Page 29 - SpringBoard_CloseReading_Workshop_Grade8_Flipbook

Close Reading of argumentative nonfiction Texts (continued)
indelibly: in a way that cannot be erased or forgotten
ardent: passionate; eager privation: scarcity of the necessities of life; hardship
June 30, 1960
by Patrice Lumumba
1 Men and women of the Congo,
2 Victorious fighters for independence, today victorious, I greet you in the name of the Congolese Government. All of you, my friends, who have fought tirelessly at our sides, I ask you to make this June 30, 1960, an illustrious date that you will keep indelibly engraved in your hearts, a date of significance of which you will teach to your children, so that they will make known to their sons and to their grandchildren the glorious history of our fight for liberty.
3 For this independence of the Congo, even as it is celebrated today with Belgium, a friendly country with whom we deal as equal to equal, no Congolese worthy of the name will ever be able to forget that is was by fighting that it has been won, a day-to-day fight, an ardent and idealistic fight, a fight in which we were spared neither privation nor suffering, and for which we gave our strength and our blood.
ACTiviTy 3
independent Practice
The following excerpts are from a speech given by Patrice Lumumba, the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo, on the day that the country gained independence. The Congo had been a colony of Belgium until the Belgian government granted the Congo independence. Although Lumumba was officially excluded from the program for this event, he gave this speech anyway in front of a large crowd of Congolese, as well as King Baudouin and other representatives of Belgium.
First Reading: First impressions
Read the passage silently to yourself. As you read, think about the meanings of the underlined words. Look at the definitions in the right margin, and also use your knowledge of the words and context clues to help you make meaning of the text.
Congolese
Independence
Speech
28 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 8
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