Sunday, April 13, 2014

Poetry Madness: Championship Game!!!


Welcome to the FINAL SHOWDOWN!! Please reread Mother to Son and Roger the Dog.

Your post needs to include the following:

1. What is the meaning of the first poem? (Summarize in one sentence)

2. What is the meaning of the second poem? (Summarize in one sentence)

3. Based on the criteria, which poem did you choose and WHY?  You must answer the following bullet point in your response:

  • Which poet's craft do you enjoy more? Poet's craft can include repetition, word choice, rhyme, simile/metaphor, etc.
  • Which poem's meaning is more important to you?
  • What personal connection can you make?
If your response is not detailed and does not answer ALL parts, it will be disqualified. In addition, if there are multiple grammatical and spelling mistakes, your response will be disqualified.

It takes attention to detail and hard work to be a champion, so your blog post needs to reflect your best writing and thinking. May the best poem win!

36 comments:

  1. The first poem,Mother to Son, is about a mom telling her son that life hasn't been easy for her and she also tells him how he should never give up.

    The second poem,Roger the Dog, is about a dog that is very lazy and how he does nothing but eat and sleep.

    I vote for Roger the Dog because my dog is lazy also, and I really like the rhyme scheme: AA,BB,CC,DD,EE,FF,GG,HH. One more reason I vote for Roger the Dog is the meaning of the poem and the meaning is that a guy/girl wants his/her dog to not be lazy and be more active like other dogs.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The first poem, Mother to Son, is about a mom that is pushing her kid to through with life and keep going.

    The second poem, Roger the Dog, is about a boy telling what is dog does and what happens when he reacts.

    I think the winner is..... Mother to Son because it doesn't rhyme. Also, I like the mother pushing her son and saying what her life is about. I think this poem is more meaning to me because the mother pushing her son to go in life. This poem connects to me because one time I got bullied and I didn't like my life and my mom told me their are up and downs in life. I choose Mother to Son!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. The first one ,Mother TO Son, is about well a mother and a son talking about life and how it will be hard but keep trying. The second poem ,Roger THE Dog, is about a dog who will only get up to eat but will eat all of his food. I like ,Mother to Son, because that is true what she says that does happen. Also I like how she said crystal stairs then to say not perfect.

    ReplyDelete
  4. The first poem Roger the Dog is about a dog who is very lazy and won't get up unless it's for food,which he eats a lot of.

    The second poem Mother to Son is about a mom explaining to her son that her life has not been good by saying that she is not walking on the crystal stair that meens she hasn't lived a perfect life.

    I vote for Mother to Son because of the comparison of her life to the crystal stairs,I liked the meaning of how she is talking to her son about life,and I can make a connection saying that I am not living a perfect life either,like her there are some nails and boards in my crystal stair case.

    ReplyDelete
  5. The first poem, Mother to Son, is about a mom telling a son that life is hard with bumps in the road but you will always get over them and when you need me I will be there.
    The second poem, Roger the Dog, is about a dog that sleeps and sleeps unless there is food then he gets up and sometimes for exercise but only sometimes.
    I picked, Mother to Son because it has metaphors like, Life ain't been no crystal stair. I think Mother to Son meaning is more important to me because it uses emotion and real life things that touch my heart. My personal connection is life has been tough with bumps in the road but I got through them.

    ReplyDelete
  6. The first poem,Mother To Son,is about a mom who is talking to if her son and says if life gets tough just keep going.Don't give up.

    Roger The Dog is about a dog who will only move when he gets fed.Or when he has to scratch his fleas.

    I Choose Roger The dog because it has really good imagery.For example,it says "He hogs the fire,he bakes his head." I also chose Roger The Dog as the winner because I don't have any dogs at my house but my neighbors do.Their dog comes over to my house all the time.The story reminds me of the dog at my neighbors house , slow lazy and cute. Roger the dog poem means a lot more to me because it is a funny story that will make you laugh when you read this story.

