Monday, February 18, 2019

Poetry Madness: Let the Games Begin!

Image result for march madness

During March, the best college basketball teams compete for the National Title. In order to be the best, each team must state their case by playing the best, scoring the most, and ultimately advancing to the next round.

To create a sense of poetry madness in our room and celebrate poetry, we will read two poems each evening and advance a class winner the following day. However, like the basketball tournament, we must use specific criteria to judge a poem: meaning, poet's craft (rhyme, line breaks, punctuation, simile/metaphor, word choice, repetition), ability to visualize, and your personal connection.


You will answer the following 3 questions about the poems you have read.


1. What is the meaning of the first poem? (Summarize in one-two sentences)

2. What is the meaning of the second poem? (Summarize in one-two sentences)
3. Based on the criteria, which poem did you choose and WHY? ***Please tell me everything you think, but use your best writing.

You will complete Game 1 in class.  Please read Game 1 (Dust of Snow and Mother to Son), choose your favorite, and leave your comment below.  I left an example in the comment section.


Here is an example of an advanced/proficient post:

The first poem, “I, Too,” by Langston Hughes, is about racial segregation. He dreams of a future where he is not treated unequally because of his race, and he is accepted because he, too, is American.

The second poem, “A Prayer in Spring,”by Robert Frost, is about a person’s gratitude for God’s blessings. It is a prayer about being thankful even when change comes.

I choose I, Too as the winner because I like the deeper meaning of change and how the poet uses each stanza to tell the story. I also like how Hughes changes one word (“sing” to “am”) in the first and last line to show acceptance.

27 comments:

  1. The first poem, “Dust to Snow,” is about a person realizing his heart has changed moods and saved some part of a day he had rued. I also think he thinks the bird is God, and he has changed him for a good reason.
    The poem, “Mother to Son,” is about a mom telling her son to never give up and to always keep trying no matter what happens. Also, his mom is telling him is telling him to always overcome challenges because he’ll always get past it.
    I choose “Mother to Son” because it sends a more important message to me, and it teaches you to always overcome tough obstacles. Also, it makes a little more sense to me.
    -Gavin

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  4. The mood of the poem, “Dust of Snow,” by Robert Frost, is about going from sad to happy (gloomy). The meaning is that stay happy when things are not going your way. He regrets being sad when things were sad. The writer uses rhyming scheme, because I can see crow and snow rhyme, and tree and me.

    The mood of the poem, “Mother to Son,” by Langston Hughes, is sadness. It seems as the boy is dying or the mother, because one of them is telling the other to be happy, it will get better. The meaning is to say life isn’t easy. The writer uses pictures in your mind to tell the story. To really understand it you have to see the picture.

    For me the winner is “Mother to Son” because I like poems that are sad, and are telling you to believe always. I really like how “Mother to Son” puts an image into my head of what is going on. He also repeats, “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.” I like that sentence a lot.
    -Maggie Kate #6

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  5. The first poem, “Dust of Snow,” by Robert Frost, is about a crow that lifts up a boys spirit. He notices the crow when it drops snow on him. The crow fixes the day he had rued. The man became glad.

    The second poem, “Mother to Son,” by Langston Hughes, is about a mother who is talking to her son about all of the hard and scary times she has been trough. She motivates her son to stay strong.

    I chose “Dust of Snow” because the story is more calming and inspiring. It has a great rhyme scheme as well! I think the story will inspire readers and their sad days good again as well! It makes me feel bright and happy.
    -Lila #15

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  6. The first poem, ‘’Dust of Snow,’’ by Robert Frost, is about a crow who shook a branch and a little bit of snow fell on him. He was having a bad day, but that changed his mood.
    The next poem, ‘’Mother to Son,’’ is about a old African-American woman who is about to die and is saying that she has done a lot of things in her life.
    I chose ‘’Dust of Snow’’ by Robert Frost as the winner. I chose this poem because it paints a picture in my mind of a snowy day and there is a crow on a tree that shook a branch.Some snow fell on him and made him happy.
    -Bryan

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  8. Jagger 2/9/2019

    The first poem is the "Dust of Snow" by Robert Frost. It is about a crow shook down some snow and it made him happy after being sad all day.


