Words and how poets use them

Choose either “Indian Boarding School: The Runaways” or “Theme for English B” to discuss in your journal entry. 

Answer each of the questions below about the poem you’ve chosen. Write in complete sentences, and include examples from the poem where necessary. No citations are required; do not consult outside sources.

1. Who is the speaker? What do you know about him or her?

2. In this poem, what is the speaker responding to? What event, occasion or memory is discussed?

3. Choose two or three words that depict the speaker’s response to death and explain what emotion or tone those words convey. 

4. Find an example of a concrete detail (a specific physical place or object) and explain why the author used it in this poem. 

5. How does the author mix concrete and abstract details? (Examples and definitions of “concrete” and “abstract” are in the glossary in your textbook)

6. Discuss briefly why you chose this poem. Do you think it speaks to you or speaks for you? Why or why not?