by Nikki Giovanni

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tace
1
to Be
by Nikki Giovanni
the world is nor a pleasant place
to be without
someone to hold and be held by
a river would stop
its flow if only
a stream were there
to receive it
10
an ocean would never laugh
if clouds weren't there
to kiss her tears
the world is not
a pleasant place
someone
to be without
How would you describe the feelings that the
speaker
expresses in the first stanza?
How.do the examples from nature help you
understand the
speaker's feelings?
ttthy do you think the poet chose the word preosontinstead
of another word?
2OZ
uNtr
rrlro
pART 1: REACHING
our
Key Standard
Wl_.2 Support statements with such
evidence
jacts, statistics, examples, and anecdotes.
IOther
lct.4,
Interpretingapoem...
From Reading to Writing Some people
say that
reading a poem is like peeling an onion_with
every layer you peel away, there is another
underneath. At firs! ,,The pasture,, by
Robert Frost
seems like a simple poem about chores
on a
farm. However, if you read it again, you
may
discover new meanings. Writinl an interpretive
essay means going beyond the surface
to
discover the deeper messages of a
work. Great
literature always reveals something new.
Now is
your chance to find it.
238
uNIT
Two
pART 1: REACHING
our
Standords Wt.t, Wt.I, W1.4,W2.4,
LCr.7
For Your Portfolio
WRITING pROMpT Write an essay
exploring your understanding of
a
Po9m.
Purpose: To explain your interpretation
Audience: your teacher, classmates, and
anyone else familiar with the work
ninga Student Model
Place to Bet'
frhe-poern4. Giovanni creates aii aimosphere
iS lst a pleasarrtplaee/to be
e'.|t|9.wq4d
;i'
u"a u" held bvl' sSyl a !o1 4bout he
noid
ao
living in a big' emllY
- feelings. As I read this; I pidtuittd ttre poet
around trer' and also in the
upa.t i"nt. She is alone in the world
in the lines "without/
world of feelings ingide her' HOleler'
she seems to be.saying that there
someone to trotd and be held by"'
way' Each living creature can
is hope. People don't need to feel this
find comfort by feeling connected to others'
"a river would stop/its
In the seqond stanza' Giovanni writes'
it'" The speaker is
flow if onty/a strearii-ere ttrere/to receive
uses a *:'"ph"1f-l1:1ty
expressingthe feeling of longing' She
no direction or pulPosg tn
The river is a symbol of a person with
or boundaries to hold it in'
In other words' a
w'ith;;t b;undariesil;-ii;;;F and-on forever'
to hold' and to be held by may
person without ro*6il* t*" fot'
I also think she is
i"u."h forever in many different directions'
away from his or her loved ones
saying that the person who breaks
It seems to me that the
or tries to be free will find only loneliness'
the thing he or she is searching
thing that person is running from is
the river, the person will
for_love and a connectioi to others. Like
waiting' There is another
only stop running when another is there
might stop searching so hard if
meaning also. That is that people
was devoted to them'
they knew there was someone who
that "an oceaq Yould never
The third stanza of the poem says
I think Giovanni's
h
laugh/if clouds weren't there/to kiss
htt*un beings connected but
message here is ttt"t t"t ottfy *"
il;;td";rde
i
"U
wealsoneedeachothertobringjoyintoourlives.Together'we
of life' Here'
pain, disappointments' and sorrows
can get past the
O Transitions guide
the reader through
the interPretation
and reveal the
stanza -bY-stanza
organization of the
poem.
@ Essay can be
built around
interpretation of
specific images, like
this river metaPhor.
O Direct quotations
from the Poem
support the writer's
interpretation'
Other 0Ptions:
. Paraphrase lines
to support
interpretatlon.
. Take images from
the poem as
support.
WRITING WORKSHOP
239
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once again, the cycle of life is shown. The ocean
is connected
me skl just Fs we are connecred ro each otrrr.
-clourlslw"hjCh
* .*--L]'_r:_4!
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to
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ff;;filiirg
rhe
c-o419
rG q"emt fid
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tg: rv".t * ngt1r4_pleasanrplu"
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t" b_
fuu
iepee6t[ firttstilA-rtr !io"r
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ocean L lO;rr*rr.lear__.l *
b".k;-IJ
*:H:T:f writer's | #
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lcssage here is tharwhat
w-e give ComeJ
t!"qeg
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-
Writing Your Interpretive Essay
O Prewriting
To
read o poem is to heor with our eyes; to hear it
rs to seb ft with our eors.
