from The People, Yes

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MAKING MEANING

POETRY COLLECTION

Retortfrom The People, Yes

Archaic VocabularyJust as the way we live changes over time, so, too, does the way we speak and use language. The vocabulary words are “archaic” words because, though once in common usage, they are no longer used regularly today, or the way in which they are used has changed. As you conduct your first read of these poems, you will encounter these words.

art tress fair

Context Clues To find the meaning of an unfamiliar word, look for clues in the context—words and phrases that appear in nearby text.

Example from “Life’s Tragedy,” by Paul Laurence Dunbar: It may be misery never to be loved, / But deeper griefs than these beset the way.

Possible Meaning: Because of the context clues “griefs” and “the way,” I can infer that beset may mean “pose obstacles.”

Apply your knowledge of context clues and other vocabulary strategies to determine the meanings of unfamiliar words you encounter during your first read.

First Read POETRYApply these strategies as you conduct your first read. You will have an opportunity to complete a close read after your first read.

NOTICE who or what is “speaking” the poem and whether the poem tells a story or describes a single moment.

CONNECT ideas within the selection to what you already know and what you have already read.

ANNOTATE by marking vocabulary and key passages you want to revisit.

RESPOND by completing the Comprehension Check.

STANDARDSReading Literature By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of grades 6–8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

LanguageDetermine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words or phrases based on grade 8 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

a. Use context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.

416 UNIT 4 • HUMAN INTELLIGENCE

LIT17_SE08_U04_B3_SG.indd 416 01/11/19 4:01 PM

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BackgroundsAbout the Poets

Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872–1906) was one of the first African American poets to achieve national prominence. The child of freed slaves from Kentucky, Dunbar often wrote stories and poems about plantation life, many of which were written in dialect. Despite being a fine student, Dunbar could not afford to pay for college, so he took a job as an elevator operator. In 1893, Dunbar self-published a collection of poems called Oak and Ivy. To help pay the publishing costs and gain an audience for his poetry, he sold the book for a dollar to people riding in his elevator.

Carl Sandburg (1878–1967) was a Pulitzer Prize–winning American poet, historian, and novelist. Born in Galesburg, Illinois, to Swedish immigrant parents, Sandburg decided at age six that he would be a writer. Although he had to quit school after eighth grade to go to work so he could help support his family, Sandburg continued to write. As he pursued writing, Sandburg worked in a variety of positions, from factory worker to newspaperman. He also became a well-known musician and political activist. The variety of Sandburg’s experiences informed his writing, and Sandburg eventually gained recognition as an iconic American writer.

Retort

In Greek mythology, the Muses were a group of goddesses who represented the arts and sciences. Currently, a muse can refer to any person who inspires an artist, writer, or musician and who may be a reoccurring focus of or subject in their work. Paul Laurence Dunbar addresses a woman named Phyllis, a possible muse, in this poem, as well as in several other poems, including “Phyllis” and “Response.”

from The People, Yes

The excerpt in this section is part of a longer epic poem entitled The People, Yes. Carl Sandburg wrote this 300-page poem in the 1930s during the height of the Great Depression, a period when many people could not find work and lived in poverty. As a whole, the epic poem praises the perseverance and triumphs of the American people.

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: In what different ways can people be intelligent?

Poetry Collection 417


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POETRYPOETRY

RetortPaul Laurence Dunbar



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SCAN FOR MULTIMEDIA

“Thou art a fool,” said my head to my heart,“Indeed, the greatest of fools thou art,

To be led astray by the trick of a tress,By a smiling face or a ribbon smart;”

And my heart was in sore distress.

Then Phyllis came by, and her face was fair,The light gleamed soft on her raven hair;

And her lips were blooming a rosy red.Then my heart spoke out with a right bold air:

“Thou art worse than a fool, O head!”

Mark context clues or indicate another strategy you used that helped you determine meaning.

art (ahrt) v.MEANING:

tress (trehs) n.MEANING:

5

fair (fair) adj.MEANING:

10

NOTES

Retort 419


from The People, YesCarl Sandburg

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d.NOTESThe white man drew a small circle in the sandand told the red man, “This is what the Indianknows,” and drawing a big circle around thesmall one, “This is what the white man knows.”The Indian took the stick and swept an immensering around both circles: “This is where thewhite man and the red man know nothing.”

5

POETRY

SCAN FOR MULTIMEDIA



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Comprehension CheckComplete the following items after you finish your first read. Review and clarify details with your group.

RetoRt

1. In the first stanza of the poem, how does the speaker’s heart feel?

2. How does the speaker describe Phyllis’s face?

3. What kind of “air” does the speaker’s heart speak with?

from the PeoPle, Yes

Draw the figure created by the circles described in the poem. Label each circle according to the details the speaker provides.

RESEARCHResearch to Clarify Choose at least one unfamiliar detail from one of the poems. Briefly research that detail. In what way does the information you learned shed light on an aspect of the poem?

Poetry Collection 421


from The People, Yes

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