Introducing 

Prezi AI.

Your new presentation assistant.

Refine, enhance, and tailor your content, source relevant images, and edit visuals quicker than ever before.

Loading…
Transcript

What is the theme of the poem?

Answer: Prejudice, Racism, Curiosity of Humanity, Stereotypes and Ignorance

Structure

Reach Out and Touch

"My poems, my poetry are live mirrors reflecting back in great subtle beams and shafts of light and words and images that are womanly and black and brown and tan and full of the joy and pride in femaleness and in black woman hood that I am." -Maxine Tynes

What is Maxine Tynes' background?

  • The title describes the actions that take place in the poem (Reaching out and touching the narrators hair)
  • It is a contemporary lyrical poem
  • Free verse
  • Does not follow a specific rhyming pattern
  • Present tense
  • Single-stanza

Answer: Africadian

baby girl, baby boy behind me on the bus

reach out 

and touch the curly electric of my hair

your fingers dipped  in the 

brown skin magic of my neck 

to see if it comes off

your mama 

slapping hands away 

hush­up of your questions

and wondering out loud 

why it doesn't come off.

I turn and smile for you 

but you're already lost 

in the silence and fear that motherlove wraps you in.

I should have sat beside you 

snuggled my big warm self up close 

held you while your mama juggled parcels.

then you would know it's o.k.

Interpreting Reactions

The Child

  • Dipping his/hers fingers "The brown magic skin of my neck to see if it comes off."
  • The child seems to be expecting the brown skin to come off.

The Mother

  • The mother of the curious children discourages them, slapping their hands away
  • Establishing that the mother does not want her children involved with the black woman

The Narrator

  • Reacts with sympathy
  • Smiles back to express her harmlessness

What is the mood/atmosphere?

Answer: The atmosphere of the poem is curiosity (exhibited by the children)

The poem reveals issues that are prominent in today's society

Also mood of regret "I should have sat beside you...''

About the Author

Poetic Device: Alliteration

Poetic Device: Personification/Irony/Paradox

Repetition of the letter "b"

Motherlove

Maxine Tynes is a well-known Nova Scotian poet who is a proud African-Canadian. She is also a devout activist for racism, feminism and body image. Her work addressed issues that angered her—racism, social inequality, war—but always did so with thoughtfulness, consideration and honesty.

is defined as a protective and possessive affection which a mother will typically display towards their child throughout their life

baby girl, baby boy behind me on the bus

reach out 

and touch the curly electric of my hair

your fingers dipped  in the 

brown skin magic of my neck 

to see if it comes off

your mama 

slapping hands away 

hush­up of your questions

and wondering out loud 

why it doesn't come off.

I turn and smile for you 

but you're already lost 

in the silence and fear that motherlove wraps you in.

I should have sat beside you 

snuggled my big warm self up close 

held you while your mama juggled parcels.

then you would know it's o.k.

"I turn and smile for you but you're already lost in the silence and fear that motherlove wraps you in."

Themes

Personification

Maxine Tynes (1949-2011)

  • The line "in the silence and fear that motherlove wraps you in", means that love wraps around the children
  • Giving a human quality to love

Irony

  • Prejudice/Racism
  • Curiosity
  • Humanity
  • Sterotypes
  • Ignorance

Reach Out and Touch

Alliteration: the commencement of two or more stressed syllables of a word group either with the same consonant sound or sound group

Relation to Society

  • Social issues around the world
  • means to caress children with love and affection instead of teaching them morals of the world
  • mother love is supposed to be compassionate and showing others how to love unconditionally
  • The mother limits her children's perception, not showing motherly love

Rosa Parks

  • "The mother of the freedom movement"
  • Rosa had changed the laws of segregation when she refused to give up her seat on a bus on December 1, 1955
  • She was arrested and convicted of violating the laws of segregation
  • She impacted society and their perspective of African American people
  • She became an inspiration and role model for many people
  • Children being shaded from the real world, leading to curiosity

Paradox

  • Someone should not be in fear of mother love

Poetic Device: Imagery

Frizzy, curly hair

Image of fingers being immersed

baby girl, baby boy behind me on the bus

reach out 

and touch the curly electric of my hair

your fingers dipped  in the 

brown skin magic of my neck 

to see if it comes off

your mama 

slapping hands away 

hush­up of your questions

and wondering out loud 

why it doesn't come off.

I turn and smile for you 

but you're already lost 

in the silence and fear that motherlove wraps you in.

I should have sat beside you 

snuggled my big warm self up close 

held you while your mama juggled parcels.

then you would know it's o.k.

description of narrator's skin colour, how it is different than others (use of the word "magic")

The love that embodies around the mother's children, the love that shelters them

Drawing close to someone, form of affection or comfort

Managing more then one things at a time

Mood and Atmosphere

Tone of Poem

  • Tone: mysterious
  • At beginning of the poem it is not clear what is exactly going on.
  • Until the end, when the reader identifies what the children have done and how they made their mother feel embarrassed.
  • Tone: serious
  • deals with a very important social issue in to society
  • The atmosphere of the poem is curiosity (exhibited by the children)
  • The poem reveals issues that are prominent in today's society
  • Also mood of regret "I should have sat beside you...''

Answer:

Poetic Device: Personification/Irony/Paradox

Poetic Device: Imagery

Poetic Device: Alliteration

Name a literary device used?

1. Who is the author?

Answer: Maxine Tynes

Question

Time!

"Reach out and Touch''

by Maxine Tynes

Learn more about creating dynamic, engaging presentations with Prezi