1a. How is the swimmer thrifty in "400-Meter Freestyle"?
2a. How does the swimmer's body feel near the end of the race?
3a. What clues in the poem reveal the swimmer's thoughts and emotions?
4a. What elements of "400-Meter Freestyle" create the experience of witnessing a swimming race? Which elements are the most effective?
1b. Why is thrift important to the swimmer?
2b. How does the swimmer react to the physical pressure?
3b. What is the swimmer's goal? How does he reach that goal?
4b. How does "The Women's 400 Meters" create a sense of anticipation and suspense? How does it make the reader feel like a witness to the event? How are the feelings of nervousness, suspense, and desire to win conveyed similarly in the two poems? How are they conveyed differently? What elements of "The Women's 400 Meters" mirror elements in "400-Meter Freestyle"? What elements of "The Women's 400 Meters" might make the reader think the poem is about swimming?
Concrete Poem. As you read "400-Meter Freestyle," how did the shape affect your ability to read everything at the same pace? How did that effect make the experience more real? How might you arrange "The Women's 400 Meters" as a concrete poem?
Metaphor and Personification. What metaphor did you find in "400-Meter Freestyle"? What examples of personification did you find in "400-Meter Freestyle"?
1. Write a concrete poem describing an activity you love.
2. Write a short news story describing a race.
3. Write an explanation of the rules of play for a newcomer to a particular game or competition you enjoy.
Using Vivid Verbs. Poets often use vivid verbs to make their poems come alive. The poems "400-Meter Freestyle" and "The Women's 400 Meters" contain many vivid verbs. Read through both poems and write down examples of vivid verbs on the lines below. Next to each verb, write a less vivid verb that has the same meaning.
Example catapults/jumps
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2.
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5.
Reviewing Verb Tense. The poems "400-Meter Freestyle" and "The Women's 400 Meters" are written in the present tense. What effect does the use of the present tense have on the reader? How would the poems be different if they were written using verbs in the past tense? Choose one of the two poems and rewrite it, changing the verbs from the present to the past tense. Refer to the Language Arts Survey 3.39, "Using Irregular Verbs" to review the past tense of irregular verbs. Which version of the poem do you like better? Why?
