An Era of Protest
PART 1 An Era of Protest
Challenge America, 1964. Lois Mailou Jones. Photomechanical reproduction, acrylic and paper on canvas, 1 1 39 /8 x 30 /8 in. Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC.
“We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” — Martin Luther King Jr., “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” 1143 Hirshhorn Museum
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Preview the Article In “The Torchbearer,” former Poet Laureate Rita Dove describes how an act by Rosa Parks sparked the modern civil rights movement. 1. Think about what you already know about Rosa Parks and the civil rights movement. What else would you like The to know? 2. Read the excerpt from the poem by Rita Dove on page 1144. How do you think the author feels about Rosa Parks? How might this affect the tone Torchbearer of the article? ROSA PARKS’s simple act of protest galvanized Set a Purpose for Reading America’s civil rights revolution Read to learn how a single act of protest By RITA DOVE defined the Civil Rights movement and changed a nation. How she sat there, Reading Strategy the time right inside a place Analyzing Text Structure When you analyze text structure, or the so wrong it was ready. organization of ideas in a text, you look at separate parts of a selection in order to —From “Rosa,” in On the Bus with understand the entire work. Chronological Rosa Parks by Rita Dove order, or the time order in which events take place, is one type of text structure. Identify We know the story. One December caused so much activity, but I chronological order through dates and key evening, a woman left work and recognized the template: David slaying words such as first, then, and finally. As you boarded a bus for home. She was the giant Goliath, or the boy who read, use a chart like the one below to track tired; her feet ached. But this was saved his village by sticking his finger chronological order in “The Torchbearer.” Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955, in the dike. Perhaps it is precisely the and as the bus became crowded, the lure of fairy-tale retribution that colors woman, a black woman, was ordered the lens we look back through. Parks SEQUENCE OF EVENTS to give up her seat to a white was 42 years old when she refused to Event 1 passenger. When she remained give up her seat. She has insisted that
➧ seated, that simple decision her feet were not aching; she was, by eventually led to the disintegration her own testimony, no more tired than Event 2 of institutionalized segregation in usual. She did not plan her fateful act: ➧ the South and ushered in a new era “I did not get on the bus to get of the Civil Rights movement. arrested,” she has said. “I got on the Event 3 This, anyway, was the story I had bus to go home.” heard from the time I was curious Montgomery’s segregation laws enough to eavesdrop on adult were complex: Blacks were required to conversations. I was three years old pay their fare to the driver and then when a white bus driver warned Rosa get off and reboard through the back Parks, “Well, I’m going to have you door. Sometimes the bus would drive OBJECTIVES arrested,” and she replied, “You may off before the paid-up customers made • Analyze historical context. • Analyze organizational patterns in informa- go on and do so.” As a child, I didn’t it to the back entrance. If the white tional text, including chronological order. understand how doing nothing had section was full and another white
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AP/ Wide World Photos are these: On December 1, 1955, 1955, 1, December On these: are Thefacts, rubbed shiny forretelling, the fine and was released. withstandmedia toscrutiny. able Smith paid more someone for looking vehicle, their as too, her, rejected arrested;Smithwas NAACPleaders Louise Mary named woman young a October, in Then, to press. the and necessary courts was the scrutiny ofwithstand the Colvin than “upstanding” candidate more a that meeting,wherewas itfinally decided ColoredPeople (NAACP), of Parks Advancement attended thethe for National Association the chapter of local the of secretary As case. test gooddeterminewouldamake she if to girl this with met activists Black arrested.wasandseather upgive to earlier,Claudette Colvin,refused15, detained for this offense. Eight months were black. thirds of the bus two- riders that factin Montgomery the by compounded fromwhites. These humiliations aisle thewere across sit to allowed even notpersonwas black a back; the to to give up their seats and move farther customer entered, blacks were required Rosa getting fingerprinted getting Rosa Six weeks later, the time was ripe. be to first the not was Parks hleg te osiuinlt of constitutionality the challenge to agreed Parks Rosa husband, and aftertalkingoverwithmotherher it seamstress.evening,Thata asParks white lawyer whose wife had employedCliffordpostedwasbailby Durr, the ideal candidate for a test case. as political savvy. In short, she was the shepossessed quieta fortitude aswell (securely but employed), reasonably married, reproach moral above putin my hands!” Parks was not only lookwhatsegregationGod,“My has exclaimed, Nixon E.D. leader rights shout,don’t pay the fine? do: Don’t frown, don’t struggle, don’t to not precisely, what more do—or sensibilities so that she knew what to sharpenedNAACPtheher inwork stubborn?hermakethatherhad Or Did said.) has she mean-looking,” through the back reboard door. and (“He was still off get to refusing for yearsbus12hadputheroffaearlier who one same the was driver The Section.” “Colored the of row first She took a seat in the fifth row—the ClevelandAvenuetheboardedbus. store,department Fair Montgomery the for seamstress Parks, Rosa Mrs. h ws retd n Thursday; a on arrested was She At the news of the arrest, local civil since—apersistent symbolhumanof you. not speak; there was no need to. need no was there speak; not did her.She see could audience the so up stood Parks finished, was he When tired.” get people that time a comes “There to: thrill soon would that world the in voice ringing sonorous, declared King Church, Baptist Street Holt the at gathered crowd a addressing Jr. evening, King That Luther Martin Rev. the Church: Baptist Avenue Dexter of minister young their the to Montgomery, as newcomer relative a elected president members the to ruffle any local activists’ feathers, not as So Improvement formed. was Association Montgomery the viction and penalty. That afternoon, con- expected the with minutes, 30 wrong one now!” the with messed They’ve sweet. so sightcriedandherofout,“Oh, she’s caught crowd the in girl A gloves. blackvelvet hat, trimgray coat, a and white cuffs, and collar white with dress black long-sleeved a in figure courthouse,demurethethrongs ata in court.She appear made her way through to the scheduled was Parks Meanwhile, fare. bus standard the centscustomer—stop10perbusfor black of cabs stopping at every municipal population eitherwalking buses, orcatching one the of the off black stayed Montgomery the yet Pleasestay off the buses Monday.” Monday.onall at bus don’ttheride grown-ups,andchildrenplease, But day.Ifyou work, take cab,a orwalk. one for school of out stay to afford can You . . . trial and arrest the of protestbusesMondaytheinoffstay Themessage was simple: to all black schools the next morning. handbills were printed for distribution 35,000 Council, PoliticalWomen’s the of meeting laws. midnight a During segregation Montgomery’s Here I am,HereI lasted trial The indeed. Yes, threatened, Rain came. Monday “We are . . . asking every Negro to And she has been with us everuswithbeen hasshe And THE TORCHBEARER THE hersilence said, Informational Text Informational among
