Page 101 - SpringBoard_Writing_Workshop_Grade7_Flipbook

Writing Workshop 8 (continued)
ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
Meter refers to a
pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry. An iamb is a two-syllable metrical foot (or measure) consisting
of one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable. Iambic tetrameter refers to a line of poetry with four iambic feet (which would total eight syllables).
4 SpringBoard® Writing Workshop with Grammar Activities Grade 7
After Reading
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 a field of daffodils that the poet came across one
day during a solitary walk. The speaker is reflecting on this moment in nature. The tone shifts very early in the poem when the speaker discovers the field of flowers and changes from “lonely” to “gay.” It also shifts in the last stanza when the speaker becomes thoughtful and reflects on how the image of the flowers has enhanced his
life since then by filling his heart with pleasure during moments of solitude.
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 many syllables are in each line? Does the poem have a consistent rhyme scheme or meter? How do these decisions help communicate ideas and create tone?
The poem is comprised of four six-line stanzas. The lines are all about eight syllables (or four metrical feet) each. (While some lines are technically nine syllables, such as the last line of the first stanza, if one reads the word “fluttering” as two syllables, it becomes another eight-syllable. This is called syncope.) Each stanza follows a strict ABABCC rhyme scheme with fairly consistent iambic tetrameter.
The regular meter gives the poem a swaying feeling that mimics the motion of the flowers and the waves in lines such as “The waves beside them danced; but they . . .”
c. Use of Language: What kinds of punctuation and capitalization does the writer use? How does the writer use imagery such as descriptive language (vivid verbs, connotative diction, specific adjectives, sensory detail), figurative language (metaphors, similes, personification, hyperbole), and sound techniques (rhyme, enjambment) to communicate ideas and create tone?
The poem capitalizes the first word of every line. Some lines end
with periods, commas, semicolons, or colons, and others use enjambment to show that the reader should not pause at the end
of the line, such as in “as a cloud/That floats.” Vivid verbs include “fluttering” and “gazed.” Figurative language includes similes such as “lonely as a cloud” and personification of the flowers “Tossing their heads in a sprightly dance.” These techniques all help convey the wonder and delight that the speaker felt at coming across this natural scene. The use of sound helps bring the magic of the scene alive for the reader or listener.
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