Verses of Resilience Questions
These questions are designed to help you analyze and engage with grade-level prose and poetry while
- Critical Analysis: How does Haki's choice of words and phrases in his poem contribute to its overall tone and mood? How would altering the expression or rate of reading change the way the poem is perceived?
- Comparative Evaluation: Compare the reading of your poem with a classmate's reading. What differences in expression and rate did you notice, and how did those differences impact your interpretation of the poem? Which artist (Haki, Tupac, or Kendrick) do you think aligns more closely with the author's intention, and why?
- Interpretation and Inference: What emotions or themes do you think Tupac is trying to convey in "Dear Mama"? How did you use your expression and rate of reading to emphasize those aspects? Can you provide textual evidence to support your interpretation?
- Historical Context: How might the cultural and historical context of the three different artists influence your choices in reading their poems with accuracy and expression? What elements of the poems reflect the time period or social issues it addresses, and how can you bring those out in your oral reading?
- Creativity and Empathy: Choose and artist and poem. Imagine you are the author of this poem. How would you want your poem to be read aloud to capture its essence and message? What choices in expression and rate would you instruct a reader to use, and why? How does stepping into the author's shoes help you better understand the text?