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larger-than-life heroics. Some of the most tumultuous events, however, have been provoked by serendipity— the assassination of an unimportant archduke spawned World War I, a Brian Lanker kicked-over lantern may have sparked the Great Chicago Fire. One cannot help wondering what role Martin Luther King Jr. would have played in the civil rights movement if the opportunity had not presented itself that first evening of the boycott. What if Rosa Parks had chosen a row farther back from the outset? Or what if she had missed the bus altogether? At the beginning of this new millennium (and after a particularly noisy century), it is the modesty of Rosa alone Rosa Parks’s example that sustains us. It is no less than the belief in the power of the individual, that dignity in the face of brutal authority. in the folds of her checked dress, while cornerstone of the American Dream, The famous UPI photo (actually a white man sits, unperturbed, in the that she inspires. Her life offers the taken more than a year later, on row behind her. That clear profile, the hope that when crunch time comes, December 21, 1956, the day neat hat and eyeglasses and sensible all of us—even the least of us—could Montgomery’s public transportation coat—she could have been my mother be that brave, that serenely human. system was legally integrated) is a or anybody’s favorite aunt. study of calm strength. She is looking History is often portrayed as a — Updated 2005, out the bus window, her hands resting grand opera, full of great intrigues and from TIME, June 14, 1999
RESPONDING AND THINKING CRITICALLY
Respond 6. (a) How do you think the author feels about the Montgomery bus boycott? (b)What evidence 1. Using Rosa Parks’s actions as an example, how supports your conclusion? would you define heroism? 7. (a)Return to the graphic organizer you created. Recall and Interpret What is the chronological order of events presented in the article? (b)Why do you think Dove chose to 2. (a)What were the segregation laws for Montgomery’s organize the article in chronological order? bus system? (b)Why were these laws especially humiliating to African American people? Connect 3. (a)Why did the NAACP reject two other bus riders 8. In “The Torchbearer” Dove writes “What if Rosa before meeting Parks? (b)What does this indicate Parks had chosen a row farther back from the about the organization? outset? Or what if she had missed the bus 4. (a)Who was elected president of the Montgomery altogether?” In what ways do you think these Improvement Association? (b)Why is this important? changes would have affected the civil rights movement? Analyze and Evaluate 5. (a)Why were Parks’s appearance and social standing important? (b)How might you have reacted if you were at Parks’s trial?
1146 UNIT 7 INTO THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY Brian Lanker
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from Stride Toward Freedom
MEET MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
artin Luther King Jr. fundamentally altered the way people in the United MStates look at race. He showed that seg- regation and forced inequality could be successfully combated without recourse to violence. King’s steady advocacy uplifted the despondent and chal- lenged the complacent. Combining high ideals with practicality, King inspired people from all races and backgrounds to demand the best from themselves and their country. Commitment and Dedication When the center of the civil rights struggle shifted to Birmingham, Alabama, in 1963, King was there. He and other “Do your work so well that no one demonstrators were jailed, and violence exploded in the streets, but King’s stance on nonviolent resis- could do it better. Do it so well that all tance remained firm: “We will go on,” he told his the hosts of heaven and earth will have supporters, “because we have started a fire in Bir- ming ham that water cannot put out. We are going to say: Here lived a man who did his on because we love Birmingham and we love democ- job as if God Almighty called him at racy. And we are going to remain nonviolent.” this particular time in history to do it.” One of the best-known triumphs of the civil rights movement was the March on Washington in 1963. —Martin Luther King Jr. There King delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech to an audience of approximately 250,000 people. One year later, he became the youngest person ever to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Historic Struggles Born the son of a minister in Atlanta, Georgia, King distinguished himself at Despite his commitment to nonviolence, King school and entered Morehouse College at fifteen. himself was the target of threats and violence. In After receiving his PhD in theology, King became 1968, at the age of thirty-nine, he fell victim to an a minister in Montgomery, Alabama. assassin’s bullet. King’s funeral took place at the Shortly after King moved to Montgomery, the first church where he had acted as pastor, Ebenezer major nonviolent protest of the civil rights move- Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. Over a thou- ment took place: the Montgomery bus boycott. sand people, including political leaders and foreign The boycott was an attempt to end the practice of dignitaries, crowded into the church for the ser- segregation on public buses. For more than a year, vice. Outside, almost one hundred thousand more Montgomery’s fifty thousand black citizens stayed paid tribute. off the buses. The boycott was successful, and Martin Luther King Jr. was born in 1929 and died King’s outstanding public speaking and leadership in 1968. skills drew national attention. After the boycott, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference was founded to confront all forms of segregation, Author Search For more about and King became its president. Martin Luther King Jr., go to www.glencoe.com.