    The second poem, "Mother to Son," by Langston Hughes is about the mother telling her son that her life hasn't been easy and it's gonna be hard for him to and to keep living your life and always when life is hard.


    I have chosen "Dust of Snow" because it feels nice and I like the setting the winter and snow and because the crow is nice.

    Sincerely
    -Jagger 14#

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  9. The first poem, “Dust of Snow,” by Robert Frost, is about someone who is having a bad day, he looks at a crow, and he starts to feel better.
    The second poem, “Mother to Son,” is about someone's mom telling him to try his best always.
    I choose“Dust of Snow” as the winner because I like how it rhymes, and I like the story better than the other one. -Sethie

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  10. The first poem is the “Dust of Snow” by Robert Frost. It is about a crow who shook and a dust of snow, fell down the tree, and has given his heart a change of mood . He was having a bad day, but he doesn’t regret it anymore.
    The second poem, “Mother to Son,” is about a mother telling her son to keep going and never back down even when life is hard.
    I think the second poem “Mother to Son” is better because it is longer, and it tells way more detail like when it might have splinters in it and tacks in it but just keep going. I love the quote when she says life no crystal air she said it at the beginning and the end.

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  11. The first poem, ‘’Dust of Snow,’’ by Robert Frost, is about a crow had some dust on himself, shaked it all off onto the the person, and gave the person a change of mood half of the day.


    The second poem,’’Mother to son,’’ by Langston Hughes, is about a boy and a mom, and the mom is trying to convince the boy not to give up on himself.


    I choose’’ Mother to Son,’ because I really liked how well they described his feeling that he wanted to give up, and the mother was not going to let him give up on himself so he could keep on trying and trying until he gets it. That’s why I choose,’’ Mother to Son.’’
    -Millie

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  12. The first poem,”Dust of Snow,’by Robert Frost, is about this guy who Was walking and a crow shook down on him. It made a dust snow fall on his head, and it made him feel like the bird loves him. The bird brightened up his day.



    The second poem,”Mother to Son,”by Langston Hughes,Is about a mother telling a son that nothing's perfect and days can be sad days and can be tiring and life can be very tough or not .Just be who you want to be and never give up.



    I chose ”Dust of Snow” as the winner because I thought this was really powerful and you can also relate to this but with a friend who can brighten up your day.I also like it because I like how Robert Frost chose a snowy day and a crow for the poem and i like how he put a lot of detail in the poem.
    -Ellie

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  13. The first poem “Dust of Snow” is about a man who is having a bad day and a crow who lands on a tree makes some snow fall on him and he cheers up, and feels that the bird loves him, for lt landed upon him
    The second poem “Mother to son” by Langston Hughes, is about a mother encouraging her son when maybe he is sad, disappointed, or frustrated. She is telling him life is hard and troublesome and at times you are not going to like it .

    I chose,”Mother to Son” because to me it has more meaning to me and I can relate to how life is tough, and how you might not like it.

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  14. The first poem, “Dust Of Snow,” by Robert Frost, is about doing the right thing over wrong, so you don’t have a guilt feeling or have to regret anything. It says “ Of a day I had rued”
    which means regretted. Frost wants you to choose right over wrong because sometimes you have to do that.

    In the second poem, “Mother To Son,” by Langston Hughes, is about life having have ups and downs, but you can’t turn back now. You have trust God and yourself.