    ReplyDelete
  7. The first poem, Roger the Dog, is about a dog who is really lazy and only uses his strength for eating.
    The second poem, Mother to Son, is about a mother telling her son that life is going to be hard and people are going to let you down, but you have to keep going no matter what.
    I think the Champion is Roger the Dog. The reason I chose this poem is because of the rhyme scheme: AA BB CC DD EE FF GG HH. Another reason I chose this poem is because of its meaning: Roger is an incredibly lazy dog and he only saves his strength to eat. A personal connection I made with this poem is that all I want to do sometimes is be lazy and watch TV all day just like Roger. That is why this poem should be the Champion.

    ReplyDelete
  8. The meaning of the first poem, Mother to Son, is about a mother who is explaining the courage it takes to go through life. She is telling him that if he keeps climbing, one day he will reach greatness.

    Roger the Dog is about a very lazy dog who does nothing productive during the day no matter how hard the owner tries. The owner is telling all of the things the dog does, and how much of that gives him exercise.

    I enjoyed Roger the Dog more because it used imagery to help us imagine what Roger looked like. For example: "He's just a sack of snoring, you can lug him like a log.". It also uses a simile to compare Roger to a log and him sleeping to a miner. It also has a cool rhyme scheme that goes like this, AA BB CC DD EE FF GG HH. It also uses alliteration when it says, "Flops flat, and digs down deep. The Roger the Dog meaning is more important to me because it teaches you to be grateful for what you have. My personal connection to Roger the Dog is that I have a dog exactly like him. My dog is very lovable too.

    ReplyDelete
  9. The first poem, Roger the Dog, is about a really lazy dog that doesn't do anything. All he does is sit next to the fire. And take naps. Plus eat a lot. Poor owner taking care of this really fat and lazy dog.


    The second poem, Mother to Son, is about a mom that tells her son to keep going in life. Even if he's going through hard times. And the mother is saying that her life was really hard too.


    I like Roger the dog because it has a wonderful rhyme scheme which is AA BB CC. And also it has imagery for example, he is hogging the fire making him feel warm. l like Roger the Dogs meaning better because it gives so much pictures that pop up in your mind. And it's just so funny. A personal connection that I have is that i really have a lazy dog that does every thing that Roger does. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  10. The first poem, Roger The Dog, is about a dog named Roger who lays down all the time. The only time he gets up is to go to the bathroom or to get some food.

    The second poem,Mother To Son, is about a mother telling her son not to give up on his dreams.She tells him that life is not always easy and he needs to perservere through hard times.

    I chose the poem,Roger The Dog, becasue it had good imagery one example is when Hughes says Asleep he wheezes at his ease.He only wakes to scratch his fleas.Also ,Roger The Dog, includes the ryme scheme A,A,B,B,C,C,D,D,E,E,F,F,G,G,H,H.This poem means more to me because I love dogs.I can make a connection because my dog died two years ago and she was lazy when she got old and she just liked to lay around just like Roger.That is why I chose the poem,Roger The Dog.

    ReplyDelete
  11. The first poem, Mother to Son, is about a mom telling her son that life isn't a crystal stair. Also, that life isn't so easy and to never give up.
    The second poem, Roger the Dog, is about a dog named Roger. Roger uses all his energy on eating and sleeping.
    I choose the poem Roger the Dog as the winner because it's a funny poem to read. In the poem the author used the rhyme scheme AA, BB, CC, EE, FF, GG, HH, and II.
    The meaning of the poem is important to me because it is funny and I like funny things. A connection that I have with the poem is that I have a dog and that the dog in the poem is lazy and sometimes I can be lazy. That is why I choose Roger the Dog.

    ReplyDelete
  12. The first poem,Mother to Son,is about a mom telling her kid never to give up when the going gets tough just to keep on trucking.

    The second poem,Roger the Dog, is about a really lazy dog that gets up just to eat or scratch itself.And when the owner tries to walk him he just sleeps.

    I think the winner is Roger the Dog.I like the imagary the best in Roger the Dog.For example it paints a picture in my mind when it says",He only wakes to scratch his fleas."Roger the Dogs meaning is more important to me because I like how lazy the dog is and how he won't go on walks.One connection I can make with Roger the is my grandparents have a big dog named Rex and he is real lazy,but he does go on walks.

