AustinRice


 * 1. **** Select one poem of the four provided and write another poem mimicking the style and syntax of the first poem. You can change the topic and words, but the rhythm, number of syllables, sentence structure and poetic elements (such as repetition and figurative language) have to be mirrored in your poem. You may write on any topic you like. **

** THE CORN GROWS UP ** The corn grows up. The waters of the dark clouds drop, drop. The rain descends. The waters from the corn leaves drop, drop. The rain descends. The waters from the plants drop, drop. The corn grows up. The waters of the dark mists drop, drop. //from the Navajo Indians//

// ** THE SKATEBOARD RISES ** // The skateboard rises. The wheels under the yellow board spin, spin. The skater's hands descend. The bearings in the black wheels spin, spin. The skater's hands descend. The board over the hard ground spins, spins. The skateboard rises. The skater falls on the hard cement and spins, spins. //from an unhappy skater//

// ** 2. **** Select two poems (must be different than the one you picked for #1) and write two short paragraphs that compare and contrast the poems. Your paragraphs can focus on different elements of the poems, including subject, theme, tone, use of poetic devices such as repetition, imagery, and any progressions that you notice in the poems (for example, you might notice that the images get stronger in each line, or the detail gets more specific). Be sure that (a) you explain how the elements contribute to the message or feeling of the whole poem and (b) that you don’t just talk about one poem and then the other. You have to first talk about the comparisons (similarities) and then the contrasts (differences). So you have to think about the structure of your paragraphs before you write them. ** //

Compare and Contrast: "Hunting Song" and "I Have Killed the Deer"

The "Hunting Song" and "I Have Killed the Deer" have many similarities. Both of the poems talk about killing an animal or more than one animal, and even both of the titles refer to hunting. Both of the poems also use imagery with different parts of nature such as the various plants and animals used. In addition to that, both of the poems use repetition in the beginnings of many of their lines. In "Hunting Song" it uses "Comes the deer" while in "I Have Killed the Deer" it uses "I have" towards the beginning of the poem. On the contrary, the "Hunting Song" and "I Have Killed The Deer" also have many differences. In the poem "Hunting Song" it talks about the man killing a deer, but in "I Have Killed the Deer" it expands into the idea of the circle of life and how everything is connected. In my opinion, "I Have Killed the Deer" has much better imagery and makes me think more about what the narrator is saying. As well as these things, "I Have Killed the Deer" talks much more about and tries to emphasize the fact that the human takes from nature in order to survive, and that when a human dies, he or she gives back to nature in the circle of life. Although these two poems are very similar, they are much more different.

In the story, I liked how there is detail as to which way the different things were laid down. My favorite part of the story is the explanation of the wind and how it gives us life. When the story says that once the wind stops coming out of our mouths we die, it is talking about when one stops breathing.
 * // 3. Read the short story called "The Navajo Origin Legend ". Answer the following questions:  //**
 * // a. What did you like about the story? //**

In the story, I disliked that there wasn't more explanation; however, that was the only thing that I did not like.
 * // b. What did you dislike about the story? //**

The image that was most interesting for me was seeing how when after the wind comes in, the buckskin is picked up and two humans are in the place of the corn.
 * // c. What was the image that was most powerful or interesting for you? //**

Cornmeal is used to dry off after washing. Buckskins are used to cover the corn that made the humans. Corn is used in the story to make the humans. The eagle feathers are used in the ceremony. Wind was used by the Bodies to create the humans.
 * // d. The Native Americans who wrote this poem are similar to other pre-colonial societies in that they write about the materials of their everyday lives in their myths. Food, nature, and animals are some such materials. Identify all the specific materials that appear in the story that would be common in the everyday lives of the Native American culture. For each material that you identify, explain briefly what is happening to it in the story. //**

One can tell that their culture believed in Gods. The story also shows that they payed a lot of attention to detail when they placed the different things precisely in different directions. Another thing that can be inferred is that they cared about color. The corn's color and even the color of cornmeal were separated for each gender. There is a pattern in the story of the color white is for men and the color yellow is for women.
 * // e. What can you tell about the culture of this people based on the materials that appear in this story and they way that these objects are used? Do you notice any patterns in how these materials are depicted? //**


 * 4. The speaker in "I Have Killed a Deer" talks about death and killing in an unusual way. How would you describe the way he talks about death and killing? Why does he talk about it this way? Do you think he feels sorry for killing living things? What single line is a turning point in the message of this poem? What is the overall message of this poem, in a single short sentence? **

The speaker in "I Have Killed the Deer" talks about death and killing as if they are good things and that they need to happen. I think that he talks this way because of his culture, and he was probably raised to believe that everything is connected in the circle of life. I do believe that he does not feel sorry for killing living things because he is giving back what he had taken away from nature when he dies. "When I died I must give life" is the turning point in the poem because it changes form things he has killed to how he gives back when he dies. The overall message of the poem is that people take from nature to receive nourishment and to stay alive; however, when one dies, he or she gives back to nature what he or she has taken away when one dies.