Dear Mama

The stanza below adds to the development of “Dear Mama” mainly by __________.

"and now
the thought stark and irrevocable
of being here without you
shakes me."

• showing how overjoyed and surprised the speaker is

• providing symmetry with the stanzas to follow while also exhibiting the only description of the speaker’s emotions

• signaling that the rest of the poem will take place in the present

• providing contrast to the previous stanza while also shifting the topic and time period in which it is taking place

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

CCSS.RL.8.5

What is the best summation of the theme of the poem?

• It is important to be mindful of how aging will alter the nature and existence of one’s relationship with one’s parents.

• It is important to save money so that you can take care of your parents when they age.

• It is easy to take one’s relationship with one’s parents for granted, as they will always be there to support you.

• It is important to recognize the friendship that is possible with one’s parents when one is a teen.

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

How does the poet mainly use simile in the final stanza of this poem?

• To portray how powerless an individual memory might be in the face of the death of the speaker’s mother, but how powerful those memories might be collectively.

• To portray how meaningless laughter is in the face of death.

• To portray how the memories made with the speaker’s mother are associated with materialism.

• To portray how one can laugh with one’s mother as carelessly as one might spend coins.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

CCSS.RL.8.4

Which passage best supports the poet's use of simile to explain how the speaker will deal with her mother's death?

• “laughing as though laughter wards off death.”

• “the thought stark and irrevocable / of being here without you / shakes me.”

• “when it will be the only coin i possess / with which to buy peace of mind.”

• “each word given / received like spanish eight / treasure to bury within.”

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

CCSS.RL.8.5

Match the vocabulary word to its corresponding synonym:

• domain

• realm

• bare

• irrevocable

• coins

• stark

• unalterable

• Spanish eight

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

The speaker will need peace of mind after her mother​ (a)   . The speaker will feel peace if she has good​ (b)  

of spending time with her mother. These memories will include ​ (c)   .

• dies
• memories
• laughter

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

CCSS.RL.8.5

When the speaker was younger, she was not ​ (a)   with her mother. After the speaker had trouble, she began to ​ (b)   her mother more.

• friendly
• appreciate

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

“Like spanish eight” is a ​ (a)   that shows how much the speaker ​ (b)   the time she spends with her mother. “That shadow day” is a ​ (c)   for the day the speaker’s ​ (d)   dies.

• values
• mother
• simile
• metaphor

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

CCSS.RL.8.4

The speaker talks about being ​ (a)  

her mother after she dies. This is a clue that irrevocable means unable to be ​ (b)  

back because death is ​ (c)   .

• without
• taken
• permanent

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

I think a realm is a kind of ​ (a)  

that is controlled by someone or something. The poem talks about children ​ (b)  

a realm where they can feel as if they can protect their parents.

• place
• going to

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

CCSS.RI.8.4