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Speech to the Young
167
Speech to the Young
poem by Gwendolyn Brooks
Task 2
Some context on the poet
Gwendolyn Brooks (1917–2000) published more than twenty books of poetry and several books of prose.
Her writing portrays African Americans in daily life and relies on a number of poetic devices and forms.
In 1950, for her book of poetry Annie Allen, she became the first African American to win a Pulitzer Prize.
Task 1
The Title
"Speech to the young" allows us to infer that the audience of this poem is the younger generation.
Task 3
The poem - let's read!
Say to them,
say to the down-keepers,
the sun-slappers,
the self-soilers,
the harmony-hushers,
"Even if you are not ready for day
it cannot always be night."
You will be right.
For that is the hard home-run.
Live not for battles won.
Live not for the-end-of-the-song.
Live in the along.
Task 4
Let's paraphrase - stanza 1
Tell them
Tell the people who keep you down
The people who intentionally block happiness
The people who aren't able to enjoy simple things
The people who don't understand how to keep peace
"Even if you struggle through hardships you eventually must face and manage your obstacles"
You will get through it.
The results are worth it.
Say to them,
say to the down-keepers,
the sun-slappers,
the self-soilers,
the harmony-hushers,
"Even if you are not ready for day
it cannot always be night."
You will be right.
For that is the hard home-run.
Live not for battles won.
Live not for the-end-of-the-song.
Live in the along.
Task 5
let's paraphrase: stanza 2
Say to them,
say to the down-keepers,
the sun-slappers,
the self-soilers,
the harmony-hushers,
"Even if you are not ready for day
it cannot always be night."
You will be right.
For that is the hard home-run.
Live not for battles won.
Live not for the-end-of-the-song.
Live in the along.
Don't always thrive in the past
Don't always look to the future either.
Live in the NOW.
Task 6
difference between
the two stanzas
Task 7
theme and tone
Theme: Living in the now; enjoying the present.
Tone: Inspiring; uplifting.
Task 8
Poetic devices
Alliteration
Metaphor
Repetition
Say to them,
say to the down-keepers,
the sun-slappers,
the self-soilers,
the harmony-hushers,
"Even if you are not ready for day
it cannot always be night."
You will be right.
For that is the hard home-run.
Live not for battles won.
Live not for the-end-of-the-song.
Live in the along.
wrap it up notes
Title
-Gwendlyn's African American background may play a huge role in the message she's sending.
-She uses poetic devices to express her message in an artistic way- but there's no rythm or rhyme!
-Be motivated to overcome your obstacles, but make sure to live in the moment rather than dwell on the past, or stress too much about the future.
Task 9
Move on to check your understanding :)
http://hmh.trunity.org/courses/129120/topics/3634404/article/5d011a04c96b40696427f6c7