Speak Freely Poetry Elements

What does the poem suggest about opinions?

• Each opinion has its place

• Opinions should be kept private

• Only popular opinions matter

• Opinions are dangerous

In the poem, what is the significance of the phrase 'We the people'?

• It refers to the collective right to speak freely

• It is a call to action

• It emphasizes individualism

• It highlights economic power

The following sentences from the poem include line breaks that help emphasize certain ideas. Select the two sentence that include line breaks that emphasize ideas found in the Background section

• This / is our right. (lines 6–7)

• You / might fear a / stand that I take / or a cause that / I embrace. (lines 16–20)

• And / though your words / might offend me, / I must do the / same for you. (lines 26–30)

• But / we have the / right to say so, / and to say so / publicly. (lines 36–40)

Which aspect of the poem most clearly makes it sound as if someone is talking casually?

• Its stanzas, or groups of lines, end in words that rhyme.

• Its speaker, or the voice of the poem, uses the words I and you.

• Its speaker, or the voice of the poem, repeats the words each and opinion.

The poet sometimes uses alliteration, or repeated consonant sounds at the beginning of words. Highlight two words in the following stanza that share a beginning consonant sound.

• This

• is our right

• preach or argue

• praise or cheer

Which phrase best explains why the poet most likely used this alliteration?

• to create consistent rhythms in the stanza

• to generate suspense about the speaker’s point

• to emphasize several types of protected speech

• to draw attention to the poem’s informal language

Read stanza 4. Then, read stanzas 5 and 6, considering the fact that each begins with a conjunction, the words but and and. The purpose of stanzas 5 and 6 is to show —

Responses

• that the poem’s speaker feels that readers should agree with frightening views

• how the poem’s readers and its speaker should react to speech to which they might object

• how the poem’s readers and its speaker might convince others to accept ideas to which they might object

• that the poem’s speaker feels that readers will disagree with ideas about which types of speech should be free