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. 1147 Flip Schulke/CORBIS
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Connecting to the Selection Reading Strategy Paraphrasing Unfair situations can be difficult to deal with, but When you state in your own words the main point of a Martin Luther King Jr. convinced many people that piece of writing, you are paraphrasing. Paraphrasing injustices can be remedied. He also argued that those helps you better remember and understand what you who experience injustice have the responsibility to pre- read. As you read this selection, pause from time to vent themselves from feeling hatred and despair. As time and ask yourself questions to help you para- you read, think about the following questions: phrase King’s arguments about nonviolence. What is a situation in the United States today that • Reading Tip: Paraphrasing Use a chart to para- you think is unjust and needs to be changed? phrase important details. • What are your highest principles or ideals? Building Background Detail Paraphrase King based his theory of nonviolent resistance on the ideas of Henry David Thoreau, Mohandas Gandhi, “ . . . the oppressed People who suffer and others. The movement was supported by the resign themselves to from injustice Fellowship of Reconciliation, a group that promoted their doom. They believe there is no nonviolent direct action. James Lawson, a young African tacitly adjust way out. They get American pacifist who had learned about Gandhi’s themselves to so used to living nonviolent strategies during travels in India, also helped oppression, and with injustice that by teaching workshops on nonviolence. In the end, thereby become they come to nonviolence succeeded in the civil rights movement conditioned to it.” accept it. because of the courage of those who practiced it. Setting Purposes for Reading Big Idea An Era of Protest Vocabulary As you read, think about the different groups of people ordeal (or de¯l ) n. a circumstance or experience that King sought to convince as he embarked upon his that is painful or difficult; a trial; p. 1149 The campaign of nonviolent resistance. storm was a physical ordeal for people on the ship.
stature (stach ər) n. a level attained; standing; Literary Element Structure status; p. 1150 Mayor Evans is a person of great Structure is the order or pattern a writer uses to pres- stature in our community. ent ideas in a logical way. By focusing his argument on imperative (im per ə tiv) n. something abso- three main points and giving evidence for each point lutely necessary; an essential; p. 1151 When you before moving to the next, King is able to express his write a business letter, correct spelling is an imperative. position clearly and methodically. As you read, carefully examine the reasons and evidence he gives as he repudiate (ri pu¯ d e¯ a¯t´) v. to refuse to accept as seeks to persuade his audience that nonviolence is valid; to reject; to renounce; p. 1151 The mayor the best way to fight injustice. gave a speech to repudiate reports of a scandal. • See Literary Terms Handbook, p. R17. Vocabulary Tip: Analogies An analogy is a compari- son made between two things to show how they relate to each other. Interactive Literary Elements Handbook To review or learn more about the literary elements, go to www.glencoe.com.
OBJECTIVES In studying this selection, you will focus on the following: • analyzing structure • understanding the historical period • paraphrasing
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1147-1152 U7P1APP-845481.indd 1148 1/10/07 11:07:14 PM Martin Luther King Jr. S11-178-01C-635423 Boulevard, Novarese Chris . . . Oppressed people deal with their oppression that they know not of.5 They prefer the “fleshpots in three characteristic ways. One way is of Egypt” to the ordeals of emancipation. acquiescence:1 the oppressed resign themselves to There is such a thing as the freedom of their doom. They tacitly2 adjust themselves to exhaustion. Some people are so worn down by oppression, and thereby become conditioned to the yoke of oppression that they give up. A few it. In every movement toward freedom some of years ago in the slum areas of Atlanta, a Negro the oppressed prefer to remain oppressed. Almost guitarist used to sing almost daily: “Ben down so 2,800 years ago Moses set out to lead the children long that down don’t bother me.” This is the of Israel from the slavery of Egypt3 to the freedom type of negative freedom and resignation that of the promised land.4 He soon discovered that often engulfs the life of the oppressed. slaves do not always welcome their deliverers. But this is not the way out. To accept pas- They become accustomed to being slaves. They sively an unjust system is to cooperate with that would rather bear those ills they have, as system; thereby the oppressed become as evil as Shakespeare pointed out, than flee to others the oppressor. Noncooperation with evil is as much a moral obligation as is cooperation with good. The oppressed must never allow the con- science of the oppressor to slumber. Religion 1. Acquiescence means “the act of consenting or agreeing silently, without objections.” 2. Tacitly means “silently.” 5. [Shakespeare . . . know not of] In Shakespeare’s play 3. [Moses . . . of Egypt] As Moses led the Israelites across the Hamlet, the title character says (act 3, scene 1, lines 80–81): wilderness, supplies brought from Egypt ran out. The Bible “. . . And makes us rather bear those ills we have, / Than fly (Exodus 16:2–3) tells how the people complained and to others that we know not of.” began to regret having left Egypt where, although they were in bondage, they had sufficient food. Reading Strategy Paraphrasing Rephrase this passage in 4. In the Bible, the Promised Land is the land of Canaan, your own words. promised by God to Abraham’s descendants. Vocabulary Literary Element Structure What do the opening sentences suggest about the way King intends to organize ordeal (o r de¯l) n. a circumstance or experience that is his ideas? painful or difficult; a trial
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. 1149 Images.com/CORBIS
