After reading the poem Still I Rise below, respond to these questions…what could this poet be rising from? Why do you think it is important for her to repeat those words frequently stiil, I rise? What is the tome of the poem (angry, sad, bitter, happy, relief)

Still I Rise
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
‘Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I’ll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don’t you take it awful hard
‘Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines
Diggin’ in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.

By: Maya Angelou

Is Anybody Listening by Danity Kane
After listening to the song Is Anybody Listening by Danity Kane and reading the lyrics respond to questions… In the song the band says” show me which way to go” what kind of path could they be referring to? What do you think is the mood of the song, the purpose, the message? The title of the song Is Anybody Listening who do you think they are asking to listen?

Is Anybody Listening”

Waiting to see the light,
Been waiting all my life,
Show me a way,
Won’t you show me a way,

I wanna come out of the dark,
But breaking away is so hard,
Show me a way,
Won’t you show me a way,

Show me which way to go,
Can’t do this by myself,
Can’t do this oh oh no
Don’t know how I should play,
The cards that I’ve been dealt.
Can’t do this, anybody.

Is anybody listening,
Can anybody answer my prayers,
Please say yes,
Does anybody feel the same.
And is there anybody who cares,
Life’s unfair, its so unfair.

I want something more than this,
I’ve given all I can give,
Show me the way,
Won’t you show me the way,

I just wanna feel I belong,
I just need the strength to be strong,
Show me a way,
Won’t you show me a way.

Show me which way to go,
Can’t do this all alone,
I can’t do this all alone.
Don’t feel like I know how,
To make it on my own.

Is anybody listening,
Can anybody answer my prayers,
Please say yes,
Does anybody feel the same.
And is there anybody who cares,
Life’s unfair, its so unfair.

Is anybody listening,
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh,
Is anybody listening,
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh,
Can you hear me,
Show me,
Is anybody listening

Is anybody listening,
Can anybody answer my prayers,
Please say yes,
Does anybody feel the same.
And is there anybody who cares,
Life’s unfair, its so unfair. [2X]

Christmas is in a few weeks, what does Christmas mean to you and your family? What are some of your family traditions? If you could be a gift, what would it be and why?

superwoman.wma
Read and listen to the lyrics Superwoman by Alicia Keys, respond below.

“Superwoman”
Everywhere I’m turning
Nothing seems complete
I stand up and I’m searching
For the better part of me
I hang my head from sorrow
state of humanity
I wear it on my shoulders
Gotta find the strength in me

Cause I am a Superwoman
Yes I am
Yes she is
Even when I’m a mess
I still put on a vest
With an S on my chest
Oh yes
I’m a Superwoman

For all the mothers fighting
For better days to come
And all my women, all my women sitting here trying
To come home before the sun
And all my sisters
Coming together
Say yes I will
Yes I can

Respond Questions
In the song “Superwomen” Alicia Keyes says” I stand up and I’m searching”, what do you think she is searching for?
What does it mean to hang your head in sorrow? In your own words what make a Superwomen?

Remember our poem from last week “I, Too, Sing, America”, please reread that poem on page 15 and answer the following questions.  The poet says that the people will be ashamed of how beautiful he is, why do you think the people will be ashamed? Why is so important for him to not eat in the kitchen? The title of the poem is I, too Sing America, what do you think it means to be an American?

Hello my friendly bloggers,

Please read the poem “I, Too, Sing America” by Langston Hughes on page 15 of They’re POETS and They Know It. In the poem the poet says “they send me to the kitchen to eat when company comes”, why do you think they send him to the kitchen to eat? Do you think he is lonely, why or why not? What kind of person do you think the man in the poem is? Pay close attention to the words he uses and the picture.

Read the poem Fog by Carl Sandburg from They’re Poets and They Know It, on page 12. In the poem the poet describes how he feels and what he sees when there is a fog outside. How do you feel and what do you see when there is fog outside?

Read the poem Chicago Poet from They’re poets and they know it, page 13. Who do you think is the nobody in his poem? How do you know who the nobody is? Why do you think he titles the poem Chicago Poet?

Read the Poem Dreams by Langston Hughes below, what do you think the poet means when he says “hold fast to dreams”? What is a dream that you have and can never let it go?

Dreams by Langston Hughes

Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.