    I chose the second poem, “Mother To Son,” by Langston Hughes, because it is longer, it has more detail, and it more sense to me. “ Mother To Son” was my favorite poem, but not only did I figure out the theme, but I also figured out the meaning of the poem way faster than I did with “Dust Of Snow.”
    -Haylei

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  15. The first poem, “Dust of Snow,” by Robert Frost, is about how he doesn’t regret anything. THis is about how he wants to change his feelings, and he wants to be kinder to his people.
    The second poem, “Mother to Son,” by Langston Hughes, is about a mother telling her son life isn't a piece of cake, but you should keep moving forward.

    I chose the second poem, “Mother to Son,” by Langston Hughes, because to me it feels like it makes a little more since, and it reminds me of my grandmother. I also like how he used imagery, like when he said, “ Life for me ain’t be no crystal stair. It’s had tacks in it. And splinters. And boards all torn up, and places with no carpet on the floor. Bare,” which means her life has been rough.
    -Mary Martha

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  16. The first poem, “Dust of Snow,” by Robert Frost, is about the winter season. A man was sitting under a tree grumpy or mad until a crow landed on a branch and sprinkled snow on him. That made him feel better.
    I think “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes is about how a mother is talking to her son about life isn’t as easy as it seems.
    I think that “Dust of Snow” was better than Mother to Son because Mother to Son did not make as much sense to me as Dust Of Snow.
    -James

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  17. The first poem is called “Dust Of Snow” by Robert Frost. The mood was gloomy. He was having a bad day, then he was on a walk in the snow , and a crow landed on the tree above him. A dust on snow went on him, and he felt better.


    The second poem is called “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes. This story is about a mother telling her son that her life is not so good. That gives me the impression that the mood is gloomy.

    I pick the first poem because it had rhymes. Also, I liked that it started sad but turned happy. I pick as my winner………………. “Dust Of Snow!!!!!”
    -George

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  18. The first poem, ‘’Dust of snow,” by Robert Frost,is about not choosing the wrong thing.He is talking about doing the right thing over wrong, so you don’t regret it.

    The second poem,”Mother to Son,”by Langston Hughes, is about life.The mother is telling her son that life is hard, and it is not easy and all the things that could happen.
    I choose “ Mother to Son”by Langston Hughes. I choose this because it shows that life is tougher than you think. I think it has a good message. It has a repetition when the author says, “And life ain’t a crystal chair.
    _Brooklynn


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  19. The first poem, ‘‘Dust Of Snow,’’ by Robert Frost, is about having a bad day. He is having a bad day, but then a crow lands on a branch that had snow on it. The snow fell on him, and that made him feel better.



    The second poem, “Mother To Son,” by Langston Hughes is about a mother talking to a son. The son is having a hard time, and the mom is telling him that she has been through it all before.




    I choose, ‘’Dust Of Snow,’’ because I liked the mood in it, and I also liked what it was trying to tell us because I have had bad days before. Then it turned into a good day with one little thing. I also liked that it had a lot of rhyming in it to, so it could give you a good beat and good pace to read it at.
    -Jackson

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  20. The first poem, “Dust of Snow”, by Robert Frost, is about deep thoughts of the snow. They want to teach the reader that snow isn’t just flakes of ice but is much more.

    The second poem, “Mother to Son,”is by Langston Hughes. They probably live on a farm. I bet the son thinks the mom has it so easy, but the mom is explaining she does not have it as easy as he thinks she does.

    I choose “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes because it explains a lot of evidence why she does not have it easy. And it is very heartfelt.
    {[RYAN]}

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  21. The first poem, “Mother To Son,” by Langston Hughes, is about a mother telling her son that life isn’t easy nor is it perfect, but she is their and to have hope. The mood is hopeful. I think this because she is telling all about what life has been like for herself and is saying you always have to have hope and life can still be smooth.

    The second poem, “ Dust Of Snow,” by Robert Frost, is about a person walking in the snow and having a bad day until the crow shook down some snow on him. I think that the mood of the story is happiness. I think this because he was having a bad day, but the day got turned around by the crow, and he was happier.