1149-1151 U7P1SEL-845481.indd 1149 4/17/06 3:22:02 PM reminds every man that he is his brother’s of bitterness, and our chief legacy to them will keeper. To accept injustice or segregation pas- be an endless reign of meaningless chaos. sively is to say to the oppressor that his actions Violence is not the way. are morally right. It is a way of allowing his con- The third way open to oppressed people in science to fall asleep. At this moment the their quest for freedom is the way of nonviolent oppressed fails to be his brother’s keeper. So resistance. Like the synthesis in Hegelian philos- acquiescence—while often the easier way—is ophy, the principle of nonvio- not the moral way. It is the way of the coward. lent resistance seeks to The Negro cannot win the respect of his oppres- reconcile the truths of two sor by acquiescing; he merely increases the opposites—acquiescence and oppressor’s arrogance and contempt. Acqui- violence—while avoiding the escence is interpreted as proof of the Negro’s extremes and immoralities of inferiority. The Negro cannot win the respect of both. The nonviolent resister the white people of the South or the peoples of agrees with the person who the world if he is willing to sell the future of his acquiesces that one should children for his personal and immediate comfort not be physically aggressive Visual Vocabulary and safety. toward his opponent; but he German philosopher A second way that oppressed people sometimes balances the equation by Georg Hegel (ha¯ gəl) (1770–1831) proposed deal with oppression is to resort to physical vio- agreeing with the person of the theory that for each lence and corroding hatred. Violence often brings violence that evil must be idea or concept (thesis) about momentary results. Nations have fre- resisted. He avoids the nonre- there is an opposite quently won their independence in battle. But in sistance of the former and the (antithesis), and that these two eventually spite of temporary victories, violence never brings violent resistance of the lat- merge to form a new, permanent peace. It solves no social problem; it ter. With nonviolent resis- unified idea or concept merely creates new and more complicated ones. tance, no individual or group (synthesis). Violence as a way of achieving racial justice is need submit to any wrong, both impractical and immoral. It is impractical nor need anyone resort to violence in order to because it is a descending spiral ending in right a wrong. destruction for all. The old law of an eye for an It seems to me that this is the method that eye leaves everybody blind. It is immoral because must guide the actions of the Negro in the pres- it seeks to humiliate the opponent rather than ent crisis in race relations. Through nonviolent win his understanding; it seeks to annihilate resistance the Negro will be able to rise to the rather than to convert. Violence is immoral noble height of opposing the unjust system while because it thrives on hatred rather than love. It loving the perpetrators of the system. The Negro destroys community and makes brotherhood must work passionately and unrelentingly for full impossible. It leaves society in monologue rather stature as a citizen, but he must not use inferior than dialogue. Violence ends by defeating itself. methods to gain it. He must never come to terms It creates bitterness in the survivors and brutality with falsehood, malice, hate, or destruction. in the destroyers. A voice echoes through time saying to every potential Peter, “Put up your sword.”6 History is cluttered with the wreckage Reading Strategy Paraphrasing How does nonviolent of nations that failed to follow this command. resistance reconcile those who abhor injustice and those If the American Negro and other victims of who abhor violence? oppression succumb to the temptation of using violence in the struggle for freedom, future gen- Literary Element Structure Notice that King first erations will be the recipients of a desolate night addresses acquiescence to oppression, then violent resistance, and finally nonviolent resistance. Why does he choose this order for his argument?
6. [Peter . . . sword] In the New Testament (Matthew 26:52, John 18:11), when the soldiers and priests come to arrest Vocabulary Jesus, the disciple Peter cuts off the ear of the high priest’s stature (stach ər) n. a level attained; standing; status servant. Jesus condemns this use of violence.
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Nonviolent resistance makes it possible for the equality and justice can only be a success if it has Negro to remain in the South and struggle for both a mass and militant character; the barriers his rights. The Negro’s problem will not be to be overcome require both. Nonviolence is an solved by running away. He cannot listen to the imperative in order to bring about ultimate glib8 suggestion of those who would urge him to community. migrate en masse9 to other sections of the country. A mass movement of a militant quality that is By grasping his great opportunity in the South he not at the same time committed to nonviolence can make a lasting contribution to the moral tends to generate conflict, which in turn breeds strength of the nation and set a sublime example anarchy. The support of the participants and the of courage for generations yet unborn. sympathy of the uncommitted are both inhibited By nonviolent resistance, the Negro can also by the threat that bloodshed will engulf the com- enlist all men of good will in his struggle for munity. This reaction in turn encourages the equality. The problem is not a purely racial one, opposition to threaten and resort to force. When, with Negroes set against whites. In the end, it is however, the mass movement repudiates violence not a struggle between people at all, but a ten- while moving resolutely toward its goal, its oppo- sion between justice and injustice. Nonviolent nents are revealed as the instigators and practi- resistance is not aimed against oppressors but tioners of violence if it occurs. Then public against oppression. Under its banner con- support is magnetically attracted to the advo- sciences, not racial groups, are enlisted. cates of nonviolence, while those who employ If the Negro is to achieve the goal of integra- violence are literally disarmed by overwhelming tion, he must organize himself into a militant sentiment against their stand. and nonviolent mass movement. All three ele- ments are indispensable. The movement for Literary Element Structure According to King, how does their opponents’ violence tend to ultimately advance the 8. Glib means “offhanded” or “showing little thought or goals of nonviolent resisters? concern.” 9. The French expression en masse (an mas) means “in a Vocabulary group” or “all together.” imperative (im per ə tiv) n. something absolutely nec- Big Idea An Era of Protest Why should African essary; an essential Americans remain in the South and struggle for their rights, repudiate (ri pu¯ de¯ a¯t´) v. to refuse to accept as valid; according to King? to reject; to renounce
