1. Speaking With Hands
What are the major events in the poem? Summarize what happens in the poem
What causes the mother to become so angry? What details support your answer
What does the phrase “who knew Watts was the preferred landfill/ of the city” tell you about the shop owners?
In the last line of the poem, the speaker says that his mother is “tired of being tired”. What are the two meanings of tired in this poem?

2. Cultural criticism: Powerful vs. Less Powerful/ Powerless
One question I have about the shop owners:
One question I have about the narrator:
One question I have about the mother:
One question I have about the police:

3. Level of Questions:
Literal (factual questions- have a specific answer):
Ex: What happens when the police show up?
Interpretive (can be answered by analyzing the text, but don’t have a specific answer)
Ex: Why was Mama angry?
Universal (open ended questions about how the text relate to the larger society- not really about the text, but the text makes you think of that subject)
Ex: How does society take advantage of the poor?