    ReplyDelete
  13. The first poem,Mother to Son,is about a mother and her son.The mother tells the boy that her life had not been easy,but she kept on trying.

    The second poem,Roger the Dog is about a dog that is really lazy.Roger loves eating food too.

    I chose Mother to Son as the winner because it had repetition in the poem.The repetition was,that they said "crystal stair" twice in the poem.Mother to Son's meaning was more important to me because it is about a mother who is telling her son to keep moving forward.The meaning inspired me to always push through times when the times are getting hard.I made a text to self connection be cause my mother has told me before to keep moving forward.I loved the part where the mother refers to her life as a staircase.She tells the boy that her staircase had been rough,but she kept on trying.She told him that he should do the same.That is why I chose Mother to Son as the winner of Poetry Madness.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I like the way the poet used metaphor in ,Mother To Son, like crystal stair then to use not perfect. I think ,Mother to Son, meaning is more important than ,Roger The Dog. I can connect to ,Mother to Son, because my mom a lot of the time gives me great tips.

    ReplyDelete
  15. The first poem, Mother To Son, was about a mother telling her son how her life hasn't been any crystal stair and how it's been splinters, bare floor, and torn up boards. She also says for her son not to fall, but to keep going and don't let his life end up like her's.

    The second poem, Roger The Dog, was about a dog who is lazy. Roger the dog only uses his energy for eating. He hogs the fire and sleeps like a rock. Roger will not race or romp. He just stays put until dinner time.

    I chose Mother To Son. I chose it because I really liked how the author says her life hasn't been so great in intresting words, for examle; Life ant been no crystle stair, it's had tacks, splinters, and torn up boards.

    I enjoyed Mother To Son the most because the mother talked in a coutnry acent and she compared her life. I think that Mother To Son's meaning was more inportant to me because the mother was telling her son a life lesson on not to let his life turn out like hers. One personal connection that I can make is that I have been getting hurt alot so I have had tacks in the floor and splinters too. That is my connection


    ReplyDelete
  16. The poem, Roger the Dog, is about a super lazy dog that just sits home all day and sleeps. This poem has really good imagery. For example, it is super easy to imagine a dog just sitting there being lazy. I really like when it says,"He'll work as hard as you could wish, Emptying his dinner dish. Another thing I like about the poem is that on the first line of the paragraph it says something positive but than on the second line it says something negative. For example, it says, " I take him out for exercise, He rolls in cowclap up to his eyes." This poem is amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


    The poem, Mother to Son, is about a mom telling her son how she hard a hard life as a kid and for him not to give up. I really like how when she was talking to her kid she was saying how life was not crystal stair. This poem has okay imagery. For example, I think dads usaully talk to there kids about if your having a hard time. This poem is good!!!!!!!!!


    I chose...........Roger the Dog. I chose that because it has a better rhyme scheme. For example, it is AABB instead of no rhyme at all. I actully think that Mother to Son is more important to me. For example, the mom is telling her son not to give up on life. To me that is very important. The connection I can make with Roger the Dog is that when I got my new dog my other dog was just sitting in her bed sad because we where playing with the other one. Mother to Son is a great poem but Roger the Dog is my favorite!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  17. The first poem, Mother To Son, is about how a mother is telling her son life gets hard but you need to keep on going.

    The second poem , Roger The Dog , is about a dog who is sleepy and really hungry and is wating untill the next day to get food.

    The poem who should win should be Roger The Dog because I really like dogs and roger is lazy and so is my dog.

    I like how it rhymes alot for example dog and log.

    I almost picked Mother To Son but instead I chose Roger The Dog.

    Well I had a dog like Roger. His name was walter but he pased away.

