"Fork" by Jeffrey Harrison
1. How has the teacher succeeded in making the speaker a writer? How has the "fork" served its purpose?
2. Re-read lines 1 - 24, what can you tell about the teacher and the speaker?
3. How does the tone change throughout the poem?
"Living in Sin" by Adrienne Rich
1. OK...they're not married, but there is an echo of what married life means to singles who don't want to get married. What's the problem here?
2. How do day and night affect this couple who has chosen to live together?
"Bitch" by Carolyn Kizer
1. How has the speaker evolved from her former "bitch" self?
2. What hasn't the "bitch" inside of her been able to come to terms with? Why do you think there hasn't been any closure to the "bitch's" relationship with this man?
"My Papa's Waltz" by Theodore Roethke
1. Critics have interpreted the poem, especially the father, differently depending on their negative or positive reactions to the father. How does the speaker feel about his father in retrospect? How do you know?
2. What would change about the poem had it been entitled "My Father's Waltz"?
"Those Winter Sundays" by Robert Hayden
1. This poem is the result of taking things for granted and not appreciating them. What feelings does the speaker have to the things he remembers seeing, feeling, and hearing?
2. What was his household like, and how do you feel about the lonely father? How do you know he was lonely?
"The Pool Players" by Gwendolyn Brooks
1. This poem is about young characters trapped in an environment plagued by racism, poverty, and violence. What do you think is the poet's attitude toward these kids? Are they male, female, or both?
2. How is the pool-hall's name, "Seven at the Golden Shovel", related to the rest of the poem and its theme? What do you think is the theme (message)?
"Uncle Rock" by Dagoberto Gilb
1. What set Uncle Rock apart from the other men in Erick's mom's life?
2. What did Erick see in him that his mom seemed to miss? What was she looking for in a man?
"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost
1. The setting is very tranquil and serene; it is also very welcoming and very tempting, how so?
2. What does the speaker mean by "miles to go and promises to keep"? Whom do you think he has made promises to?
3. What is the effect of repeating the last 2 lines?
"The Painted Door" by Sinclair Ross
1. What do you think has caused the marriage to disintegrate?
2. How are both husband and wife to blame, or are they to blame?
3. How do you think John defined marriage, and Anne?