How I Learned English

"How I Learned English" is a narrative poem because ...

• it expresses the speaker's thoughts about baseball and meeting new people.

• it tells a story, including a setting, characters, and a plot.

• it has a speaker.

Since "How I Learned English" is a narrative poem, it tells a story. Therefore, it must have a setting. What is the setting of this poem?

• a paved parking lot in the middle of the city lit up by street lights after dark

• an empty lot in Williamsport, PA from daytime until evening

• a baseball field behind an abandoned school in the early morning hours

"How I Learned English" is a narrative poem, which means there are characters. Who are the characters in this poem?

• a new student, his parents, and the teachers

• a new kid, boys playing baseball

• a new kid, his enemies, his cousins

Since "How I Learned English" is a narrative poem, the speaker tells a story. Which narrative point of view does the speaker use? *Hint: Look at the title.

• 1st person

• 3rd person omniscient

• 2nd person

Since "How I Learned English" is a narrative poem, the main character has a central conflict (which is part of the plot). What is main character's conflict?

• The speaker is lost.

• The speaker does not know how to play baseball or speak English well, but he wants to fit in with the group.

• The speaker really wants to become a singer rather than play baseball, but his parents are making him learn the game.

In "How I Learned English," the speaker's line "Banished to the outfield" (16) demonstrates that...

• he is an outsider to the group.

• he is angry.

• he is exhausted and ill.

Fill in the blanks:

In the poem, the speaker is hit by a _______ in the _______, but he mistakenly calls this body part his _________.

• another kid, brow, shin

• bat, head, brow

• baseball, forehead, shin

Since "How I Learned English" is a narrative poem, the plot reaches a climax when the conflict is at its highest point of intensity and the action could go either way (better or worse). What happens in the climax of this poem?

• The speaker first arrives off the plane, demonstrating that he is new to America and specifically to Williamsport.

• The speaker moves to the outfield.

• The speaker is hit in the head, mistakenly calls his forehead his "shin", and everyone laughs.

At which point in the narrative poem does the speaker feel like he is accepted?

• The speaker shares a laugh with the other boys, and Joe Barone helps him off the ground.

• The speaker hits a home run and his teammates are impressed.

• The speaker pitches a great game, so Joe Barone's team wins!

How does the speaker most likely feel at the END of the poem?

• He feels like he still does not belong.

• He feels dizzy and confused.

• He feels as though he has been accepted by the group.