1a. What does the author wish the listener to do with a ladder?
2a. In verse 2, what does the author hope you see surrounding you?
3a. What does the author wish for you "when the winds of changes shift"?
1b. What do you think the author means by "climb on every rung"? What is the significance of this?
2b. What is this a metaphor for? How will this help you stay young forever?
3b. What do you think the author means by this? Why is it important to have a strong foundation during big changes?
4a. Compare the qualities of a young person to those of an older person. What are the differences in attitude, outlook, experience, mood, words, and actions between older and younger people?
4b. What qualities from a young person do you think an older person would want to keep? Why? What qualities from an older person do you think a young person might want? Why?
5a. How does verse 2 begin and end with two opposite wishes? Does the author mean this literally or metaphorically?
5b. What do you think the author means when he wishes the listener to grow up to be righteous and true and at the same time to stay forever young? How is this possible?
Lyrics. Describe the emotions and thoughts that may have driven Bob Dylan to write these lyrics. How do lyrics work with music to create meaning?
1. Write a paragraph describing your favorite instrument for your class. A guitar? A drum? A violin?
2. Dedicate "Forever Young" to someone special. Write a brief dedication explaining why this person is special to you and why you'd like him or her to listen to this song.
3. Take five of the qualities of youth you listed in question 4a, and create a metaphor for each.
Brainstorming. Bob Dylan tells us to be righteous and courageous. For each word brainstorm a list of other words that mean the same or nearly the same thing. Then write a short paragraph explaining which of these words are qualities you have. Explain.
righteous:
courageous:
How these words relate to me:
Personal Pronouns and Antecedents. A personal pronoun is used in place of the name of a person or thing. The person pronouns are I, me, we, us, he, she, it, him, her, you, they, and them. All personal pronouns require clear antecedents, or nouns that come before the pronoun. That means that the person or thing that the pronoun refers to must be obvious.
Identify the personal pronouns and their antecedents in the following sentences.
Example Have you seen Mary? Yes, I saw her yesterday. (Mary is the antecedent of her.)
1. Susan asked Matt to give her the ball.
2. Linda is running late. She might miss the bus.
3. Where is the book? I think it's on the table.
4. Tell Maria and Jen to arrive at noon. Then they can eat lunch.
5. Carl and I are studying. Then we're going to the mall.
6. Hi Denise. Are you ready to go?
7. Kyla and I are going to the party. My dad will drive us.
8. Did you see that dog? It jumped onto the truck!
9. The students from the chess club went to a tournament. They performed well.
10. Did you see the new Tom Cruise movie? It was great!
Interviewing. Do this activity with a partner. Pretend that one of you is a famous musician and the other is a reporter for Rolling Stone or another music magazine. Prepare five questions for your rock star to answer. As the rock star, stay in character and be creative with your responses. Record your questions and answers in the space provided.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Researching People: With a partner research a musician of your choosing. Find information on how he or she became interested in music and how he or she learned to play an instrument. How many albums has he or she produced? Which is your favorite, and why? Deliver your report to the class. Research Log. Use this log to keep track of the sources you use, the information you find, and your reactions to what you learn.
Internet sources:
Books and other print sources:
Answers to textbook questions:
