Choosing to Use Inflection With Poetry To critically analyze a poem To analyze a speaker’s use of inflection to convey thoughts and emotions To present a dramatic text convincingly

Choices CHOICES if i can't do what i want to do then my job is to not do what i don't want to do it's not the same thing but it's the best i can do if i can't have what i want . . . then my job is to want what i've got and be satisfied that at least there is something more to want since i can't go where i need to go . . . then i must . . . go where the signs point through always understanding parallel movement isn't lateral when i can't express what i really feel i practice feeling what i can express and none of it is equal i know but that's why mankind alone among the animals learns to cry

“Choices” by Nikki Giovanni Listen as I read without Inflection Now listen as I read with proper inflection What is your response to this reading? What is the difference with between the two readings?

Reading Volunteers Who can read this poem in a new way? What choices about inflection need to be made to interpret the poem? Inflection: varying the tone and pitch of the voice; also includes tempo, volume, and phrasing Just ask students to volunteer to read the poem. A brief discussion in which other students make suggestions will involve all the class.

Giovanni’s Choices About Punctuation What is the effect of Giovanni’s lack of punctuation and capitalization? Poets use punctuation – or absence of punctuation – primarily for dramatic effect. In this poem, the only punctuation used is the points of ellipsis (…). Points of ellipsis often indicate an intentional omission of a word or phrase from the text. They may also be used to indicate an intentional silence of the speaker. Look at other poetry by Nikki Giovanni and ee cummings to analyze other examples of the use of punctuation to convey meaning. There is a word document of poems I found for this purpose.

Punctuation in English period exclamation mark questions mark comma colon semicolon apostrophe quotation marks hyphen dash parentheses braces brackets ellipses Review their use

Nikki Giovanni Nikki Giovanni is a popular poet and professor of English. Over the years, she has won numerous writing awards. Her writing often focuses on individuals and their choices to make a difference.

TP-CASTT Analysis: You have to understand a poem before you can interpret it orally Poem Title: Author: Title: Make a prediction. What do you think the title means before you read the poem? Paraphrase: Translate the poem in your own words. What is the poem about? Rephrase difficult sections word for word. Connotation: Look beyond the literal meaning of key words and images to their associations. Attitude: What is the speaker’s attitude? What is the author’s attitude? How does the author feel about the speaker, about other characters, about the subject? Shifts: where do the shifts in tone, setting, voice, etc., occur? Look for time and place, keywords, punctuation, stanza division, changes in length or rhyme, and sentence structure. What is the purpose of each shift? How do they contribute to effect and meaning? Title: Reexamine the title. What do you think it means now in the context of the poem? Theme: Think of the literal and metaphorical layers of the poem. Then determine the overall theme. The theme must be written in a complete sentence. Springboard suggests teaching this strategy for poems that are especially difficult. You may want to use with a less complex poem to introduce the strategy.

How to Use TP-CASTT This is not a sequential approach, but rather a fluid process. You can move back and forth among the various concepts. You should record your thoughts along the way. As always, your analysis and conclusions should be based on the TEXT.

TP-CASTT with “Choices” Acronym Directions for Analysis Response Title Ponder the title before reading the poem Paraphrase Restate the poem in your own words Connotation Contemplate the poem for word meanings beyond the literal Attitude Observe both the speaker’s and the poem’s tone Shift Note the shifts in person, place, and attitude Title Revisited Examine the title again, this time on an interpretive level Theme Determine the message about life implied by the poem I did not include the response suggestions from the text. See page 285 for those.

Complete these sentences In “Choices,” Nikki Giovanni discusses… How does the poem address the idea of choice? What emotional words help you discover the tone of “Choices”?

Inflection Key Pitch: change tone or pitch of the voice Circle words to speak at a higher pitch. Volume: loudness or softness of the voice Underline words or sentences to read louder. Double underline words to read softer. Tempo: the speed or rate of speaking Write “slow” next to phrases or lines to read slowly. Phrasing: dividing a speech into smaller parts, adding pauses for emphasis Place a vertical line or slash to indicate a pause. Have students mark their “Choices” text using the key. Then, discuss and mark a copy as a class. Let volunteer students read the poem aloud following the class’s agreed-upon text marks. Reflect on the effectiveness of the inflection decisions the class made.

Reflection How do your inflection markings of “Choices” make the thoughts and emotions of the speaker clear to the audience? Which other inflection choices, if any, might make an oral interpretation of “Choices” even better? Also consider facial expression and movement.

Add to Your Oral Interpretation Map Oral interpretaion Cue students to consider the relationship between meaning and Inflection.