THE VIETNAM WALL by Alberto Rios

Background: Vietnam War One of longest and most contentious conflicts in U.S. History Resulted in the deaths of almost 60,000 US soldiers and more than a million Vietnamese, who still refer to the war as “the American War” The war’s casualties and costs divided the people of the U.S.; protests erupted Vietnam Veterans Memorial sought to bring Americans together and to heal the wounds caused by the war

Background: Vietnam Memorial Dedicated in 1982 to commemorate the 2.7 million men/women who served in the conflict Approximately 58,272 names inscribed on the wall in chronological order from first death, injury, and missing-in-action date to the last Polished black granite wall was designed by Maya Lin Was designed to be a place of reflection and harmony without any political message

POSER: On your own paper, use the chart to analyze the picture. PEOPLE   OBJECTS SETTING EVENT RELATIONSHIP/ RELATING SYNTHESIS QUESTION This is the question that you will answer after reading the poem. How does the picture reinforce the central message of the poem, Vietnam Wall?

About the Poem: “The Vietnam Wall” One-stanza poem with no apparent rhyme scheme A picture poem designed to resemble the shape of the Vietnam Memorial Author, Alberto Rios, is Arizona’s first poet laureate

Now are you ready to… …demonstrate your understanding of what the poem says? That means that you understand the figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in order to articulate what is stated and implied by the language of the poem.

What is stated? What is implied? The Vietnam Wall by Alberto Rios I Have seen it And I like it: The magic, The way like cutting onions It brings water out of nowhere. Invisible from one side, a scar Into the skin of the ground From the other, a black winding Appendix line. A dig. An archaeologist can explain 1 min. – Turn & Talk (to your shoulder buddy) 1 min. – Now Jot (Write your 2 sentence response.) Let's share!

What is stated? What is implied? The walk is slow at first Easy, a little black marble wall Of a dollhouse, A smoothness, a shine The boys in the street want to give. One name. And then more Names, long lines, lines of names until They are the shape of the U.N. building Taller than I am: I have walked Into a grave. And everything I expect has been taken away, like that, quick:

What is stated? What is implied? The names are not alphabetized. They are in the order of dying, An alphabet of – somewhere – screaming. 1 min. – Turn & Talk (to your shoulder buddy) 1 min. – Now Jot (Write your 2 sentence response.) Let's share!

What is stated? What is implied? I start to walk out. I almost leave But stop to look up names of friends, My own name. There is somebody Severiano Rios. 1 min. – Turn & Talk (to your shoulder buddy) 1 min. – Now Jot (Write your 2 sentence response.) Let's share!

What is stated? What is implied? 1 min. – Turn & Talk (to your shoulder buddy) 1 min. – Now Jot (Write your 2 sentence response.) Let's share! Little kids do not make the same noise Here, junior high school boys don’t run Or hold each other in headlocks. No rules, something just persists Like pinching on St. Patrick’s Day Every year for no green. No one knows why.

What is stated? What is implied? 1 min. – Turn & Talk (to your shoulder buddy) 1 min. – Now Jot (Write your 2 sentence response.) Let's share! Flowers are forced Into the cracks Between sections. Men have cried At this wall. I have Seen them.

What is the poem's message? Turn & Talk… Then Jot What is the poem's message?

Remember that synthesis question from POSER? How does the picture reinforce the central message of the poem, “Vietnam Wall”? Plan and write a one-paragraph response to the synthesis question. Keep the elaboration rubric in mind as you write. SCORE GROUPS RATIONALE 4 -states the claim/answer very clearly -thorough evidence/support 3 -states the claim/answer clearly -adequate evidence/support 2 -states the claim/answer somewhat clearly -superficial evidence/support 1 -states the claim/answer unclear or unrelated -minimal evidence/support