"David's Old Soul" by Nikki Grimes

The poem "David's Old Soul" by Nikki Grimes is a golden shovel of what famous poem?

• "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" by Langston Hughes

• "Hope" by Georgia Douglas Johnson

• "To a Dark Girl" by Gwendolyn Bennett

• "We Wear the Mask" by Paul Laurence Dunbar

How is "David's Old Soul" by Nikki Grimes organized?

• 8 stanzas with 1 line each

• 1 stanza, 8 lines total

• 2 stanzas, 8 lines each

• 0 stanzas, 8 lines total

Identify the figurative language:

"So I stand tall like a tree..."

• irony

• onomatopoeia

• simile

• metaphor

Answer explanation

The author made a comparison and used like/as.

This is a simile!

Identify the figurative language:

"I try to be the raft that helps carry them over this life's rough rivers"

• allusion

• pun

• metaphor

• simile

Answer explanation

It is a metaphor!

...and not just that. It is an extended metaphor.

Two things are being compared here:

1. David compares himself to a raft that carries his siblings and keeps them safe.

2. Life, and it's difficulties, is compared to a rough river.

What is a possible theme in "David's Old Soul" by Nikki Grimes?

CHOOSE TWO!

• David has to be strong for his younger siblings.

• Don't judge others before you get to know them.

• Being mature means learning to help and care for others.

• Difficult events can give us deep strength.

"But now that our family has / dwindled to just Mom and us kids, I've grown / into a man"

What is the meaning of dwindled as it is used in this excerpt?

• driven

• dealt

• decreased

• increased

What has helped David understand what it means to have an "old soul"?

• having to take responsibility for his siblings

• moving away from home

• becoming frustrated with his mother

• discovering his true name

How does the line Grimes borrows from "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" relate to the ideas of this poem?

• by showing how difficult times can give us deep strength

• by comparing David to historical figures

• by showing David discovering a troubling secret

• by showing how people often take a long time to discover who they are

"So I stand strong like / a tree my baby brothers can lean on. I try to be the / raft that helps carry them over this life's rough rivers."

What is the effect of David comparing himself to a "tree" and a "raft?"

• it shows how difficult life can be

• it shows that he helps others

• it shows how he feels used by others

• it shows how he would like to escape

Which poem do you prefer?

• The Original!

  "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" by Langston Hughes

• The Golden Shovel!

  "David's Old Soul" by Nikki Grimes