-Octavio paz, poet
Go back to the poems you have studied and read
each one aloud. which
sparks an idea or reminds you of something? which
has the most interesting sound devices or imagery? Also tist the poems
with unusual structures, powerfulthemes, or confusing lines. see the
rdea Bank in the mar_
gin for more ideas. After you serect po"r, foilow
the steps on the next
i
Page.
24O
UNIT
Trro
pART 1: REACHING
our
IDEA BANK
t. Your Workinq-
Portloliod
Look for ideai in the Writing
sections that you comPleted
earlier.
ear
vriter's
2. Many Meanings
With a partner, choose a Poem
you both like. Discuss your
interpretations. Do you agree
on the message and/or theme?
Use examples to support Your
points,
3. Meet the Ghallenge
Look over the poetry
selections in your textbook.
lnterpret the one that is the
most difficult for you to
understand.
Have a question?
See the
Drafting
Writing Handbook
Paragraph Unity, p. R39
Ela
boration witir Examples,
p. R42
it is time to put your thoughts down on PaPer. lnclude all of the
See Language Network
tions and examples you gathered that help make the poem
Prewriting, p.310
ive. You can eliminate less important details later. For help, try
Drafting, p.315
in the blanks:
moin message of (nome of Poem) bY
of author) is
. What is my main point about the author's
Your Essay. Use your introduqtorY
message or theme(s)?
to identify the poem and the author
-.
. What examples best support my point?
to briefly state your interpretation. For the
.l/Vhat do you disagree with or want to
of your essay, decide which idea you
to present first. Then use examples and
know more about?
in the text to support Your main
. How could my conclusion be
Conclude with a summary of the meanstrengthened?
of the poem.
r
t
Paz,
ud. Which
'st inter-
ual strucr the mar
the next
VRITING WORKSHOP
241
Need revising help?
Review the Rubdc, p. 238.
Consider peer reader
comments.
Check Revising, Ediring, and
Proofieading. p. H3b.
See Language Network,
Elaboration, p. 375.
(O Revising
b
suppORTtNG y0uR REspONsE
wrH ExAMptEs tn your
interpretation, it is not enough to simply state your point. you
must te
your reader how you reached that point. you can do this
by supporti
your point with direct quotes and other examples from
thstext itself.
help your readers understand, you might nu"d to exprain your
thougl
process.
Gonfused about complete
sentences?
The speaker is expressing the feeling of longing. She
See the Grammar Handbook,
p. R71.
uses a metaphor from nature.
Tlp ruer s a sqmbol of a
person wrth no direction or purpose in ltfe,The rrver
has uo gaals to follow or boundaries to hold it in,
SPELLING
From Writins
{,r*. A"you revise your
V*F1 wort<,,look back
*' at the words you
misspelled and determine
why you made the errors
you did. For additional help,
refer to the strategies and
generalizations in the
sKl[[
TARGET
_@_
and Proofreading
lOiting
sKl[L F suBJEcr-vEBB
TARGET
AGREEMTNT verbs should always agree
with their subjects in number. A singular subject takes a
,inguiu, u?rb. *
plural subject takes a plural verb.
Spelling Handbook,
p. R30.
The speaker €Sxpressing the feeling of longing. She
_/\
SPEAKTNG
u*"% m.tuphor from nature. The river
€Esymbol of a
person with no direction or purpose in life. The river
Turn your interpretation into an
oral presentation.
no goals to follow or boundaries to hold it in.
rli"lriril::ai?.-.r,:iii:rW.-n j.-".{nii:
Publishing
j
W
7\
:iffii il :1r4riiiEi?riFii{tr"fi 33::!ry
IDEAS
o Create a poetry
Web site and
publish your interpretation as
well as those of your
classmates.
r Work with classmates who
interpreted the same poem
to prepare a lesson for the
class.
O Reflecting
Y0uR w0RKlNG P0BTF0U0 what did you learn about the poem
as a
result of writing this interpretation? which step of the process
gave you
FOR
the most difficulty? what will you do differentiy the next time you write
an interpretation? Attach your answers to your finished essay.
save your
interpretive essay in your Working portfotio.ff
Publishing 0ptions
wwriv. mc
242
douga
UNIT
II
itte
I
l. c
T$(/o
om
pART 1: REACHTNG
our