Close Reading Poetry (I", Too" "Sympathy" "We Wear the Mask")

"I, Too" - What is the central idea of the poem?

• It is difficult to remain hopeful in the face of adversity.

• Social change happens through the efforts of many people

• People often do not realize the depths of their own prejudices.

• Racial prejudice is disgraceful and will dissolve in favor of equality.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RI.11-12.9

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

"I, Too" - Which evidence proves the central idea that racial prejudice is disgraceful and will dissolve in favor of equality?

• "They send me to eat in the kitchen / When company comes" (Lines 3-4)

• "But I laugh, / And eat well, / And grow strong." (Lines 5-7)

• "Nobody'll dare / Say to me, / 'Eat in the kitchen'" (Lines 11-13)

• "They'll see how beautiful I am / And be ashamed — / I, too, am America." (Lines 16-18)

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.8.10

"I, Too" - What does the kitchen symbolize? "They send me to eat in the kitchen when company comes"

• the hopeful future

• the speaker's hunger

• segregation

• safety

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.8.10

"I, Too" - How is the detail of the speaker being asked to eat in the kitchen important to the theme?

• It emphasizes the unfair treatment the speaker receives.

• It highlights the speaker's dissatisfaction with life in America.

• It shows how unfriendly people are in America

• It reveals how unaffected the speaker is by discrimination.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.10

"I, Too" - What is the overall tone of the poem?

• Hopeful

• Sad

• Ashamed

• Pessimistic

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.10

"Sympathy" - What is the central idea of the poem?

• Freedom can be achieved as long as you fight hard enough for it

• No one can live a full or happy life if they are denied freedom.

• Birds specifically cannot be denied freedom due to their need to fly.

• With enough time, any person will lose the pull they feel towards freedom.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.10

"Sympathy" - Which evidence proves the central idea no one can live a full or happy life if they are denied freedom?

• "I know what the caged bird feels, alas! / When the sun is bright on the upland slopes;" (Lines 1-2)

• "When the first bird sings and the first bud opes, / And the faint perfume from its chalice steals" (Lines 5-6)

• "I know why the caged bird beats his wing / Till its blood is red on the cruel bars;" (Lines 8-9)

• "It is not a carol of joy or glee, / But a prayer that he sends from his heart's deep core, / But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings — " (Lines 18-20)

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.8.10

"Sympathy" - Dunbar compares himself (a black man) to a bird in a cage, without using like or as. The bird is a ____________ for his wish for freedom.

• Metaphor

• Personification

• Allusion

• Simile

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.10

"Sympathy" - In the second stanza, the caged bird "beats its wings/ Till its blood is red on the cruel bars." This description supports the idea that the tone of the poem is:

• violent

• peaceful

• hopeful

• fatal

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5

"Sympathy" - The poet makes use of repetition throughout the poem. Each stanza begins and ends with the same phrasing. What mood does the repetition create for the reader?

• disgust, impatience

• understanding, compassion

• sadness, depression

• love, fondness

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5