that the speaker feels like an outsider.

• changes the speaker’s struggle to fit in with the other boys.

• shows how the speaker’s problems with the boys are solved.

Read the excerpt from “How I Learned English.”

So it was not impossible that I,

Banished to the outfield and daydreaming

Of water, or a hotel in the mountains,

Would suddenly find myself in the path

Of a ball stung by Joe Barone.

I watched it closing in

Clean and untouched, transfixed

By its easy arc before it hit

My forehead with a thud.

This excerpt is part of the poem’s

• exposition.

• rising action.

• falling action.

• resolution.