    That is why I think Roger The Dog should win!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Mother to Son is about a poor family, and the mom is telling the son "Life hadn't been no crystal stair" but you need to keep trying your hardest.
    Roger the Dog is about a dog who loves to sleep but he only works when it's dinnertime. It's rhyme scheme is AA BB CC DD EE FF GG HH.
    I choose Mother to Son as the winner because it had imagery, it has imagery b making a picture in my mind that I could see happening.
    I made a connection with it by my family not having a Job, and how it's hard to find a job. That's why I chose Mother to Son to win it all!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  19. The first poem, Mother to Son, is about a mother talking to her son about life and comparing it to a crystal stair. The second poem, Roger the Dog, is about a dog that is so lazy and will never get up but to eat. I chose Roger the Dog because I like that it said why he is lazy. The rhyme scheme is aabbccddeeffgghhii. The meaning of this poem is how this dog is very lazy and never wants to play. I made a connection with this poem because I love dogs and have one that can be lazy.

    ReplyDelete
  20. The first poem, Mother to Son, Is about a mother telling her son how life is hard.

    The poem, Roger the Dog, Is about a really lazy dog.

    I think the winner should be Roger the Dog! I picked this poem, because I like the writers craft. The writers craft is Imagery. I can picture a really lazy dog sleeping all day. I think Roger the Dog has more meaning, because I like how the dog is so lazy. I also feel like the author is good at writing deep meaning. A personal connection I have is memory's of my old dog. My dog would sleep a lot.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Mother To Son is about a mother who is telling her son to always persevere.

    Roger the Dog is about a dog who is fat and lazy and only uses his energy to eat and sleep.

    I choose Mother To Son because I like the way it used metaphors like "Life ain't been no crystal stair." which means life has been hard for her. Mother To Son's meaning is more important to me because it tells me to always persevere. The connection that I made was T-S because it is a mom telling her son to always persevere and I had to do that when my dad died.

    ReplyDelete
  22. The first poem,Mother to Son,is about a mom telling her son that she has had a rough life,but that he can persevere to have a better life.

    The second poem,Roger the Dog,is about a dog that is so lazy that he only moves fast when it's time for dinner.

    I chose Mother to Son because it tells a nice story about how a mom is telling her son to keep trying.Also,there was good imagery.For example,it made me imagine a mom at a poor house telling her son that there going to have a better life.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Mother to Son was about a mother saying to a son that life is hard and to keep pushing on because life is hard and life is not a crystal star stair.

    Roger the Dog was about a lazy dog that saves all of his energy to eat a lot and then sleep for a long time and he hogs the fire to get warm. When he is asleep you can hit him and he will not wake up.

    I liked the poem,Roger the Dog, because Roger was very funny and that took my attention. Another reason that I like Roger the Dog is that the writer was very good at painting a picture in my mind of Roger and of how lazy he is by telling me that Roger likes to hog the fire and how Roger snores and sleeps soundlessly. Roger the Dog reminded me of my dog and that meant a lot to me because I love my dog.

    ReplyDelete
  24. The first poem,Roger the Dog, is about avery lazy dog who uses his strength to eat.

    The second poem, Mother to Son, is about a mom telling her son that life isn't easy.

    I choose .... Roger the Dog, as winner! I love how this poem is funny and entertaining.
    For example, the poet used humor to spice up the story. I realy like this poem because of the rhym scheme... it rols of your tounge like a song. For example, the rhym scheme is AA BB CC... But the biggest reason I like it is because I remember getting casher, my dog. I love him so much! Roger remindes me of him. While Mother to Son had agood meaning, I love Roger the Dog more.Woof Woof!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Mother To Son is about a mother telling her son that life won't be crystle clear, so there will be hard stuff and some good stuff in life.
    Roger The Dog ia about a dog that is very lazy, so he will only eat and sleep.
    I choose Roger The Dog because it is very enter taining. Another reason is that it has great rhyming words like romp and chomp. I also like it because it reminds me of my dogs Boomer and Roo because all they do is eat, sleep, and when I take them outside all they do is just lay down. Lastly I like Roger The Dog because it has a great entertaining story to it! That is why I choose Roger The Dog!

    ReplyDelete
  26. The first poem, Mother To Son, was about a mother telling her son about life. My favirote part was when she said life ain't been no crystal stair. I think that tells us life isn't easy but to keep going no matter what.

