Martin Luther King January 15, 1929-April 4, 1968

Amazing Facts!! Time Magazine's "Man of the Year" (1963) Graduated from high school at 15…college at 19!! Time Magazine's "Man of the Year" (1963) He went on to earn a Ph.D. in systematic theology in 1955! In 1964 King won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Did You Know?? King wrote five books in addition to many letters, essays, and speeches. Martin Luther King’s birth name was: Michael Luther King Jr. King's efforts were not limited to securing civil rights; he also spoke out against poverty and war.

Tribute A spoken or written expression of: Admiration Respect Gratitude Recognition

“Martin Luther King” by Raymond Patterson He came upon an age Beset by grief, by rage- His love so deep so wide, He could not turn aside. His passion, so profound, He would not turn around. He taught this suffering Earth The measure of Man’s worth. He showed what Man can be Before death sets him free.

Rhythm Rhythm is the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables. You should be able to hear a “beat” in the reading.

You should be able to hear a stressed/unstressed pattern in words that are more than one syllable. For example, the adverb forcefully has the first syllable stressed, and the other two syllables unstressed: force´ful ly.

FORCE fully is the correct way to say this word FORCE fully is the correct way to say this word. FORCE = the stressed syllable fully = the two unstressed syllables If you said forceFULLY, the word would sound wrong.

The stress can change if the words changes. photograph photography photographic

How do we find the stressed syllables? Dictionaries show us the stressed syllables in many different ways. Example: Amazing Accent marks. a·maz·ing Lower cased unstressed/higher cased stressed uh-MAY-zing

Watch the pattern of the beats Watch the pattern of the beats. The stressed beat is the louder one, and the line goes higher.

Rhythm He came upon an age Beset by grief, by rage Let’s tap out the beat while we read!!

He came upon an age Beset by grief, by rage- His love so deep so wide, He could not turn aside. His passion, so profound, He would not turn around. He taught this suffering Earth The measure of Man’s worth. He showed what Man can be Before death sets him free.

Rhythm How many beats do you count in each line? How many stressed syllables is that? How many unstressed syllables?

Paraphrase To understand the meaning of a poem, you can paraphrase or restate parts of it. For example: “He came upon an age/ Beset by grief, by rage.” Paraphrased: King was born in and grew up in a troubled time. There is more that we can add to this! 

Paraphrase Let’s paraphrase the rest of the poem. The first couplet has already been done for you.

King was born in and grew up in a troubled time. “He came upon an age Beset by grief, by rage.” Paraphrased: King was born in and grew up in a troubled time. Add to the paraphrase. Consider: When did King become an adult? What was going on in our country at that time? What type of troubles did our country face?

His love so deep so wide, He could not turn aside

His passion, so profound, He would not turn around.

He taught this suffering Earth The measure of Man’s worth.

He showed what Man can be Before death sets him free.

Connection How are this poem and the tribute written by Alice Walker similar? What did the two subjects of the tributes have in common?

Questions Pg. 722 Reader’s Response: Do you think that the poem captures the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr.? Thematic Focus: What clues to Martin Luther King Jr.’s personality can you find in the poem? (How do we know what type of person he was?)

Questions Pg. 722 Describe the age into which King was born. What are two personal qualities that King brought to this age? (According to the poem) What did King teach this “suffering Earth”?

Questions Pg. 722 What does the poet mean by King’s “passion so profound”? In your own words, explain the phrases in lines 8-9 that describe King’s achievements. Would this poem be suitable for an epitaph, an inscription on King’s grave? Explain. If King were alive today, what are causes for which he might be fighting?

Extension Why might Patterson have written this poem as a tribute? What makes the writing of King so powerful? How did King’s oration style emphasize the power of his words? Pay attention to the pauses, rhythm, flow, and emphasis in the following excerpt from a speech of King’s.

Excerpt from King’s Last Speech "I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord."