1a. Who does the speaker ask to sing? Who joins in? Who is unable to join in? What would this person do if he or she could join in?
2a. Where has the speaker never been? What is the song the speaker's mother and grandmother sing about?
3a. What happens to the waterlilies in the rain? What happens to the mother and grandmother as they sing?
1b. What does the first stanza (lines 1–4) reveal about the speaker's family situation? How does the speaker's family seem to feel about music?
2b. What does this song reveal about the speaker's heritage? Why do you think the speaker enjoys listening to this song?
3b. In what way are the waterlilies and the speaker's mother and grandmother alike?
4a. What details in this poem help you to get a clear picture of the speaker's background and heritage?
4b. Explain how you think the speaker feels about his or her family and heritage.
5a. Explain why you think the speaker's mother and grandmother cry as they sing.
5b. If you were in the speaker's position, would you ask the mother and grandmother to sing this song, given their reaction? Explain.
Lyric Poem. Explain, stanza by stanza, what emotions the speaker reveals.
Allusion. What allusions to China did you find in this poem? In what way are these allusions tied to the speaker's, mother's, and grandmother's emotions?
1. Imagine that you are the speaker in "I Ask My Mother to Sing" and that you wish to know more about Beijing, China. You are given an opportunity to talk to a someone who just moved from there to your hometown. Write a list of interview questions you might ask this person to find out more about Beijing.
2. Imagine that you are trying to promote trips to Beijing, China, to see some of the historical sites there. Write an advertisement telling potential customers about the trip. You may base much of the information in your ad on "I Ask My Mother to Sing" and the Prereading page for this poem. You may wish to make you ad more appealing by including a photo or drawing.
3. The speaker in two of Emily Dickinson's poems loves reading books because books can make people forget about their everyday troubles and take them outside of themselves. Write a personal essay about an activity you love, explaining how this activity makes you feel.
Brainstorming. To sway means to swing back and forth. Brainstorm a list of action words that describe movement of the body, such as sprint, hop, and roll.
Your Notes:
Editing for Capitalization Errors: Proper Nouns and Adjectives. Review the Language Arts Survey 3.93, "Proper Nouns and Adjectives." Then rewrite the sentences below, capitalizing proper nouns and adjectives, and lowercasing any common nouns that are capitalized.
1. "Please to meet you," I heard a shy Voice say. "My Name is emily dickinson."
2. Well, I haven't actually met her, but I have imagined what it would be like to meet the mysterious Lady in White from amherst, massachusetts.
3. One of dickinson's Grandfathers was a Founder of the School known as amherst college.
4. My Mother has promised to take me to amherst on saturday, so I can see where emily dickinson lived.
5. I also like the french poet charles baudelaire, but I have a feeling Mom won't be taking me to paris.
Review the Language Arts Survey 3.92, "Hyphens and Dashes." Then rewrite the sentences below, inserting hyphens and dashes where necessary. Make sure that you write your dashes longer than your hyphens.
6. There is one place in the world I have always dreamed of visiting China.
7. I saw a parade in Chinatown where dancers wore the costume of a reddish gold dragon.
8. Of the many dynasties that held power over China and there were many that ruled during the thousands of recorded years of Chinese history I find the Han dynasty most interesting.
9. One religious movement that began in China Confucianism was based on the teachings of a philosopher named K'ung Fu-tzu.
10. The Summer Palace a beautiful, historic retreat of the imperial family is located on Kumming Lake outside of Beijing.
Evaluating Articles in a Newspaper or Newsmagazine. Find in your school or local library some newspaper or newsmagazine stories about Chinese students protesting their form of government in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989. Using the guidelines provided in the Language Arts Survey 5.2, "Distinguishing Fact from Opinion," evaluate the news article that you find. Then answer the following questions.
1. Was the writer of your article objective, or did he or she express or reveal an opinion about the events he or she was describing?
2. If the writer of your article was objective, point to examples of phrases and sentences that reveal that the writer did not take sides.
3. If the writer of your article was not objective, what was his or her personal opinion of these events? Why might his person have been biased in this way?
4. If the writer of your article was not objective, point to examples of phrases and sentences that reveal that the writer did not take sides.
5. Explain whether you found the article to be a reliable source of information.
