Friday, November 4, 2016

Fri. Nov. 4, 2016: "Sisters" Discussion and Questions

Today, we discussed how to read a poem (I provided you with a sheet on this. I have pasted it below).
We then analyzed the poem "Sisters" by P.K. Page.
I then provided you with questions. These are to be answered actively and submitted for Monday's class.

I have pasted the questions below:

How to Read a Poem

The steps to analyzing a poem are almost the same as the steps to analyzing any other text. You are trying to gain understanding through this process while NOT wasting your time by reading without connecting. Active reading of poetry is effective, especially if you read a poem a few times while doing the steps.

1.      Look at and analyze the title.
2.      Look at how the poem is laid out (stanzas, lines,
rhyme, deviation in shape).
3.      Read it – highlight words or phrases you don’t understand. Look up the meanings and put them in the margin in your own words (draw a line to attach the definition to the word)
4.      Read it again and look for examples of figurative language (highlight and label).
5.      Read the whole thing again and, in stanzas or breaks in direction, paraphrase it in the margins.
6.      On the back, summarize (three sentence) the poem (include attribution information)

7.      On the back, explain what the author is attempting to get across to you (what you should take away from this piece that you can apply to your own experiences)

II.        Read "Sisters" and answer questions 11 to 18.

11.       The imagery in the first stanza conveys the contrast between

A. harshness and mildness
B. rebellion and authority
C. distraction and attention
D. enthusiasm and acceptance

Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________
Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________
Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________
It is _____ because: ______________________________________________________

12.       The solar system metaphor in the second stanza is effective in that it helps to

A. illustrate the contrast in the setting
B. illustrate the sisters' social inadequacies
C. establish the youthful desire for protection
D. establish the egocentric behavior of the sisters

Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________
Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________
Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________
It is _____ because: ______________________________________________________

13.       The sisters ' confidence and independence is MOST STRONGLY suggested by

A. "These children split each other open like nuts" (line 1)
B. "they own the sun and spin on separate axes" (lines 6-7)
C. "their joint gentle laughter" (line 11)
D. "leads them into pastures of each others eyes" (lines 11-12)

Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________
Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________
Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________
It is _____ because: ______________________________________________________

14.       The phrase that serves as an IMMEDIATE contrast to the imagery in the third
stanza is

A. "break and crack" (line 2)
B. "Fierce on the street" (line 6)
C. "attract about them in their motion" (line 8)
D. "in violence hold hatred in their mouths" (line 10)

Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________
Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________
Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________
It is _____ because: ______________________________________________________

15.       In the third stanza, the position of the phrase "beyond, the world is barren"
reinforces the sisters'

A. boredom with life
B. absorption in each other
C. immunity from responsibility
D. perception of the hardships of others

Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________
Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________
Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________
It is _____ because: ______________________________________________________

16.       The phrase "contract tenderness from each other like disease" (lines 13-14)
implies that

A. gentleness is contagious
B. the sisters encourage conflict
C. the sisters disturb each other
D. gentleness prevents unhappiness

Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________
Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________
Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________
It is _____ because: ______________________________________________________

17.       The image in the last line of the poem serves both to describe the quality of
the sisters' speech and to reflect the

A. universal appeal of beauty
B. universal nature of fragility
C. dramatic metamorphoses in the sisters' behavior
D. mysterious metamorphoses in the sisters' growth

Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________
Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________
Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________
It is _____ because: ______________________________________________________

18.       The poem MOST STRONGLY suggests that the sisters' relationship is both

A. exciting and dull
B. dangerous and safe
C. volatile and nurturing
D. calculated and innocent

Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________
Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________
Not _____ because: ______________________________________________________
It is _____ because: ______________________________________________________

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