Aim. A writer’s aim is his or her purpose, or goal. People may write for one or more of the following purposes: to inform (informative writing); to tell a story (narrative writing); to reflect (personal writing); to share a perspective, entertain, enrich, or enlighten (imaginative writing); or to persuade readers to respond in some way (persuasive writing). What do you think the author’s main aim is in this poem?
Free Verse. Free verse is poetry that does not use regular rhyme, rhythm, or division into stanzas. In this type of verse, which is very common in modern poetry, sound patterns are created through selective pauses or through the normal rhythms of language. Although “Two Girls…” is an example of free verse, a couple of lines do contain rhymes. Try to identify them as you read.
Metaphor. A metaphor is a figure of speech in which one thing is spoken or written about as if it were another. This figure of speech invites the reader to make a comparison between the two things. What metaphor can you find in this poem?
|
• History Connection. Automats became popular in the 1930s and 1940s. Automat machines were comparable to modern-day vending machines, with one exception: the food in automats was prepared daily. A typical automat customer would walk up to a wall of glass windows. He or she would put his or her coins in a slot and get freshly prepared food—anything from a roll with butter to an entree such as lasagna to a slice of pie. Horn & Hardarts was the first automat restaurant chain. Automats diminished in popularity in the 1950s as fast food restaurants began to appear. Horn & Hardarts still continues to restore old automat machines, especially for those people who like to collect antiques.
• Japan has more than five million vending machines (one for every 24 people). You can buy dry rice, pantyhose, comic books, and even insects. Kabutomushi, or horned beetles, are the featured items in some vending machines. Customers place $3.40 into a slot and open a small door to acquire a pair of three-inch beetles in a box. These insects are kept as pets and are extremely popular among Japanese children.
Do you buy things from vending machines? Why, or why not?
|
