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I
tightened
my
grip
on
pencil
and
books.
I
evaded
nostalgia.
Tried
hard
to
forget.
But
one
does
not
forget
by
trying
to
forget.
One
only
remembers.
I
remembered
too
well
that
education
had
changed
my
familys
life
(34).
Assignment: 1) Compose a poem that is a creative response to your understanding of The Achievement of Desire. Your poem should be thematically linked to Rodriguezs essay and answer, in some way, the following questions: What is the transition like between your two worlds of school and home? What does each look, feel, taste, smell, and sound like? What are you like in each place? What emotions do you associate with school? With home? How has education changed you? How has education affected your family? What have you gained because of your education? What have you lost? 2) Use at least TWO of Rodriguezs writing techniques: Use specific, lively details - SHOW, dont tell. Incorporate a vivid memory. Repeat a refrain throughout your piece: e.g. Your parents must be very proud (31). Use dialogue. Write in another language. Use parentheses to show contrast: e..g. Why didnt we talk more? (My father never asked) (38). Vary the lengths of your sentences: e.g. I kept so much, so often, to myself. Sad. Enthusiastic. Troubled by the excitement of coming upon new ideas (35). 3) Include powerful, vivid diction. Each word should be essential to your poem. (Your poem does not need to be long.) 4) Title your poem in a way that fits the content. Poems are DUE on Monday, March 26. As always, you may share your poem in Authors Chair for extra credit. 1
Prewriting Activities
The boxes below are for you to do some brainstorming. Use powerful diction, description, and concrete images, not just generalizations. Show, dont tell. My home culture School culture
Of all that youve written and brainstormed, choose the images, scenes, or words you find most compelling. Using these, begin to draft your poem. 2
Some
examples:
Sonrisas
(by
Pat
Mora)
I
live
in
a
doorway
between
two
rooms.
I
hear
quiet
clicks,
cups
of
black
coffee,
click,
click
like
facts
budgets,
tenure,
curriculum,
from
careful
women
in
crisp
beige
suits,
quick
beige
smiles
that
seldom
sneak
into
their
eyes.
I
peek
in
the
other
room
seoras
in
faded
dresses
stir
sweet
milk
coffee,
laughter
whirls
with
steam
from
fresh
tamales
sh,
sh,
mucho
ruido,*
they
scold
one
another,
press
their
lips,
trap
smiles
in
their
dark,
Mexican
eyes.
*lots
of
noise
What
I
Do
(by
Roxanne
Beth
Johnson)
Eat
cereal.
Read
the
back
of
the
box
over
and
over.
Put
on
my
red
velvet
jumper
with
white
heart
shaped
buttons.
Walk
to
the
bus,
pick
up
discarded
cigarette
butts
and
pretend
to
smoke.
Get
on
the
bus.
Girls
yell,
Wire
head,
ugly
black
skin.
Take
a
window
seat,
under
the
radio
speaker.
Look
for
cats
hunting
in
the
fields.
Go
to
class.
Stay
in
at
recess.
Steal
chewing
gum,
plastic
green
monkeys
and
cookies
from
desks.
Eat
in
bathroom
stalls.
Pure
white
light
pours
in.
Try
to
get
a
bloody
nose
by
punching
myself
in
the
same
bathroom
after
lunch.
The
teacher
passes
around
pictures
of
herself
pregnant.
You
were
fat!
I
yell.
Everyone
laughs.
I
lap
it
like
licking
honey
from
a
spoon.
I
was
pregnant,
whats
your
excuse?
Everyone
laughs.
I
swallow
stones.
Grow
tired
in
the
afternoons,
droop
like
a
sunflower
in
the
lengthening
light.
Get
on
the
bus.
Girls
yell,
Brillo-head!
Zebra!
Sit
in
an
aisle
seat.
Your
fathers
a
nigger!
I
say,
No,
hes
a
fireman.
Laughter
all
around.
Pinch
myself
shut
like
squeezing
soap
from
a
sponge.
Walk
home.
Sometimes
find
an
unsmoked
cigarette
in
the
gravel
along
the
curblong,
white,
new.
Put
it
to
my
lips,
pull
it
away
and
hold
it
aloft,
movie-star-like,
all
the
way
home.
Student example: I am a rice-fed child. My mom picks me up from school everyday And we speak Mandarin and English interweaving skip effortlessly-- most of the time. School lunch-- I bring my dinosaur chicken nuggets, I eat pizza with a fork and knife, remembering 2nd grade: What is that furry stuff? I love to read so much, my parents have banned fiction books on the weekdays after I got caught reading book behind book in class Louisa May Alcott, Charles Dickens old books, classic literature Love those references only I get because I read all those books No ESL for me no need GATE and AP 3rd ranked in our class I see the FOB girls I look at them always laughing and hanging out speaking effortless Taiwanese Mandarin I wish I were that good. 4
Approaching
Expectations
Poem
attempts
a
theme
that
is
not
totally
clear.
Title
does
not
quite
fit
poem.
Not
clear
if
author
read
and
completely
understood
Rodriguez.
Uses
1
and
attempts
another:
Specific,
lively
details
-
SHOW
not
tell.
Incorporates
vivid
memory.
Repeats
refrain.
Includes
dialogue.
Uses
another
language.
Uses
parentheses
to
show
contrast.
Varied
sentence
length.
Doesnt Yet Meet Expectations No theme. No title. Not clear if author read Rodriguez.
Writing Techniques
Uses 3 or more of the following: Specific, lively details - SHOW not tell. Incorporates vivid memory. Repeats refrain. Includes dialogue. Uses another language. Uses parentheses to show contrast. Varied sentence length.
Diction
Every word counts. Submitted by deadline. Typed. 1-3 spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors.
Uses 1: Specific, lively details - SHOW not tell. Incorporates vivid memory. Repeats refrain. Includes dialogue. Uses another language. Uses parentheses to show contrast. Varied sentence length.
Some unnecessary and overly general words. Submitted within ____ days of deadline. Typed. 4-6 mechanical errors.
Timeliness & Submitted ahead of Effort deadline. Typed. No spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors.
Words not carefully chosen. Submitted ____ Handwritten. Errors interfere with meaning.