1. “Black Box” Assignment

2. Directions Turn to page 84, “Black Box.”
We will analyze this poem together. Then, you will answer a set of questions on your own sheet of notebook paper.
Lastly, you will pay homage to Devon Hope’s poem by composing your own “Black Box” poem, with a title to suit your theme.
Exceptional poems will
make it to the wall of fame.

3. Teacher Box: You Know the One
The turbulence has you shaken and bent
By Mrs. Ramos
Conditioned to place
Each and every face
The proof is in the pudding.
In a box labeled “teachers.” Right next to “summers
Plain as day
off,” “paycheck,” and “plan B.”
And right under your very nose
Yet it’s simpler to suppress the truth.
Like a sore that festers, untreated.
It is a cancer
So you jump on the bandwagon
Spreading like wildfire
Screaming life is not fair
Pouring into the minds of those who fail to rise up in
Teachers don’t really care, after all
the face of injustice.
They don’t have feelings.
Never mind the fact that we worry
They don’t really know.
And wonder and wriggle our way
Who cares if I sleep?
In the unknown depths of the teenage soul.
Who cares if I even show?
Never mind the fact that we fight
So the legend is born.
the unrelenting masses who claim
It tumultuously twirls
that we are failing our students.
Like a merry-go-round
We are causing them harm.
Waiting for you to give it a whirl.
We are moving backwards.
No beginning
We are sounding alarms.
And no end
Inspiration is all but lost.

4. And all the while We give And give And give
And all the while We give And give And give. It’s the steady glow of the monitor that gently hums, long after the rest have gone. It’s the hours away from family And the unfamiliar scent of a good night’s sleep. It’s constant worry Heartache And joy. So don’t put me in the box You know the one You’ve said it before Please know that I’m liable to bust down the doors. Because you see It’s simply not true I really do want the best For me and for you. And that’s why I worry And that’s why I cry And at the end of the year I take a little longer to wave goodbye. My heart is filled with The stories you’ve shared And I’ll never stop letting you know that I care. So don’t put me in that box. The one labeled “teachers” Because somewhere along the way Many have forgotten what a “teach” is.

7. On your own sheet of paper, answer the following question in as much detail as possible. THEME of your own poem: 1.) What “boxes” do others put you in? 2.) What “boxes” do you put yourself in? In other words, where do you fit in or belong? 3.) Do you agree with these labels? Why or why not? 4.) What are some of the stereotypes associated with these labels? 5.) What are some of the advantages of being viewed or perceived like this? 6.) What are some of the disadvantages of being viewed or perceived like this As you begin constructing your poem, take some of the descriptive words from your answers, and turn them into figurative language. Come up with at least 1 example of a simile, metaphor, personification, and alliteration. You may also challenge yourself to use any other literary devices from your glossary. Example: People think I’m a geek. Alliteration: A guy who gets grades instead of girls. Metaphor: I am Sheldon. Personification: My brain forces me to choose. Simile: I am as smart as Einstein.