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. 1151
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RESPONDING AND THINKING CRITICALLY Respond system is to cooperate with that system”? (b)Do you see any flaws with this claim? 1. What sudden insights did you gain as you read Explain why or why not. King’s arguments? Explain. 6. (a)Booker T. Washington said, “I shall allow no man Recall and Interpret to belittle my soul by making me hate him.” How 2. (a)What does King think about violence as a means might King respond to this quote? (b)Do you for bringing about social change? (b)What does his agree with the quote? Why or why not? opinion about violence tell you about King himself? 7. This selection was first published in 1958. Do you 3. (a)What is nonviolent resistance? (b)How is it simi- think King’s ideas are still relevant today? Explain. lar to and different from both passive acceptance and violent resistance? Connect 4. (a)Against whom or what should nonviolence be 8. Big Idea An Era of Protest (a)Considering aimed, according to King? (b)Why do you suppose what you know about the era leading up to the civil King took pains to make this target clear? rights movement, what would you say was distinc- tive about King’s method of protesting injustice? Analyze and Evaluate (b)What qualities would a protestor need to pos- 5. (a)What reasons and evidence does King give to sess in order to follow King’s directions? support his claim that “to accept passively an unjust
LITERARY ANALYSIS READING AND VOCABULARY
Literary Element Structure Reading Strategy Paraphrasing The structure of persuasive or expository writing may When you paraphrase, you put details or ideas from vary. Listing detailed information, using cause and a selection into your own words. Paraphrasing can effect, or describing a problem and its solution are help you better understand difficult passages. some ways of presenting a topic. In this selection, 1. What is the main point of this selection? King uses a list to present his points. 2. Which particular passages or details did paraphras- 1. (a)What does King state in the first sentence? ing help you to better understand? Explain. (b)Explain how this sentence helps set up the structure of the entire piece. 2. Would switching the order of King’s three points Vocabulary Practice affect his argument? Why or why not? Practice with Analogies Choose the word that best completes each analogy below. Review: Allusion 1. stature : standing :: background : As you learned in Unit 1, an allusion is a reference in a a. heritage b. education c. behavior work of literature to a character, a place, or a situation 2. ordeal : survival :: epidemic : from history, music, art, or another work of literature. a. disease b. celebration c. health Partner Activity With a partner, go back and identify three allusions in the selection. Together, decide which allusion most effectively illustrates King’s points, sup-
porting your responses with evidence from the selec- Web Activities For eFlashcards, tion. Share your thoughts with the class. Selection Quick Checks, and other Web activities, go to www.glencoe.com.
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Choice: A Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
MEET ALICE WALKER
riting permits me to be more than I am,” declares Alice Walker. Born “Winto a poor, rural life in Eatonton, Georgia, Walker had experienced being made to feel less than she was. She knew how it felt to bear the legacy of slavery, racism, and segregation. Her parents and grandparents worked on what had been a plantation, she recalled decades later, toiling “all their lives for barely enough food and shelter to sustain them. They were sharecroppers—landless peasants—the product of whose labor was routinely stolen from them.” The Rights of Women Interestingly, the Civil Rights leader whom Walker calls her “spiritual “We will be ourselves and free, or die ancestor” is not Dr. King or another figure from the Civil Rights movement, but Sojourner in the attempt. Harriet Tubman was Truth—a former slave who became an abolitionist not our great-grandmother for nothing.” and advocate for women’s rights in the nineteenth century. Walker says it gives her joy to realize she —Alice Walker shares her name with Sojourner Truth. Walker and sojourner can have roughly the same meaning, and Alice means “truth” in ancient Greek. Aside from Early Struggles in the South Awarded a schol- their names, their common bond, Walker says, arship, Walker entered Spelman College in 1961, is a concern not only for the rights of African at the peak of the Civil Rights movement. There Americans but also for the rights of women. In she first met Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. She con- fact, much of Walker’s writing can be called wom- tinued her education at Sarah Lawrence College in anist, a term Walker coined to describe work appre- New York, and after graduation she worked in the ciating women’s culture, characters, and feelings. New York City Welfare Department. Returning to Since the publication of her novel The Color Purple, the South in 1966, Walker became a Head Start which won both a Pulitzer Prize and an American worker in Mississippi and helped organize voter Book Award and was adapted into a highly success- registration in Georgia. Reflecting on the Civil ful film, Walker has been a celebrity. Beside novels, Rights movement, she called it “a time of intense she has written short stories, poems, essays, and friendships, passions, and loves among the people children’s books. She also has won acclaim for her who came south (or lived there), and who risked nonfiction work, including Anything We Love Can everything to change [the] system.” She remem- Be Saved: A Writer’s Activism. bers the movement’s many triumphs, but she also recalls that the cost “still bruises the heart.” In Alice Walker was born in 1944. 1967 Walker married a fellow Civil Rights worker. She had to do so in the North, however, for she married a white man and interracial marriage was Author Search For more about still illegal in the South. AuthorAlice Walker, Name, go go to to www.glencoe.com www.literature.glencoe.com. .
