1. POETRY

2. Jazz Fantasia by Carl Sandburg
Page 344 in the textbook
What does the word “fantasia” in the title suggest?
What sounds can the music create? What sound words does Sandburg use?
Does the poem rhyme? How does Sandburg manipulate sound in the poem?

3. “Mother to son” by Langston Hughes
Notice the difference in rhythm between the long and short lines.
What is your reaction to the speaker of the poem?
What do you think the speaker means when she says that her life has not been a “crystal stair”?
What images does the word crystal bring to mind?
What kind of life has the mother lived?
How has she handled difficulties in her life?

4. Speech to the Young Speech to the progress-toward by Gwendolyn Brooks
What do you think about the advice given by the speaker in Brooks’s poem?
What phrases refer to people who have a negative effect on others?
According to the speaker, what should the reader say to such people?
What do you think is the meaning of the last three lines of Brooks’s poem?
The meaning of the “end-of-the-song”
The meaning of “live in the along”
Comparison:
Which seems more hopeful or offers the best advice? Choose one and argue, using evidence from the text.