    I think that the winning poem is the first poem, “Mother To Son.” I think this because I feel like the poem,” Mother To Son,” has a deeper meaning than the poem, “Dust Of Snow.” I feel like this because, ‘’Mother To Son,” talks about life and not that life is smooth sailing, but it has bumpy roads along the way too. The mother is also saying that you can make your life smoother if you have hope. I also like that the mother was telling the truth to the son, but not just saying life is hard she said that she is there for him and it gets easier.


    -Stella

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  22. The first poem is “Dust of Snow” by Robert Frost. It is about someone making the right choice instead of making the wrong one, so you don’t regret it.


    The second poem, “Mother to Son,” by Langston Hughes, is about a mother telling her son that life is not perfect, and that you need to keep going. If you quit right now you may never know what you’re good at.


    I choose “Mother to Son” because it has a repeated line which is”Life ain't been no crystal stair.” It also has a rhyme scheme of ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOB.
    Alia

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  23. The first poem, “Dust of Snow,” by Robert Frost, is about how he regretted the day. He had thought about the day differently after a crow blows snow at him. And now he had a change of mood.

    The second poem,”Mother To Son”, by Langston Hughes, is about a mother telling her son about the world. She also tells her son not to back down.

    I choose “Dust of Snow.” I choose this poem because it has a rhyme scheme of ABAB. It also is an interesting poem.
    -Luke

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  24. “Dust of Snow,” by Robert Frost, was about where a crow shook him mentally and changed the mood his heart was in.Then, he said it saved some feelings in his heart that probably helped throughout life.
    “Mother to Son,” by Langston Hughes, was about his mother telling him about her life and the setting taking place.Also the slaves that escaped using the stars and farmers wanting to end slavery and helped them hide with loose floorboards,back wood houses, and underground hatches.
    I choose “Mother to Son,” because of its deep meaning and story.Also, because it gave me a real idea about it unlike “Dust of Snow” where it didn’t gave me a hard time choosing the winner.Also,” Mother to Son” was a real long poem but with a lot of jazz and spice.Where as “Dust of Snow” was real short and hardly had any spazz or jazz to it to make it more of a read than a snooze.Lastly, “Mother to Son” was a teller or a campfire story rather than “Dust of Snow” where it was gloomy, short, and non detailed.

    Your Pal,
    Harrison


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  25. The first poem, “Dust of Snow,” by Robert Frost is about a person having a bad day, but then a crow who landed on a branch which made a dust of snow. When it fell on him, it made him happy and ruined his bad day.
    The second poem, Mother to Son,” by Langston Hughes is about a Mother telling her son it is not easy taking care him but enjoys it anyways. Also, she was telling him that life will not be easy.
    I chose, “Dust of Snow,” as the winner because it tells you if you are having a bad day it doesn’t mean it isn’t going to get better. Also, it was a little hard to understand what the crow did but I liked how nature made the person’s day better.
    -Charlie G.

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  26. The first poem “Mother to Son,” by Langston Hughes, is about never giving up. The mom tells the son “So, boy, don’t you turn back don’t set down on the steps cause you finds it’s kinder hard. I think this story is about never giving up and keep trying and don’t quit.

    The second poem “Dust of Snow”, by Robert Frost, is about a crow that shook snow down on the boy and the boy forgot about is bad day. The boy was happy again.

    I chose “Mother to Son,” by Langston Hughes, because it tells you to never give up and itb is a happy story not a sad bad story. It also has a good meaning.

    From,
    Emerson

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  27. The first poem “Dust Of Snow,” by Robert Frost is about a sad snow day, it was also a pretty gloomy poem. Like when he said The way a crow shook down on me the dust of snow.


    The second poem “ Mother To Son,” by Langston Hughes it is sad and happy because she said well son I’ll tell you life for me ain't been no crystal star and she said it has tracks in it and splinters. That's why I think it’s sad but this is why I think it feels happy. She also said for I’se still going honey.


    My winner is… Mother To Son! Because I thought it was sweet and kind.

    from , Elia

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