    The second poem, Rodger the Dog was about a fat lazy dog. the rhyme scheme is, AABBCCDDEEFFGGHH. I can make a connection with this story because my aunt, has a lazy sleepy dog. (but he loves to jump) I chose this story because it gave great imagyry like he only wakes to scratch his flees. That gives me a picture of a fat lazy dog scratching his fleas. I hope Rodger the Dog wins the final poetry maddness games .

    ReplyDelete
  27. The first poem, Roger the Dog, is about a dog who is lazy and likes to eat and sleep.
    The second poem, Mother to Son, is about a mother who is telling her son life is not going to be easy.
    I choose Roger the Dog because I likes dogs and I have a connection with Roger we both like to sleep and eat. I think the writers craft is imagery. For example, the first poem, Roger the Dog, gives me a image of a dog eating and sleeping the second poem,Mother to Son, gives me a image of a mother talking to her son about life isn't easy.

    ReplyDelete
  28. The first poem, Roger the Dog, is about a extremely lazy dog that just sits around and eats a lot of food as the poet would say he is a (loaf of bread).

    The second poem, Mother to Son, is about a mother telling her son that life isn't the easiest the best or perfect.

    I chose as the winner is, Mother to Son, the reason I chose this poem is because it had a way bigger message than Roger the Dog. The reason why it had a bigger message is because it was about a mother telling her son that life isn't easy or perfect or should I say (no crystal stair) also Roger the dog was just about a lazy dog (no message!). That is why Mother to Son's meaning is more important to me than Roger the Dog. Also I like the poets craft or should I say metaphors here is one of my favorite metaphor (life ain't no crystal stair) . I connect to this poem because sometimes at home I get hurt but I keep moving forward. That is why I chose Mother to Son as the winner for the Championship.

    ReplyDelete
  29. The first poem, Mother To Son, is about a mother telling her son something you should not forget. Life ain't no crystal stair which means there will always be a bump in the road. I can relate to this because sometimes my dad will come home from work mad. So I can sort of relate to this.

    The second poem, Rodger The Dog,is about a dog who is very lazy. He uses all of his strength to finish his dish. They say he digs minor level down deep, then goes to sleep. This dog obviously is not the healthy type at all people!

    For the winner, I chose, Rodger The Dog. I chose Rodger The Dog because this dog is super funny, I love it when it says He'll work as hard as you wish, emptying his dinner dish. I also love it because Rodger reminds me of my dog Gertrude. She is lazy, sleepy, and will do anything for food

    ReplyDelete
  30. The first poem, Roger the Dog, is about a lazy dog named Roger that doesn't do races exercise, or any other activities. The only thing Roger does is, eat.

    The second poem, Mother to Son, is about a mother telling his son when life starts to get pretty hard, or how it gets hard.

    I choose Roger the Dog the winner because I like the rhymes AA BB CC DD. For example, dog, log, head, and bread. The story also gives me a better picture in my head. For example, I can see Roger lying around, eating, and staying where he is when there's a race going on.

    ReplyDelete
  31. The first poem, Mother to Son, is about a mom that is talking to her son about that there are a lot of things that are hard to go through but you can't give up and you have to push through it.
    The second poem, Roger the Dog, is about a lazy dog that saves up all his strenght to only eat.
    I choose Mother to Son because it had the best word choice and what I mean is that the words the auther choose fit in the best like ain't no crystal stair and reachin' landin's.The meaning wasmore important to me also because when I was little like 4 my mom had Ovarian Cancer and was maybe going to die so she had to work through it so she did not have any crystal stairs.

    ReplyDelete
  32. The first poem, Mother to Son, is about a mother telling her son that life ain't been no crystal stair, it's had tacks in it, and splinters, and boards torn up, and places with no carpet on the floor-bare. That means that life hasn't been perfect. The mother also says that so, boy, don't you turn back, don't you set down on the steps. That means to keep on going.

