Gift Wrapped Fathers Poem

Which statement best expresses a theme of 'Gift-Wrapped Fathers'?

• Fathers naturally feel pride and love for their sons.

• Sons handle separation from their fathers better than the fathers do.

• Relationships between fathers and sons naturally weaken over time.

• Sons cannot fully understand the struggles of being a father until they grow up.

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Which two excerpts from the poem best support the answer to Part A?

• you held him up in your arms / and showed him off to the world like Simba / Hakuna Matata days (lines 3–5)

• he made a convenience store out of your heart / open all night eyes (lines 7–8)

• but these cell blocks pull pieces from your soul / like Lego blocks every time your visit finishes (lines 40–41)

• sometimes, he hugs you like a homeboy / maybe cause he’s tired of you saying / that one day, you’ll be home boy (lines 66–68)

• cause you never should have been here in the first place / but with him (lines 75–76)

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but gone before words cartwheeled off his tongue

The imagery in this line suggests a young child —

• losing his balance

• yelling at his parent

• excited about learning to speak

• attempting to take his first steps

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Read lines 7–14 of the poem. Based on these lines, the reader can reasonably infer that the speaker —

• A. feels he was overly protective when he was a new father

• B. enjoyed being a new father despite the challenges he faced

• C. was more frustrated by the challenges of fatherhood than he expected

• D. thinks children should show more appreciation for the sacrifices parents make

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Which statement best paraphrases lines 20–25 of the poem?

• When people come to visit him at prison, the speaker feels like a character from a crime movie.

• Film portrayals of prisons are mostly accurate, but the speaker’s prison uses mirrors instead of Plexiglas.

• The speaker compares the experience and emotions of receiving a visit in prison with how they are portrayed in films.

• When he sees his son through the glass during a visit in prison, the speaker is saddened by how much his son looks like him.

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Mark the box that correctly matches each line from the poem to the theme it supports.

• what they don’t show you is the Plexi-gl

• It’s hard to strengthen relationships when communication is limited

• then baby-wiped your own tears when the

• Children have to take care of themselves when separated from their parents

• as you build a bond over a 15 minute col

• Most people can’t understand the loneliness of being imprisoned

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praying to one day

see your son rise

then your son set

Which statement best explains the figurative meaning of the poet’s play on the words sunrise and sunset?

• The speaker wants to see his son grow up and get on the path to success.

• The speaker wants to be able to watch the sun rise and set with his son.

• The speaker wishes his son would visit for a whole day instead of a few hours.

• The speaker hopes to have another son and be present for his childhood.

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Which statement best paraphrases lines 43–49 of the poem?

• Even though the speaker and his family are exhausted by their visits to the prison, he can never sleep after they leave.

• The speaker keeps track of every moment he spends with his family and every moment he is separated from them.

• The speaker wonders whether the visits are worth it because each visit is shorter than the time it takes his family to get there.

• After each visit, the speaker tries to remember every moment, while his family goes home saddened by what might have been.

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Based on lines 55–62 of the poem, the reader can infer that the speaker —

• resents the fact that another man gets to act like a father to his son

• has a negative view of himself that he struggles to keep hidden

• is afraid that his son will eventually forget about him

• cares more about his son’s mother than his son

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Read lines 66–68 of the poem. sometimes, he hugs you like a homeboy maybe cause he’s tired of you saying that one day, you’ll be home boy Which sentence best restates the meaning of these lines?

• The speaker tries to hug his son but his son rejects his affection.

• The speaker distances himself from his son because it’s too painful to hold on.

• The speaker’s son no longer treats the speaker with respect because he knows his father is lying about coming back.

• The speaker’s son sometimes treats the speaker like an acquaintance because he is losing faith in his father’s promises.

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