Page 59 - SpringBoard_ELD_Grade8_Flipbook

ACTIVITY 3.5
continued
Quick conversation
• Share your work with a partner. Discuss whether the words and phrases describing the captain and the festivities are mostly positive or mostly negative. Based on the words you listed, how does the speaker feel about each one? What is the effect of the contrast of the words about death and the words about victory or joy? Record notes from your discussion.
The speaker’s attitude about the captain is mostly .
I think the speaker’s attitude about the festivities is mostly .
In my opinion, the contrast in tone about the captain and the festivities emphasizes .
Write a short argument
After analyzing and evaluating tone in “O Captain! My Captain!” you have enough information
to write a short argument. Choose examples from your chart from either stanza two or stanza three. Write a short argument in which you explain the speaker’s tone about the captain and the festivities, using the words and phrases from the poem to explain your opinion. Before writing, read the model short argument provided. Notice what information is in each of the sentences. Try structuring your argument in the same way.
Model: Short ArguMent
The speaker’s tone about the captain in stanza one is sorrowful. He refers to the captain
as “my” captain, which shows how close he feels to the captain. He ends the stanza by describing the captain as “cold and dead.” This image emphasizes the personal grief he feels over the captain’s death, so the tone is one of deep sorrow. However, his tone about the festivities in stanza one is one of excitement. He hears “the bells,” which are ringing because the ship has arrived safely. This image of the bells carries a joyful tone, which contrasts with his sorrowful tone about the captain.
36 SpringBoard® English Language Development grade 8
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