Block Day, Jan. 12 and 13 ~ "Honest" - Poetic Device ID Practice

ROOTS

• solus - alone
• ultima - last
• vale, vali, valu - strength, worth 

REMINDERS

• Monday - Martin Luther King Day - No School
• Tuesday - Roots Quiz
• Wednesday - Poem Project Due
• Block - "If" Quiz (Stanzas 1 & 2)

QUIZ 

• If Memorization Quiz

You have stanza one under your belt, now take a look at stanza two. 
Quiz on Block next week (Stanzas 1 & 2)


"If"
Stanza 2-

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;   

    If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;   

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

    And treat those two imposters just the same;   

If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken

    Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

    And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

GRAMMAR

• More Comma Rules

3. Use a comma between all items in a series.
Ex: Uncle Gomer willed me all of his stuffed hogs, his gun collection, and his debt.

4. Use a comma when two or more adjectives describe a noun. (Coordinate Adjectives)
Ex: RJ is a bright, dedicated, focused student.

5. Do NOT use a comma if the adjectives describe the noun separately. (Cumulative Adjectives)
Ex. Three large gray shapes moved slowly toward us.

Practice - Add or delete commas. Perhaps the sentence is correct.

a. The cold impersonal atmosphere at the school was very noticeable.
b. The ambulance moved its way through police cars, fire trucks and irate citizens.
c. My cat's pupils had constricted to small black shining dots.
d. For breakfast Joseph ordered five pancakes, ten strips of bacon and a Diet Coke.
e. Anthony was dressed in a luminous orange rain suit and a brilliant white helmet.
f. It was a small, unimportant part, but I was happy to have it. 


POETRY
EQ: How do poets employ devices to create a flow and a craftier piece of art?
Go over devices in "Firework" and review list here.

"Honest" by Rudy Francisco

• 1-15: Identify all of the fifteen underlined poetic devices in "Honest." 
• 16: After you have read the poem, consider that Francisco drastically changes his format half way through the poem. What effect do you think he was trying to create with this choice? 

"Honest" by Rudy Francisco

Dear hands, I get it.

You like writing poems,

But you can't bring a metaphor to a gun fight.*

Dear eyes,

There are things that I would tell you  (1)

But we both know how terrible you are at keeping secrets. (2)

Dear heart

I trust you

Don’t **** this up

Dear hands, I said I know

That you like writing poetry,

But you can't bring a metaphor to a gun fight.*

Dear legs

Walking is the easy part

Now find a reason.

Dear Brain

You’re a good listener

But you give terrible relationship advice.

Dear hands, I know    (all the bold 3)

That you like writing poetry,

But you can't bring a metaphor to a gun fight.

I was born on July 27th, I hear that makes me a Leo
I don't really know what that means
I'm 5 foot 6... and a half. I weigh a hundred and forty-five pounds.
I don't know how to swim, and I'm a sucker for a girl with a nice smile
And clean sneakers. (4)

I'm still learning how to whisper
I'm often loud in places where I should be quiet
I'm often quiet in places where I should be loud (5)
I was born feet first and I've been backwards ever since (6)

I like ginger ale...
a lot.
I've been told that I give really bad hugs
People say that it feels like I'm trying to escape
Sometimes it's because I am, and secretly I get really nervous (7)
Every time someone gets close enough to hear me breathe.
I have this odd fascination with things like sand castles and ice sculptures
I assume it's because I usually find myself dedicating time to things
That will only last a few moments
That's also why I tend to fall in love with women
Who would never love me back
I know it sounds crazy, but it's actually much easier than it seems
And to be honest, I think it's safer that way
See relationships, they often remind me that I'm not afraid of heights or falling
But I'm scared of what's gonna happen
The moment that my body hits the ground
I'm clumsy. Yesterday, I tripped over my self-esteem (8)
I landed on my pride and it shattered like an iPhone with a broken face (9)
Now I can't even tell who's trying to give me a compliment

I've never been in the military, but I have this Purple Heart (10)
I got it from beating myself up over things I can't fix
I know it sounds weird but sometimes,
I wonder what my bed sheets say about me when I'm not around (11)
I wonder what the curtains would do if they found out
About all the things that I've done behind their backs
I've got a hamper that's overflowing with really, really loud mistakes
And a graveyard in my closet, I'm afraid that if I let you see my skeletons
You'll grind my bones into powder (12) and get high on my fault lines (13)

Hi, my name is Rudy
I enjoy frozen yogurt, people watching
And laughing for absolutely no reason at all
But I don't allow myself to cry as often as I need to
I have solar-powered confidence, I have a battery-operated smile (14)
My hobbies include editing my life story, hiding behind metaphors
And trying to convince my shadow that I'm someone worth following (15)
I don't know much, but I do know this
I know that heaven is full of music
I know God listens to my heart beat on his iPod
It reminds him that we still got work to do.