1a. What happens when hard times come a-knockin' at the door?
2a. What are the poor folks no longer able to do?
3a. From the description given of the poor folks and their living conditions, identify to whom Foster might be referring in this poem.
4a. How do you think the poor folks in the song find the strength to continue, considering that they are being forced to do back-breaking work, travel from place to place, and be separated from their friends and family?
1b. To whom might the lady in the refrain refer?
2b. What causes the poor folks to have to leave their home?
3b. Will the trouble really end in "a few more days"? Explain your answer.
4b. Has it ever seemed that your life has been ruled by circumstances beyond your control? How did your reaction compare with the way the poor folks in the song deal with their situation?
Folk Song. Read the definition of folk song in the Handbook of Literary Terms. Do you think the ideas and feelings that Foster expressed in this folk song were commonly shared by people of that time period? Explain your answer.
Rhyme Scheme. Review the definition of rhyme scheme in the Handbook of Literary Terms. The rhyme scheme of a poem or verse is designated by letter, with matching letters signifying matching sounds. Write out the rhyme scheme for "My Old Kentucky Home." The first verse has been done for you.
Verse 1 abab
Verse 2
Refrain
Verse 3
Verse 4
Verse 5
Verse 6
1. Imagine that you are one of the people Foster wrote about in his song. Write a farewell letter to your friends and family that you are leaving behind.
2. Write a paraphrase of the lyrics to "My Old Kentucky Home."
3. Choose a current topic from today's culture and write your own folk song lyrics. Your song should have at least two verses and a refrain, or chorus, which is a stanza that repeats after each verse. You may choose to write your lyrics in free verse or with a rhyme pattern.
Dialect. Dialect is a version of a language spoken by the people of a particular place, time, or social group. Writers often use dialect to give their works a realistic flavor. A regional dialect is spoken by members of a particular social group or class, or of people living in a certain regional area of the country. Make a chart listing the examples you found of dialect in this song. Write the informal version of the words in the left-hand column and the formal version in the right-hand column. See the examples below.
4b.
Timeline. Research the life of Stephen Foster by visiting the Internet site for The Center for American Music at the University of Pittsburgh, Foster's hometown, at http://www.library.pitt.edu/libraries/cam/cam.html. Go to "Stephen Foster Pages" and select "Stephen Foster Chronology." Read the chronology for the years from 1826 through 1864 and make a timeline that includes the major events in Foster's life. You may want to investigate other pages at this site, such as his biographical sketch, common myths about Stephen Foster, an example of a page from his sketchbook, and the complete list of his compositions.
Researching Stephen Foster:
Sources Used:
timeline
Press Release. Write a press release to persuade the public to attend a concert of Stephen Foster music.Refer to the Language Arts Survey 6.9, "Delivering a Press Release," for information on writing a press release. Include the following information in your press release:
Date of press release Date and time of concert Location Name of group performing Cost of tickets How to purchase tickets Why people should attend
Press Release