ALICE WALKER 1153 AP Photo/Noah Berger
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Connecting to the Speech Reading Strategy Activating Prior Imagine having to leave a place you love, a place where Knowledge your family and friends have lived for generations. This As a reader, your prior knowledge and personal expe- was the lot of many poor African Americans who were riences help you understand a text. While reading forced from their land in the rural South in order to find Walker’s speech, draw upon what you already know to enough work to lead decent lives. As you read Walker’s understand the topics she discusses. speech, think about the following questions: • What gives the places you love their special quality? Reading Tip: Applying What You Know Use a chart • Where are your family’s roots, and how important like the one below to help you make connections are they to you? between Walker’s ideas and your prior knowledge. Building Background from “Choice” What I Know In her speech, Walker gives an abbreviated history of African Americans since the late nineteenth century. Yet the history of The ancestors of She refers to the period after the Civil War called my family, like that black Southerners Reconstruction (1865–1877), a time when African of all black South- were taken from their Americans enjoyed new rights. Reconstruction ended erners, is a history land in Africa and when Southern whites regained control of state gov- of dispossession. enslaved in America. ernment. In the climate of oppression that followed, millions of African Americans left the South. Walker then shifts her discussion to 1960, when a federal court ordered the University of Georgia to admit Vocabulary African American students. Her final reference is to the desegregation of a Mississippi restaurant. Beginning in ancestral (an ses trəl) adj. of or relating to 1960, protestors held sit-in demonstrations in restau- those from whom one is descended; p. 1155 My rants, forcing them to comply with desegregation laws. family’s ancestral property was sold long ago. colossal (kə los əl) adj. extraordinary in size or Setting Purposes for Reading degree; enormous; p. 1156 A colossal wave over- Big Idea An Era of Protest turned the ship. As you read Walker’s speech, try to understand the continuity (kon tə no¯¯o¯´ ə te¯) n. the state or resentment that would naturally build up when a quality of going on without interruption; p. 1156 group of people are deprived of basic rights and the If the President dies in office, the Vice President means of a decent livelihood over many generations. immediately takes over to ensure continuity.
ephemeral (i fem rəl) adj. lasting for a very Literary Element Anecdote brief time; short-lived; p. 1156 A rainbow is An anecdote is a brief account of an interesting event. brilliant but ephemeral. As you read, note any anecdotes Walker tells and con- sider why she uses them. Vocabulary Tip: Antonyms When two words have the opposite meaning, we say they are antonyms. • See Literary Terms Handbook, p. R1. The words complex and uncomplicated, for exam- ple, are antonyms. Note that antonyms are always the same part of speech. Interactive Literary Elements Handbook To review or learn more about the literary elements, go to www.glencoe.com.
OBJECTIVES In studying this selection, you will focus on the following: • identifying anecdotes • analyzing contemporary nonfiction • activating prior knowledge
1154 UNIT 7 INTO THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
1153-1157 U7P1APP-845481.indd 1154 1/10/07 11:34:29 PM Stewart’s Farm, 1995. Jonathan Green. Oil on canvas, 48 x 60 in. Collection of the artist.
Alice Walker
This address was made in 1972 at a Jackson, If it is true that land does not belong to anyone Mississippi, restaurant that refused to serve until they have buried a body in it, then the land people of color until forced to do so by the of my birthplace belongs to me, dozens of times Civil Rights movement a few years before. over. Yet the history of my family, like that of all black Southerners, is a history of dispossession. My great-great-great-grandmother walked as a We loved the land and worked the land, but we slave from Virginia to Eatonton, Georgia—which never owned it; and even if we bought land, as passes for the Walker ancestral home—with two my great-grandfather did after the Civil War, it babies on her hips. She lived to be a hundred and was always in danger of being taken away, as his twenty-five years old and my own father knew her was, during the period following Reconstruction. as a boy. (It is in memory of this walk that I My father inherited nothing of material value choose to keep and to embrace my “maiden” from his father, and when I came of age in the name, Walker.) early sixties I awoke to the bitter knowledge that There is a cemetery near our family church in order just to continue to love the land of my where she is buried; but because her marker was birth, I was expected to leave it. For black people made of wood and rotted years ago, it is impos- —including my parents—had learned a long sible to tell exactly where her body lies. In the time ago that to stay willingly in a beloved but same cemetery are most of my mother’s people, brutal place is to risk losing the love and being who have lived in Georgia for so long nobody forced to acknowledge only the brutality. even remembers when they came. And all of my It is a part of the black Southern sensibility great-aunts and uncles are there, and my grand- that we treasure memories; for such a long time, father and grandmother, and, very recently, my that is all of our homeland those of us who at own father. one time or another were forced away from it have been allowed to have. I watched my brothers, one by one, leave our Reading Strategy Activating Prior Knowledge Based on what you know about U.S. geography, about how many home and leave the South. I watched my sisters states did Walker’s ancestor walk through? do the same. This was not unusual; abandonment,
Vocabulary Big Idea An Era of Protest How does this irony ancestral (an ses t r ə l ) adj. of or relating to those from contribute to the frustration and anger of African American whom one is descended Southerners?
