Read about irony (519-20):
"Ballad of Birmingham”" by Dudley Randall (529-30) 1, 2, 3
1)who are the speakers in the poem? How do their tones differ?
2)What kinds of irony are present in the poem? Give examples of each kind you identify?
3)What point do you think the poem makes about violence? About racial hatred? About the civil rights struggle?
- Read about word choice (535-6):
“Mexican Is Not a Noun” by Francisco X Alarcon (542) 1, 3
1)According to the speaker, the word Mexican is “not/ a noun/ or an/ adjective” (lines 3-5). What part of speech does he see it as? Why?
3)In what sense is the word Mexican “a nail in/ the soul” (18-19)? Why is the more than/a world” (16-17)
-Read about levels of diction (543)
“We Real Cool” by Gwendolyn Brooks (551-2) 1, 2, 3
1)What elements of nonstandard English grammar appear in this poem? How does the use of such language affect your attitude toward the speaker?
2)Every word in this poem is a single syllable. Why?
3)Why do you think the poet begins with “we” only in the first line instead of isolating each complete sentence on its own line? How does this strategy change the poem’s impact?
Sample Solution