Express Yourself writing skill for high school part 16

The unexplained glory flies above them, Great is the battle-god, and his kingdom— A field where a thousand corpses lie. Do not weep, babe, for war is kind. Because your father tumbled in the yellow trenches Raged at his breast, gulped and died, Do not weep. War is kind. Swift-blazing flag of the regiment, Eagle with crest of red and gold, These men were born to drill and die. Point for them the virtue of slaughter, Make plain to them the excellence of killing, And a field where a thousand corpses lie. Mother whose heart hung humble as a button On the bright splendid shroud of your son, Do not weep. War is kind. 1. To whom is the author speaking? List the three specific groups he addresses. 2. Does he really mean that war is good? Explain how he contradicts himself. 3. Would you say that Stephen Crane is pro-war or anti-war? Why? 4. What line or lines speak to you most clearly? 5. Who do you think says, “War is kind?” Now compare Crane’s poem to: BEAT! BEAT! DRUMS! By Walt Whitman Beat! beat! drums!—blow! bugles! blow! Through the windows—through doors—burst like a ruthless force, Into the solemn church, and scatter the congregation, Into the school where the scholar is studying; Leave not the bridegroom quiet—no happiness must he have now with his bride, Nor the peaceful farmer any peace, ploughing his field or gathering his grain, So fierce you whirr and pound you drums—so shrill you bugles blow. Beat! beat! drums!—blow! bugles! blow! Over the traffic of cities—over the rumble of wheels in the streets; WRITING ABOUT POETRY EXPRESS YOURSELF 109 Are beds prepared for sleepers at night in the houses? No sleepers must sleep in those beds, No bargainers’ bargains by day—no brokers or speculators—would they continue? Would the talkers be talking? Would the singer attempt to sing? Would the lawyer rise in the court to state his case before the judge? Then rattle quicker, heavier drums—you bugles wilder blow. Beat! beat! drums! —blow! bugles! blow! Make no parley—stop for no expostulation, Mind not the timid—mind not the weeper or prayer, Mind not the old man beseeching the young man, Let not the child’s voice be heard, nor the mother’s entreaties, Make even the trestles to shake the dead where they lie awaiting the hearses, So strong you thump O terrible drums—so loud you bugles blow. 1. To whom is the author speaking? Unlike Stephen Crane, Walt Whitman is not speaking directly to any person or group of persons. His audience is the drums and bugles of war and in telling them what to do, he is telling us of their consequences. List three or four consequences of the drums and bugles of war. 2. Explain how Whitman’s poem could be read as a positive call to arms. 3. Would you say that Whitman is pro-war or anti-war? Why? 4. What line or lines speak to you most clearly? Having answered these questions, see if you can use your responses to answer the following essay question: In an essay of approximately 750 words, compare and contrast Stephen Crane’s poem “War is Kind”with Walt Whitman’s poem “Beat! Beat! Drums!”Be sure to identify each poem’s theme (what the author is saying about the topic of war) and then use specific evidence from the poem to prove your points. Include discussion of the way each author uses repetition of words and/or phrases to give emphasis to his views. 110 EXPRESS YOURSELF WRITING ABOUT POETRY WRITING ABOUT POETRY EXPRESS YOURSELF 111 There are many levels on which you can be asked towrite about poetry.In particular,you could be asked to explain a poem’s use of specific literary devices or discuss its theme. But no matter how detailed or spe-cific your assignment, you should not begin until you feel confident that you know what the poet is trying to say. You must first connect with the poem’s message before you can comment on its methods or its suc-cesses. For example, if you had not known that Emily Dickinson was talking about using her poetry as her voice to reach out to the world, would you have appreciated the way she chose her metaphor or expressed her need for recognition? If you had not stopped to consider that Whitman’s spider was just his way of help-ing us to understand his vision of poetry, would you have been able to see beyond a spider and his web? And ifyou do not appreciate the irony in Crane’s claim that war is kind,you will not be able to compare and contrast his vision of war as the awful consequence of politicians sending young men to die for causes they know or care little about. In short, writing in response to poetry should begin with your careful and thoughtful reading and re-reading of a poem.You should start by identifying what the poem is about and then try to identify the details that support your interpretation.Ultimately,you should be able to bring your own experiences and attitudes to your reading so that you can fully agree or disagree with the poet. Writing in response to prose,specifically fiction such as short stories,novels,parables,myths,and fables, is not unlike responding to poetry. You must first understand the literal significance of a story and then you can begin to probe its deeper meanings. In the next chapter we will look at two short stories to see how to respond to them. 112 EXPRESS YOURSELF WRITING ABOUT POETRY C H A P T E R E L E V E N WRITING ABOUT PROSE (FICTION) JUST AS writing about poetry requires that you read carefully and thoughtfully, so does writing about fiction. You must concentrate and ask questions as you read. You may have to make a list of important vocabulary words as you go along, or you may have to underline or take notes in the text of words and phrases you think are important to the story’s meaning. This chap- ter will show you some important reading strate- gies that will help you become a better writer when responding to fiction. WRITING ABOUT PROSE (FICTION) EXPRESS YOURSELF 113 ... - tailieumienphi.vn