1a. What is Hilary's sister doing when the speaker finds her?
2a. What does the speaker say you could hear the pigeons doing?
3a. What does the speaker tell Tina?
4a. What do the speaker and Tina do after they grasped one another's hand?
1b. Why do you think she is doing this?
2b. How could the speaker have heard this?
3b. How does she respond?
4b. How would it have been a challenge to do this?
5a. Note the words and passages in this poem that reveal the passing of time.
5b. By the last lines of the poem, how is the speaker equally as challenged as Tina?
6a. How does Stafford create a unique image of a sunset in this poem?
6b. How would you try to create a unique image of a sunset in a poem? What sensory details might you focus on?
Narrative Poem. What story does this poem tell? How much time elapses in the poem? How much does the reader learn about the characters and setting?
Sensory Details. How are sensory details especially important in this poem?
1. Write a short narrative poem about an experience you have had helping someone.
2. Write a routine for the responsibilities you have around the house, such as caring for siblings or pets, cleaning, or lawn care.
3. Imagine you are looking for someone and finally find the person. Write a half page of dialogue between you and the person you find.
Synonyms. A synonym is a word that means the same or nearly the same as another word. Make a list of synonyms for light and another for dark.
light:
dark:
Adjectives. Adjectives modify nouns by telling specific details about them. Make a list of at least five uses of adjectives from "One Time" and "Ox Cart Man." Write the noun being modified along with the adjective or adjectives that modify it.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6. Look at each example. How specific are the words? How would the poem be different if the adjectives were less specific?
7. Create a piece of writing that narrates a story, using as many specific adjectives as possible. Omit any adjectives that are too general to reveal information to the reader.