ALICE WALKER 1155 Collection of the artist
1155-1156 U7P1SEL-845481.indd 1155 1/10/07 11:17:28 PM except for memories, was the common thing, speeches, and the librarians chuckle cruelly except for those who “could not do any better,” when asked why they do not. or those whose strength or stubbornness was so You know, if you have read his books, that his colossal they took the risk that others could is a complex and revolutionary philosophy that not bear. few people are capable of understanding fully or In 1960, my mother bought a television set, have the patience to embody in themselves. and each day after school I watched Hamilton Which is our weakness, which is our loss. Holmes and Charlayne Hunter as they struggled And if you know anything about good Baptist to integrate—fair-skinned as they were—the preaching, you can imagine what you missed if University of Georgia. And then, one day, there you never had a chance to hear Martin Luther appeared the face of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. King Jr. preach at Ebenezer Baptist Church. What a funny name, I thought. At the moment I You know of the prizes and awards that he first saw him, he was being handcuffed and shoved tended to think very little of. And you know of into a police truck. He had dared to claim his his concern for the disinherited: the American rights as a native son, and had been arrested. He Indian, the Mexican American, and the poor displayed no fear, but seemed calm and serene, American white—for whom he cared much. unaware of his own extraordinary courage. His You know that this very room, in this very whole body, like his conscience, was at peace. restaurant, was closed to people of color not At the moment I saw his resistance I knew I more than five years ago. And that we eat here would never be able to live in this country with- together tonight largely through his efforts and out resisting everything that sought to disinherit his blood. We accept the common pleasures of me, and I would never be forced away from the life, assuredly, in his name. land of my birth without a fight. But add to all of these things the one thing He was The One, The Hero, The One Fear- that seems to me second to none in importance: less Person for whom we had waited. I hadn’t He gave us back our heritage. He gave us back even realized before that we had been waiting for our homeland; the bones and dust of our ances- Martin Luther King Jr. but we had. And I knew tors, who may now sleep within our caring and it for sure when my mother added his name to our hearing. He gave us the blueness of the the list of people she prayed for every night. Georgia sky in autumn as in summer; the colors I sometimes think that it was literally the of the Southern winter as well as glimpses of the prayers of people like my mother and father, green of vacation-time spring. Those of our rela- who had bowed down in the struggle for such a tives we used to invite for a visit we now can ask long time, that kept Dr. King alive until five to stay. . . . He gave us full-time use of our own years ago. For years we went to bed praying for woods, and restored our memories to those of his life, and awoke with the question “Is the us who were forced to run away, as realities we ‘Lord’ still here?” might each day enjoy and leave for our children. The public acts of Dr. King you know. They He gave us continuity of place, without which are visible all around you. His voice you would community is ephemeral. He gave us home. recognize sooner than any other voice you have heard in this century—this in spite of the fact that certain municipal libraries, like the one in Big Idea An Era of Protest How might a person’s downtown Jackson, do not carry recordings of his concern for the disinherited help make that person a hero during this period?
Vocabulary Literary Element Anecdote How does this observation add to the interest of Walker’s anecdote? colossal (kə los əl) adj. extraordinary in size or degree; enormous Reading Strategy Activating Prior Knowledge What continuity (kon´ tə no¯¯o¯ ə te¯) n. the state or quality of “public acts” or other facts do you know about Dr. King, and going on without interruption how does that knowledge help you understand this speech ephemeral (i fem rəl) adj. lasting for a very brief time; better? short-lived
1156 UNIT 7 INTO THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
1155-1156 U7P1SEL-845481.indd 1156 4/17/06 3:44:03 PM AFTER YOU READ
RESPONDING AND THINKING CRITICALLY Respond Analyze and Evaluate 1. What ideas in this speech will you remember? Why? 5. (a)What is the connection between Walker’s story about her brothers and sisters leaving the land and Recall and Interpret what she calls Dr. King’s great achievement? 2. (a)Why did the author choose “to keep and to (b)If you had been in the audience the day Walker embrace” the name Walker? (b)In what ways is delivered this speech, how do you think this argu- this name more than just a name to her? ment would have affected you? 3. (a)What circumstances kept Walker’s family from 6. (a)How does Walker describe Dr. King to make him owning land? (b)How did the circumstances affect seem more than a human being? (b)In your opin- her family history? ion, does she prove that he lived up to this super- human introduction? Explain. 4. (a)According to Walker, what was the most impor- tant thing Dr. King did for African Americans? Connect (b)From her description of this contribution, what can you infer about Walker and what she values? 7. Big Idea An Era of Protest On the basis of this speech, how important would you say individual leadership was to the Civil Rights movement? Explain.
LITERARY ANALYSIS READING AND VOCABULARY
Literary Element Anecdote Reading Strategy Activating Prior Typically, writers use an anecdote to entertain, to Knowledge explain an idea, or to reveal the personality of a char- A reader typically brings two types of knowledge to a acter. In this speech, Walker tells an anecdote about piece of writing: hard facts and personal experiences. seeing Dr. King for the first time. 1. Identify a passage from Walker’s speech that inter- 1. What does this anecdote tell you about Walker as a ests you. What factual or personal knowledge can child? you bring to it? 2. What does it tell you about why Dr. King became a 2. Walker’s anecdote begins with the purchase of a hero to African Americans? television set in 1960. List one factual and one per- sonal piece of information that helped you under- Writing About Literature stand this part of the anecdote. Analyze Genre Elements Many speeches reference or celebrate the lives of famous men and women. Vocabulary Practice Compose a speech about a person who has influenced Practice with Antonyms Identify the antonym your life. Identify your audience. Then focus on the most for each vocabulary word. important aspects of your subject and grab your listen- ers’ attention with one or two interesting anecdotes. 1. ancestral a. modern b. intelligent 2. colossal a. minuscule b. statuary 3. continuity a. lawlessness b. impermanence Web Activities For eFlashcards, 4. ephemeral a. dull b. permanent Selection Quick Checks, and other Web activities, go to www.glencoe.com.
