Jo's Journey Continues

DUE: Monday, 8/16/10

I asked Jo to photograph things that define her culture. It was her first step to consciously question and define what her culture is to her. The photos have been taken and I await the assigned poetry. Each photo will have a poem that expresses what she believes is the cultural significance of the chosen symbol.

She is to use a minumum of 4 poetic devices: simile, metaphor, alliteration, rhyme or assonance.

Definitions of the above poetic devices (defnitions used at About.com, dictionary.com):

Simile: A simile compares two unlike things using the words 'like' or 'as'.
Examples: I am like a cloud.
He is as cunning as a fox.
"Life is like an onion: You peel it off one layer at a time, and sometimes you weep."
(Carl Sandburg)



Metaphor: A metaphor compares or contrasts two things without using the words 'like' or 'as'. A metaphor suggests a similarity or difference, it goes beyond the the literal meaning.
Examples: I am an ocean.
She is a storm.
We are clay.

Alliteration: It is the repetition of initial consononant sounds in adjacent words.
Example:
A pretty pauper pranced and danced down the street.

Rhyme: Similarity in sound usually in the last syllable of words and usually found at the end of lines in poetry.

We danced,
We pranced,
We sang,
Words rang
Across lands
and sands
of Time.

(Original Poem)

Assonance: recurring similairty of sounds betwen internal vowels of neigboring words
Example:
"It beats as it sweeps as it cleans." (Slogan for Hoover Vaccuum cleaners)


Walter Dean Myers' 145th Street: Short Stories

Short Story # 3, "Fighter"

1. Read "Fighter"
2. List his character traits
3.Summarize the story. Summarize: give a shortened version of something that has been said or written, stating its main points. 2. To give a recapitulation of the salient (prominent, worthy of note, pertinent, or relevant) facts; to recapitulate (repeat in a concise form), or review.
Definition found on www.encyclo.co.uk/define/summarize
4. Write a letter to Billy Giles as if you were his wife Johnnie Mae. What do you think she would write to him?

Short Story #4, "Angela's Eyes"

1. Read "Angela's Eyes"
2. Write a poem describing how Angela was affected in this story.
3. Reflection: would people in your community behave the way people in Angela's community behave? Why or why not?