To Begin…. What makes a bad neighborhood? What can fix a bad neighborhood? What happens to a snitch? What are heart-ears?

The Boy Died in My Alley By Gwendolyn Brooks From Poem to Persuasion

Read the Poem The Boy died in my alley I have always heard the shout, the volley. without my Having Known. I have closed my heart-ears late and early. Policeman said, next morning, And I have killed him ever. "Apparently died Alone.” "You heard a shot?" Policeman said. I joined the Wild and killed him Shots I hear and Shots I hear. with knowledgeable unknowing. I never see the Dead. I saw where he was going. The Shot that killed him yes I heard I saw him Crossed. And seeing, as I heard the Thousand shots before; I did not take him down. careening tinnily down the nights He cried not only "Father!” across my years and arteries. but "Mother! Policeman pounded on my door. Sister! "Who is it?" "POLICE!" Policeman yelled. Brother.” "A Boy was dying in your alley. The cry climbed up the alley. A Boy is dead, and in your alley. It went up to the wind. And have you known this Boy before?” It hung upon the heaven I have known this Boy before. for a long I have known this boy before, who ornaments my alley. stretch-strain of Moment. The red floor of my alley I never saw his face at all. is a special speech to me. I never saw his futurefall. But I have known this Boy. I have always heard him deal with death.

Overall Reaction It makes me sad and scared for my students in neighborhoods like the one in the poem. I wonder who the speaker is. I liked the rhythm. I did not like the ending. The words are simple, yet very powerful. I can imagine the “story” in the poem. The poem seems repetitious, but in a good way.

Important Parts “Thousand shots before” “Have you known this boy before?” “closed my heart-ears.” “I have killed him ever…….unknowing.” “long stretch-strain”

Questions How are police officers viewed in neighborhoods with a lot of crime? Why do people lose compassion? What happens when people don’t snitch? Should people snitch?

Vocabulary Ornaments Futurefall Volley Heart-ears Knowledgeable unknowing

Author Feels…… Likes…… Sees…….. Hears….. Age…….. Race….... Gender……

DEBATE People who snitch in court should be able to trade their criminal sentence for a lighter one. “such testimony was forbidden since the bribery statute prohibits giving anything ‘of value’ to a witness in exchange for testimony.”