Mini lesson Speaker’s Point of View — 5th grade Poetry

Langston Hughes “I, Too, Sing to America”

Connection We have learned how to analyze text to determine themes. We have also talked about point of view and how it impacts the way the story or poem is told. Today we will learn how authors use point of view to convey meaning in poems.

Teaching When we read a poem, the theme is usually revealed through the speaker or narrator of the poem. Today we are going to read some poems and identify how the speaker of the poem influences how events are described. Let’s read “I, Too, Sing America” by Langston Hughes. As I read it the first time, I want you to listen and think about the point of view in the poem and how it influences the events that are described.

I, Too, Sing America by Langston Hughes I am the darker brother. They send me to eat in the kitchen When company comes, But I laugh, And eat well, And grow strong. Tomorrow, I'll be at the table When company comes. Nobody'll dare Say to me, "Eat in the kitchen," Then. Summary

Summary Besides, They'll see how beautiful I am And be ashamed—   I, too, am America. Summary

Who is the speaker in the poem? What is the point of view? The poem is told from the first person point of view. how does that influence how the events are described? When I read the poem, I think about that this was written from the point of view of someone who usually eats in the kitchen because it sounds like they are not allowed to eat in the dining room when company comes.

As I continue to read the poem, I feel that the speaker is expressing an opinion of hopefulness because in the third stanza, the speaker says that tomorrow I’ll be at the table because “I, too, sing America.” How does the point of view impact how the details are described?

Practice With your partner, reread the poem that we worked on last week, “Stopping”, and discuss how the point of view influences how the events in the poem are described.

Summarizing Each Stanza Stopping   Coasting down the sidewalk On my skateboard, Free as a bird, Then I pass the new kid's house And keep on coasting. Pedaling down the sidewalk On my bike, wild as the west wind, And keep on pedaling. Summarizing Each Stanza Stanza 1 Stanza 2

Dribbling down the sidewalk With my basketball, I am a blazing star, Then I pass the new kid's house And stop dribbling. I am back in time On my porch, And my house is the new kid's house, I am a crushed tin can in an empty lot Because no one's stopping.   Dribbling up the sidewalk Of the new kid's house, I am the first ripple in the pond. Then I ring the doorbell And start smiling. Stanza 3 Stanza 4

Link As you read on your own, look for examples how the point of view influences how details are described. How does that impact the theme of the text?