Assignment:
The Dead Have No Respect by David R. Axelrod
When she died he
had her decked
out better than she'd
looked in life, only to
have her run away with 5
some sailor they
called Charon.
1. Define the term allusion, according to Backpack Literature. Cite the page number on which you found this definition. According to the textbook an illusion is an indirect reference to any person, place or thing-fictitious, historical or actual(pg. 424).
2. What is the allusion in this poem? (Hint: it is a person's name that you can look up-and you should look it up if you're unfamiliar with it.)
3. Why is it necessary to understand the allusion in order to make sense of the tone of the poem? What is the poem's tone?
Saint Judas by James Wright
When I went out to kill myself, I caught
A pack of hoodlums beating up a man.
Running to spare his suffering, I forgot
My name, my number, how my day began,
How soldiers milled around the garden stone 5
And sang amusing songs; how all that day
Their javelins measured crowds; how I alone
Bargained the proper coins, and slipped away.
Banished from heaven, I found this victim beaten,
Stripped, kneed, and left to cry. Dropping my rope 10
Aside, I ran, ignored the uniforms:
Then I remembered bread my flesh had eaten,
The kiss that ate my flesh. Flayed without hope,
I held the man for nothing in my arms.
1. What is the central allusion in this poem?
2. Which details in the poem helped you to identify the central allusion? Which details make more sense once you understand the allusion?
3. What is the tone of the poem?
4. What is the poem's theme? Remember to state the theme as a complete sentence of a "universal truth," one that holds true for the poem and for life in general. Be sure to consider all the details when coming up with a theme. If any details contradict your statement of theme, you'll need to rethink your statement of theme to include them.
Homecoming by Langston Hughes
I went back in the alley
And I opened up my door.
All her clothes was gone:
She wasn't home no more.
I pulled back the covers, 5
I made down the bed.
A whole lot of room
Was the only thing I had.
1. Who is the speaker in this poem? (It isn't "the poet." What do we know about the speaker from the details in the poem?
2. What pun do you find in line 7?
3. What is the tone of the poem?