1. Welcome! August 29th, 2017 Tuesday
Do Now
Get out your weekly Bell Ringer sheet and begin working on Tuesday’s assignment. Once the bell rings, you will have five minutes to guess the meaning of the word. Make sure you explain your thinking!
Remember: Do Now's are INDEPENDENT and QUIET exercises. Thank you 

2. Read the following sentence and guess the meaning of the word facetious based on the context.
The comedian made a facetious comment that people in impoverished countries are spared the problem of overeating.
If someone or something is facetious, it is treating serious issues with deliberate, and often inappropriate, humor.
© Presto Plans

3. a method for reading and analyzing poetry
TPCASTT
a method for reading and analyzing poetry

4. Each letter stands for an element of the poem.
They point you to what’s important.

5. “Sure You Can Ask Me A Personal Question” by Diane Burns
TITLE
Consider the title and make a prediction about is about. (1-2 sentences)
The narrator might be dealing with someone who’s being nosy and asking them too many questions about their personal life.

6. “Sure You Can Ask Me A Personal Question” by Diane Burns
(1) The poem is the narrator’s side of a conversation with someone who asks her about her race. They ask if she’s different races, and she tells them she’s American Indian. (2) She lists the tribes she’s not from, and tells them Indians are not extinct. (3-6) The narrator asks a series questions that imply the person is saying their great grandmother was an Indian Princess, they’ve had Indian friends, lovers, and servants. (7-9) The narrator seems to accept an apology for colonization from them, then answers some questions she probably find offensive (where to get peyote, where to get cheap rugs, if she made it rain). (10) The narrator ends by saying she doesn’t look stoic, it’s just her face.
Paraphrase
Read the poem and translate it into your own words. For longer poems, aim for at least 2 sentences per stanza.

7. “Sure You Can Ask Me A Personal Question” by Diane Burns
Quote: “No, not from India. Not no Apache / No, not Navajo…” Analysis: The repetition with the narrator’s answers gives us a sense of how many times she has had this exact same conversation, and she’s probably tired of it. Quote: “That close? … That tight? … That much?” Analysis: This repetition happens when the narrator’s conversation partner is describing the three Native Americans they’ve known – a friend, a lover, and a servant. The phrases above show that the partner doesn’t really care about the three Native Americans as people – they just care about the fact that they’ve had an Indian friend, an Indian lover, and that they paid their servant a good amount. They only care about appearances.
Connotation
Examine the poem for meaning beyond the literal. Look for figurative language, imagery, and sound elements. (Find at least three points of discussion – and discuss! Be sure to analyze each element – why is it important?)

8. “Sure You Can Ask Me A Personal Question” by Diane Burns
Tone: Bitter Supporting Evidence: Quote 1: “An Indian Princess, huh? / … Let me guess, Cherokee?” Quote 2: “Yeah. Uh-huh. Spirituality. / Uh- huh. Yeah…”
Attitude
Notice the speaker’s tone and attitude. Humor? Sarcasm? Awe? (Provide at least two pieces of textual evidence that support your chosen tone)

9. “Sure You Can Ask Me A Personal Question” by Diane Burns
Tone Shifts from: Bitter but accepting to Defiant Evidence: The narrator goes from agreeing with everything the person said (“Yeah, it was awful what you guys did to us. / It’s real decent of you to apologize.”) to finally disagreeing with a stereotype in the last stanza. (“This ain’t no stoic look. This is my face.”)
Shift in Attitude
Note any shifts or changes in speaker or attitude. Look for key words, time change, punctuation.

10. “Sure You Can Ask Me A Personal Question” by Diane Burns
Title (Again)
Examine the title again, this time on an interpretive level. (1-2 sentences)
I bet the author chose the title because it’s how most of these conversations probably start. I bet she also chose it because it’s a question most people have probably heard before, and it’s about to make you feel a little uncomfortable, just like she does.

11. “Sure You Can Ask Me A Personal Question” by Diane Burns
I think the author is trying to point out how Native Americans are constantly subjected to ignorance and racism from others, even people who might be well-intentioned. I know this because the author shows a one-sided dialogue where she has to answer ignorant questions. She uses a lot of repetition throughout the poem to give us a sense of how many times this conversation has happened to her. At the end, she stops agreeing with everything the ignorant person is saying, and finally points out his/her assumption – she isn’t a “stoic” Indian – she’s just herself.
Theme
State in your own words what the poet is trying to say through his/her work. Refer back to evidence found in previous sections of your TPCASTT for support. (2-3 sentences)

12. Sherman Alexie Poetry Analysis
For the rest of class, you have two jobs:
On your own, complete a TPCASTT using one of the Sherman Alexie poems on your handout. Make sure you complete each step fully. If you need more room, feel free to write on the back. Remember, this is an independent assignment!
Complete IXL A.3 and A.4 under 11th Grade ELA skills. These are due on Friday at 3pm.