Unit 3 Assessment Poetry Analysis

The Sky Is Low

by Emily Dickinson

The sky is low, the clouds are mean,

A traveling flake of snow

Across a barn or through a rut

Debates if it will go.

5 A narrow wind complains all day

How some one treated him;

Nature, like us, is sometimes caught

Without her diadem.1

1diadem: a crown

How does the speaker use figurative language to describe the flake of snow in the first stanza of the poem?

• The speaker explains the sound it makes.

• The speaker exaggerates the way it travels.

• The speaker describes the way it thinks.

• The speaker compares it to the sky and the clouds.

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.10

The Sky Is Low

by Emily Dickinson

The sky is low, the clouds are mean,

A traveling flake of snow

Across a barn or through a rut

Debates if it will go.

5 A narrow wind complains all day

How some one treated him;

Nature, like us, is sometimes caught

Without her diadem.1

1diadem: a crown

What is the connotation (feeling) of the word debates in line 4 of the poem?

• The snowflake seems uncertain and hesitant.

• The snowflake seem angry and quarrelsome.

• The snowflake appears to be speaking to someone.

• The snowflake appears to be playing with someone.

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.10

The Sky Is Low

by Emily Dickinson

The sky is low, the clouds are mean,

A traveling flake of snow

Across a barn or through a rut

Debates if it will go.

5 A narrow wind complains all day

How some one treated him;

Nature, like us, is sometimes caught

Without her diadem.1

1diadem: a crown

What impact does the use of rhyme have on the poem?

• The rhyme creates a powerful emotional effect.

• The rhyme creates a drowsy, monotonous effect.

• The rhyme creates a musical effect, as in a song.

• The rhyme creates a conversational effect, as in dialogue.

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.5

The Sky Is Low

by Emily Dickinson

The sky is low, the clouds are mean,

A traveling flake of snow

Across a barn or through a rut

Debates if it will go.

5 A narrow wind complains all day

How some one treated him;

Nature, like us, is sometimes caught

Without her diadem.1

1diadem: a crown

Which phrase from the poem signals a major change in its focus including a broader idea?

• A traveling flake of snow

• Debates if it will go.

• A narrow wind complains all day

• Nature, like us, is sometimes caught

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.5

The Sky Is Low

by Emily Dickinson

The sky is low, the clouds are mean,

A traveling flake of snow

Across a barn or through a rut

Debates if it will go.

5 A narrow wind complains all day

How some one treated him;

Nature, like us, is sometimes caught

Without her diadem.1

1diadem: a crown

The central image of the poem is a bleak winter’s day. Write a paragraph that describes how the structure (rhyme, repetition, figurative language, etc. ) of the poem helps to communicate this central image. Use details from the poem to support your answer. Write your answer on the lines provided.

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.4

The Sky Is Low

by Emily Dickinson

The sky is low, the clouds are mean,

A traveling flake of snow

Across a barn or through a rut

Debates if it will go.

5 A narrow wind complains all day

How some one treated him;

Nature, like us, is sometimes caught

Without her diadem.1

1diadem: a crown

The footnote to the poem defines diadem as a crown. How does the connotation(feeling) of the word diadem show the speaker’s feelings about nature? Use details from the poem to support your answer. Write your answer on the lines provided.

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5