1. Poetic Elements & Survival
Welcome Back!!
Warm Up
What is the American Dream?
What struggles are associated with the American Dream (think about people who were not born in the USA)?
Poetry
Audience
Voice
Word Choice
Tone
Survival
Mood
Segregation
Theme
Black History Month
Speaker
Poetic Elements & Survival

2. Important Poetic Elements
If it is in BLUE you need to write it down.
If YELLOW you decide if you need to write it down. It’s important, so if you don’t know it by
write it down.
Important Poetic Elements
Mood: Poets try to create a certain feeling in the reader’s mind through word choice and themes
Voice: Poets use voice in their writing to convey meaning
Voice includes tone and audience
Tone refers to the writer’s attitude toward the subject
Audience is the targeted reader or listener who will be reading a writing
Poets choose a particular voice or voices to engage a reader’s interest or reveal his or her attitude toward the subject
Voice of the poem can be the voice of the poet, voice of an imaginary person, or voice of an object
Voice of the poem may be lively, enlightening, lifting, inspiring, engaging, emotional, intense, etc.

3. Focus on the Personal Voice “I”
Personal voice is imaginary
Usually uses “I”
Author is expressing his or her personal thoughts
This makes the reader feel “closer” to the voice because the voice is using personal feelings (reader makes connections)

4. focus on these 3 questions to help you understand voice
1. Who is the speaker?  2. Who is the speaker talking to?  3. What is the speaker's message?

5. What would a poem say today about being American?
Two views of America
Langston Hughes
-Wrote “I, Too, Sing America” approximately 1926 but was published in 1945
-Some feel it is a response to Whitman’s poem, “I Hear American Singing”
-Historical Spotlight: Written during the civil rights movement (Equal Rights)
-Hughes helped shaped the Harlem Renaissance
Walt Whitman
-Wrote “I Hear America Singing” in the 19th century (1855)
-History Spotlight: Mass immigration to US because people were looking for a better life and more opportunities
-The American Dream was alive and thriving
-Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1863; slavery was abolished. This poem was not written to include blacks
What would a poem say today about being American?

6. Voice Exit Slip Name: Title of Poem: Type of Voice:
Who is the speaker?
Who is the speaker talking to?
What is the speaker’s message?