Image and Imagery. An image is language that creates a concrete representation of an object or an experience. An image is also the vivid mental picture created in the reader’s mind by that language. Taken together, the images in a poem or passage are called its imagery. The two poems you are about to read are both about bats, but the poets use their own unique imagery to create two different pictures of bats in their readers’ minds. Create a Venn diagram like the one below. As you read, jot down details about bats from both poems. You should put details that are different in the two poems outside the intersection of the ovals under the poems’ titles. You should put similar details inside the intersection of the ovals.
Concrete and Abstract Language. A concrete word, like cloud or airplane, names something that can be directly seen, heard, touched, tasted, or smelled. An abstract word, like hope or pride, names something that cannot be directly seen, heard, touched, tasted, or smelled. As you read, note whether each poet makes use of concrete or abstract language.
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- Science Connection. When most people think of bats, they think of only one species of bat—the vampire bat that feeds off the blood of warm-blooded creatures, like cattle, other mammals, and, every now and then, humans. Vampire bats can spread disease; that, combined with their manner of feeding, makes most humans react to them with fear and disgust. Some people then extend these feelings to all bats.
- Many different types of bats exist, and they rarely pose any danger to humans. Bats are found almost everywhere on the planet. They range widely in size, from having a wingspan of more than five feet to only a few inches. Bats are the only mammal that can fly for any substantial distance. Contrary to popular belief, bats are not blind, although some species of bats, especially those that are active in daytime, depend more on their eyesight than do others. Many nocturnal bats have developed a form of flying and finding prey at night known as echolocation. These bats emit high-frequency sounds that bounce off objects and echo back to their ears, revealing information about the distance and nature of different objects.
In your journal, write about a time when you learned something about an animal that surprised you or that you found interesting.
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