Understanding Poetry

The fog comes/ on little cat feet/ It sits/ looking over the harbor and city/ on silent haunches/ and then moves on.

What figurative language is being used here?

• Personification

• Metaphor

• Simile

• Repetition

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CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5

The fog comes/ on little cat feet/ It sits/ looking over the harbor and city/ on silent haunches/ and then moves on.

What can we infer about the fog from this poem?

• The fog just kinda comes and goes and is not really dangerous

• The fog is potentially dangerous in a city that has a harbor

• The fog has a mind of it's own and is alive

• The fog is not common in this kind of place.

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CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5

The fog comes/ on little cat feet/ It sits/ looking over the harbor and city/ on silent haunches/ and then moves on.

Why would the poet liken the fog to a cat? What does this accomplish?

• It provides a nice image for the reader about a Cat Cloud.

• To give the fog characteristics since fog is usually boring.

• To show that fog and cats like the same kinds of things.

• To mimic how cats just come and go nonchalantly

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CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5

All this makes me wonder greatly

about contrary desires.

There’s something in me approves of flying,

applauds the thought of bravely dying,

yet I weep for the cocoon’s demise.

At the end of the poem why would the speaker weep for the cocoons demise?

• Because she is sad about having to find a new home

• Because she is upset that she has to go out into the world

• Because she prefers being safe to being free.

• Because she is conflicted about the dangers of freedom and the safety of being caged.

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CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.4

"Yet I weep for the cocoon's demise."

What can we infer about the poet when she uses words like "weep" and "demise"?

• This poet has a big emotional connection to the cocoon

• She wanted to use better words than "cry" and "destroyed"

• She sees the cocoon as a small part of her life.

• She is very serious about her craft.

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CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.5

I’m tossed to and fro, from here to there,

caught between compulsions;

I’m thrown left and right and back and forth,

longing for the freedom of flight and yet

craving those soft consolations.

What can we infer are the soft consolations the speaker is talking about?

• Saftey and stability

• Food and Water

• A place to live

• Not having to change life too much

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CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.5

What is the overall theme of the poem "Cocoon" by Mavash Sabet

• Never leave a sure thing for something that COULD be good.

• Freedom can be uncomfortable but it is worth it.

• Be careful what you wish for

• Nobody should ever be held captive.

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CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

What words best describe the tone of the poem Cocoon?

• Sad and lonely

• Mournful and Optimistic

• Melancholic and Happy

• Jovial and Upset

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CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.5

I’se been a-climbin’ on,

And reachin’ landin’s,

And turnin’ corners,

And sometimes goin’ in the dark

Where there ain’t been no light.

In the poem "Mother to Son" what is the figurative language used?

• Alliteration

• Metaphor

• Repetition

• Rhyme

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CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.5

I’se been a-climbin’ on,

And reachin’ landin’s,

And turnin’ corners,

And sometimes goin’ in the dark

Where there ain’t been no light.

What does the repetition tell us about the theme of the poem?

• Life can be difficult and full of the same problems.

• Sometimes people repeat things over and over.

• People say things in the ways they are used to saying them.

• You gotta keep trying over and over again.

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.10