Page 42 - SpringBoard_CloseReading_Workshop_Grade8_Flipbook

The Defence of Fort McHenry by Francis Scott Key
Oh, say can you see by the dawn’s early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming? Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight, O’er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
5 And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep, 10 Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o’er the towering steep, As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses? Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam, In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
15 ‘Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
And where is that band who so vauntingly swore That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion, A home and a country should leave us no more?
20 Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps’ pollution. No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave! 25 Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war’s desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav’n rescued land Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation. Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
30 And this be our motto: “In God is our trust.”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
key ideas and deTails
The poem juxtaposes two times of day in the opening lines—“the dawn’s early light” and “the twilight’s last gleaming” (lines 1-2). How does the changing time of day connect to the poem’s subject—the flag? How does the poet continue to develop this idea later in the poem?
key ideas and deTails
Identify the interrogative sentences (questions) in the poem. Why does the poet ask questions at times rather than use declarative statements? What is the effect of using questions when addressing the audience?
key ideas and deTails
Much of the diction in
this poem carries positive connotations of patriotism, and some are key words that Americans use when describing the character
of their country. Give an example of the poem’s patriotic diction and explain how these words or phrases reflect American values.
key ideas and deTails
By the end of the poem, it is clear that the poet believes America has struggled
and triumphed against the enemy. To what factors does the poet attribute this victory? Look back at the poem and make a list of the contributing factors to which the poet credits America’s ability to endure.
Close Reading Workshop 3
• Close Reading of Poetry 41
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