    The second poem, Roger the Dog, is about a lazy dog that only eats and sleeps. The lazy dog won't exercise, he will just sleep. He uses all of his energy to empty his dinner dish.

    For the winner I chose Mother to Son. I chose I like how the mother uses metaphors, for example comparing her life to a crystal stair. I also think this poem has deep meaning. I can make a connection, because life isn't always perfect for me. I like how the mother repeats the line life for me ain't been no crystal stair. I also like how the mother says "Don't you fall now- for I'se still going honey, I'se still climbing, and life for me ain't been no crystal stair." GO MOTHER TO SON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  33. The first poem, Roger The Dog, is about a dog that is very lazy and all he does is eat, sleep, and sit around. The poem also has rhyme scheme AA BB CC DD.

    The second poem, Mother To Son, is about a mom telling her son that life isn't perfect and has some tough times but to get through the tough times and it will get better.

    My favorite poem was Mother To Son because I can make a connection that life isn't perfect but when you do get through the hard times it does get better. Mother To son has rhyme Scheme For example, Bare and stair. I like this poem because the mom is telling her son that life isn't going to be what you think it is going to be that is why I chose Mother To Son.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Reid... future tarheelApril 14, 2014 at 12:09 PM

    The first poem, Mother to Son, is about a mother telling her son that life isn't easy and when life gets tough you will have to have persevere.

    The second poem, Roger the Dog, is about a fat and lazy dog who will eat anything you put in front of him.

    I think Mother to son should win because it is a great story about a mother telling her son to never give up. I like how the author used imagery and painted a picture in my mind. For example, when it said "and places with no carpet on the floor" really painted a picture in my mind. I made the connection about the movie Radio. When his mother died he kept on going. I think Langston Hughes should be cutting the pencil.

    ReplyDelete
  35. L-I-B-B-Y C-l-A-I-R-EApril 14, 2014 at 12:16 PM

    The first poem, Roger the Dog, is about a dog who is asleep by the fire and he is so worm and cozy that he is just hogging the fire he just will not move he is so worm and cozy. For example, if you push him he will roll back over, if you kick him he will not move. That is what I think about Roger the Dog

    The second poem, Mother to Son, Is about a mom that is telling her son that life is not going to be perfect and she said," Life is not going to be a crystal stair. That is what I think about Mother To son.

    The poem I think will win the whole thing is,Roger the Dog, because I love dogs and My dogs act like that, so that make it cute

    The writers craft that I liked the most is how this poem paints a picture in your head of a dog that is laying by the fire asleep trying not to move, while people are trying to Roger.

    The poems meaning means a lot to me because I like to now that I am not the only one that has or something does this thing not just me.

    The one and only personal connection I can make is that my dogs luike to lay by the fire and not move.

    That is who I think is most likely to win.

    ReplyDelete
  36. The first poem,Mother to Son,is about a mom that life ain't been no crystal stairs,it had tacks in it,splinters,boards torn up,and places with no carpet on the floor-Bare.But she kept climbing but,when sometimes going in the dark where there ain't been no light she didn't turn back.She told her son to do the same never give up,believe,and to climb those hard rough stairs.This poem has metaphors for example,life ain't been no crystal stairs.

    The second poem,Roger the Dog,is about a dog that only wakes up to fleas and is a sack of snoring dog.When you take him out to exercise he rolls his eyes,walks out,walks in,and saves his energy for eating.Then he flops flat.and digs down deep,like a miner into sleep.This poem has a rhyme scheme of A,A,B,B,C,C,D,D,E,E,F,F,G,G,H,and H.This poem also have similes for example,like a miner,into sleep.

    The winner is..........Mother to Son!!!! I chose Mother to Son because I liked the metaphors and how deep the feeling and meaning was in them for example,life ain't been no crystal stairs.The connection I made with this poem is that life for me isn't perfect just like the mom's.This poem repeats the line "Life for me ain't been no crystal stairs." I liked the line where she says "Don't you fall now for ise still goin' honey." This poem has very deep emotion and meaning.The meaning most important to me is the perseverance of the mother.

    ReplyDelete