Page 92 - SpringBoard_Writing_Workshop_Grade6_Flipbook

Sample Text Snow My Notes Cynthia in the
Snow
Snow
by Gwendolyn Brooks
It SHUSHES.
It hushes
The loudness in the road.
It flitter-twitters,
And laughs away from me. It laughs a lovely whiteness, And whitely whirs away,
To be
Some otherwhere,
Still white as milk or shirts. So beautiful it hurts.
After Reading
ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
Stanzas refer to a group of lines in a poem. Imagery refers to descriptive or figurative language used to create word pictures and convey sensory experiences.
6. When you have finished reading, respond to the following questions about the poem’s ideas, structure, and use of language in the space provided. Be prepared to discuss your answers with your classmates.
a. Ideas: What is the subject of the poem? Who is the speaker? What is the speaker’s attitude, or tone, toward the subject? When and how does the speaker’s attitude (tone) shift?
The subject is snow, and the title implies that there is a specific girl playing in the snow. The speaker is this girl, Cynthia. The speaker’s attitude is lighthearted and full of wonder and awe. The speaker’s tone shifts toward the end of the poem when she describes the snow leaving for another place. The tone becomes more wistful.
b. Structure: How does the poem look on the page? How many stanzas and lines are there? How long are the lines? Where does the poet choose to break the lines? How do these decisions help communicate ideas and create the tone?
The poem is very short with only one stanza and eleven short lines. The lines are two to six words in length. The shortest line in the poem indicates the shift—“To be”—perhaps to show how quickly the shift happens. The poem begins with a short, simple one-line sentence: “It shushes.” Then the sentences gradually become longer and the lines end on verbs, as if the speaker is getting carried away with the snow. Eventually, the poem ends with another short, one-line sentence: “So beautiful it hurts.” This line emphasizes the intensity of the speaker’s experience.
Writing Workshop 8 • Poetry 3
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