Lady Freedom Among Us

Transcription

1 Before Reading Peruvian Child Poem by Pat Mora Lady Freedom Among Us Poem by Rita Dove What do we owe others? KEY IDEA How do you react when you encounter a homeless person or see a child in great need? Do you ignore the person, or do you help? In the poems that follow, two poets express their views on the extent of our responsibility toward the less fortunate. DISCUSS Think about the following aphorisms, or sayings: You are your brother s keeper, Mind your own business, Charity begins at home. Plot them on a continuum ranging from no responsibility for others to great responsibility. Then rate yourself on the continuum. As a class, discuss how much responsibility you take for the welfare of others. No Great Reponsibility Responsibility 546

2 literary analysis: author s purpose and imagery Poets do not always write poems to simply express a personal feeling. Sometimes poets write to inform or persuade readers. Even a poem that simply describes a person or a scene, such as the two poems that follow, can have a strong purpose. An important clue to a poet s purpose is the way he or she uses imagery, or words and phrases that re-create sensory experiences. Consider this imagery from Peruvian Child. Still in the middle of my path is the child with no smile who stared at us. What picture of the child is created in your mind? How do you think the poet wants you to feel about the child? As you read the poems, think about the images they convey and what purpose they support. reading skill: make inferences Poetry is a very compressed form of writing. Because not everything is stated explicitly, you must make inferences, or read between the lines, in order to enrich your understanding. For example, in Peruvian Child, you must infer that the speaker is a person on a guided tour, though this is never stated. Record your inferences as you read the poems, using a chart like the one shown. Include clues from the text to support your inferences. Inferences Speaker is someone on a guided tour. Clues from Text our guide said We wanted... to hold a picture Pat Mora: Upholding Heritage Pat Mora considers herself lucky to be bilingual. She grew up speaking both English and Spanish in El Paso, Texas, a city on the U.S.-Mexican border. She remembers as a child wishing that she had learned about Pat Mora her Mexican heritage born 1942 in school. Today she uses her writing and other activities to help kindle an interest in Latino culture. In 1997, she founded Día de los Niños/Día de los Libros (Children s Day/Book Day), which celebrates children s literacy on April 30 of each year. Rita Dove: Poet Laureate At 41, Rita Dove was the youngest person ever to be appointed Poet Laureate of the United States. During her tenure ( ), she aimed to increase literacy and bring poetry into the Rita Dove lives of children. born 1952 In response to a request to speak at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Capitol, she wrote Lady Freedom Among Us. Lady Freedom refers to the 19-foot Statue of Freedom that rests on top of the white dome of the Capitol. The statue depicts a woman in eagle-feathered headdress who carries a sword and shield. more about the author For more on Pat Mora and Rita Dove, visit the Literature Center at ClassZone.com. 547

3 ANALYZE VISUALS Examine the image. How does framing the child s face in a snapshot affect your perceptions of her? Peruvian Child Pat Mora Still in the middle of my path is the child with no smile who stared at us. Her eyes even then the eyes of women who sell chickens and onions in outdoor markets. The women who stare at us as if we are guards. a She whispered to the doll with no face, smoothed the red and blue scraps of cloth on the path, ironed them with her hand, wrapped and re-wrapped the doll, hair mud-tangled as the child s, and the dog s, and the llama s that followed the child s small bare feet after she bundled the doll in the striped manta on her back. The matted group stood by the edge of the spring watching us drink clear, holy water of the Inca, a fountain of youth, our guide said. We wanted, as usual, to hold a picture of the child in a white border, not to hold her mud-crusted hands or feet or face, not to hold her, the child in our arms. b a AUTHOR S PURPOSE AND IMAGERY Reread lines 1 5. How do the child s eyes look, and what do they suggest about her life? Speculate about the poet s purpose in describing such eyes. b MAKE INFERENCES Reread lines What do the tourists want? What does this say about their values? 548 unit 5: author s purpose

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5 Lady Freedom Among Us Rita Dove don t lower your eyes or stare straight ahead to where you think you ought to be going don t mutter oh no not another one get a job fly a kite go bury a bone c with her oldfashioned sandals with her leaden skirts with her stained cheeks and whiskers and heaped up trinkets she has risen among us in blunt reproach she has fitted her hair under a hand-me-down cap and spruced it up with feathers and stars slung over one shoulder she bears the rainbowed layers of charity and murmurs all of you even the least of you d don t cross to the other side of the square don t think another item to fit on a tourist s agenda consider her drenched gaze her shining brow she who has brought mercy back into the streets and will not retire politely to the potter s field c MAKE INFERENCES Think about the title of the poem. Though Lady Freedom refers to a famous statue, what situation is described in the poem? d AUTHOR S PURPOSE AND IMAGERY Notice the similarities between the description of the homeless woman s appearance in lines 8 16 and the images of the statue on page 551. What purpose might this comparison serve? 550 unit 5: author s purpose

6 25 having assumed the thick skin of this town its gritted exhaust its sunscorch and blear she rests in her weathered plumage bigboned resolute don t think you can ever forget her don t even try she s not going to budge 30 no choice but to grant her space crown her with sky for she is one of the many and she is each of us e e MAKE INFERENCES Reread lines Who does she and many and us represent? 551