1. Coteau Barbara Sapergia Sask. Writer (born in Moose Jaw) The side of a valley

2. The I is not capitalized, so subject might feel insignificant or powerless Allusion- reference to famous book and place The name of a lake in Saskatchewan Personification- pounding sun

3. Grammar awkward tells me it is someone with English as asecond language Personification- rocks alive

4. Alliteration- wolf willow Simile- comparing the hills to sleeping buffalo

5. Could be an example of an exaggeration

6. Repetition- these two lines are repeated for emphasis imagery personification

7. ‘ Coteau’ Barbara Sapergia is a Saskatchewan poet and writer who received her post secondary education at the U. of S. and U. of M. From this knowledge I can predict that the poem will be about some aspect of Saskatchewan. ‘Coteau’ the title of the poem means the side of a valley. This poem is divided into five stanzas and is written in free verse. The overall effect is to embrace the senses with images of the prairie. This first stanza gives us the setting. It is set with a view of ‘Old Wives Lake’ which is a natural salt water lake located 35 km south of Moose Jaw. The poet is reminded of how it looks and compares it to the Dead Sea which is also comprised of salt water. Her standing in a circle of stones gives us a reference to the first nations’ ring of stones left by a campfire. She talks about the strength and power of nature and how it always affects us: the wind and the sun that warms all. We also get an idea of the colours she sees and the plant life. She discusses the hawk and the wolf willow that is abundant in this valley. Alliteration is used when naming the plant that is natural to the area. She also makes reference to the buffalo that used to live here. She is now using her memory and the sense of hearing and touch when describing what it was like to hear the herd of buffalo as they thundered through the prairie grasses. In the last stanza she continues to describe her surroundings and again repeats the line regarding the wind always being with you. She also introduces another native plant: the sage. This poem gives one a sense of beauty and peace within the prairie. Barbara has chosen words that portray the five senses and create a great deal of imagery about a certain time and place in rural Saskatchewan.