ALICE WALKER 1157
1153-1157 U7P1APP-845481.indd 1157 4/17/06 4:26:44 PM Vocabulary Workshop Denotation and Connotation
º Vocabulary Terms Recognizing Loaded Words Loaded words express strong opinions or emo- “He displayed no fear, but seemed calm and serene, unaware of his own extraor- tions. Some reveal bias, dinary courage. His whole body, like his conscience, was at peace.” or prejudice. Hyperbole is —Alice Walker, from “Choice: A Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.” the use of exaggeration to make a point. Propaganda Connecting to Literature This passage describes Martin Luther King Jr. when is language that may distort Alice Walker first saw him. It leaves no doubt that she admires Dr. King. The the truth to be persuasive. words and phrases she has chosen— calm, serene, “extraordinary courage”—all help º Test-Taking Tip her sing his praises. “Loaded words” such as these can make speech and writing Ask yourself, “Why did the powerful and persuasive. We encounter them at political rallies, on TV commer- writer write this? What is cials, in the editorial pages of our newspapers, and in our own everyday conversa- his or her point of view?” tion. Loaded words are powerful weapons. It is important to know how to use Once you have established them responsibly. the author’s purpose for writing, look for words or There are different kinds of loaded words. phrases that support this • Language that expresses an author’s prejudice demonstrates bias. Try stance. substituting bold for reckless in the statement below. Note how bold produces a º Reading Handbook positive bias, while reckless suggests disapproval. For more about loaded One particularly reckless young protestor scaled the White House fence. words, see Reading • Exaggerated language used to make a point is referred to as hyperbole. Handbook, p. R20. All the police dogs in the world could not have stopped this demonstration. • Language that may distort the truth in order to influence the public is known as propaganda. Communists and other anti-American elements infiltrated the Civil Rights Movement in order to betray our nation’s values.
eFlashcards For eFlashcards Exercise and other vocabulary activities, go to www.glencoe.com. From the loaded words or phrases that follow the paragraph below, select those that best support the author’s opposition to a war. This was no one’s idea of a just war. It was a war conceived by 1. politicians, who watched from their 2. as 3. of our finest young men marched to their deaths. It was a conflict that finally revealed the rulers of the “free world” to be little more than 4. . OBJECTIVES 1. a. brilliant b. cynical c. elected • Identify intended effects of persuasive vocabulary. 2. a. workplaces b. homes c. ivory towers • Recognize influence of propaganda. 3. a. a generation b. many c. several • Use words with precise connotations. 4. a. war criminals b. ordinary people c. heroes
1158 UNIT 7 INTO THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
1158 U7P1APP-845481.indd 1158 1/10/07 11:38:46 PM BEFORE YOU READ
from Working Roberto Acuna, Farm Worker
MEET STUDS TERKEL
ould you report on the March on What Terkel did in Division Street was the same Washington and leave out Martin thing he would do again and again: interview “real WLuther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” people” about real-life events and lay the bits and speech? That’s what Studs Terkel did. Rather than pieces of their lives out before the American read- focus on the typical center of attention, he ing public. He reflected, through interviews, on depicted a group of people from Chicago as they the American dream. And, perhaps most famously rode to and from the famous 1963 civil rights gath- of all, he collected a world of insight into how ering. While other reporters and newscasters del- Americans felt about their working lives. uged the public with stories of heroes and big events, Terkel quietly explored the motivations, A Voice of Protest Terkel’s work is both history choices, dilemmas, and dreams of everyday people. and commentary. Terkel spoke out early in the strug- gle against Jim Crow laws, poll taxes, and economic Born Louis Terkel in New York, Terkel spent most inequality. His work also expresses great empathy for of his life in Chicago. He borrowed the nickname the “working man” and the working class. “Studs” from a fictional Chicago character, Studs Lonigan. Although he received a law degree, he took a job in radio. He moved from acting on radio soap operas to writing radio shows to eventu- “I was constantly astonished by the ally having his own show. extraordinary dreams of ordinary people. No matter how bewildering the times, Interviews and Oral Histories As a talk show host on Chicago radio, Terkel brought a natural . . . those we call ordinary are aware of talent to the job of interviewing. His skill, which a sense of personal worth—or more grew with practice, translated well to the often a lack of it—in the work they do.” work for which he has —Studs Terkel become most famous, collecting oral histories. His first book of oral his- With his sympathetic ear for the voices of real peo- tories, Division Street: ple, Studs Terkel influenced a whole generation of America, was published radio talk show hosts and had a powerful effect on in 1967. This collection the interviewing style on popular public radio shows. of more than seventy In 1985, he won the Pulitzer Prize in nonfiction for interviews with Chicago The Good War: An Oral History of World War II. residents focuses on the Terkel continues to work, interview, and listen. topic of the gap between rich and poor. As one Studs Terkel was born in 1912. critic noted, the experi- ence of reading the book is a lot like “eavesdrop- ping or reading people’s diaries.” Author Search For more about Studs Terkel, go to www.glencoe.com.
STUDS TERKEL 1159 Bettmann/CORBIS
1159-1169 U7P1APP-845481.indd 1159 4/17/06 4:08:17 PM LITERATURE PREVIEW READING PREVIEW
Connecting to the Interview Reading Strategy Analyzing Cause-and- Almost everyone has to work, but not everyone feels Effect Relationships good about his or her job. What factors can make a When you analyze cause-and-effect relationships, job satisfying or unbearable? As you read this account you look for the causes or reasons why something of life as a farm worker during the 1960s, think about happened and relate them to the effects or results. A the following questions: single cause can have any number of effects. • What do people hope to find in a job? Sometimes, causes and effects are linked together in a • What working conditions do you think should be chain: one effect causes the next, like a falling domino guaranteed to all workers? knocking over the next domino in a line.
Building Background Reading Tip: Taking Notes Use a chart to record This interview comes from a collection called Working: cause-and-effect relationships as you read. People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do. It comprises several Cause Effect dozen interviews with people from all walks of life. Because Terkel regarded his interactions with workers picking lettuce swollen, callused hands as “conversations,” most selections, like the one you falling behind at foreman puts pressure will read, do not have a traditional interview format. work on worker Rather they consist of excerpts and fragments. Changes in type (from roman, or “regular,” type to italics) show where one train of thought or part of the conversation leaves off and another begins. Vocabulary
Setting Purposes for Reading civic (siv ik) adj. related to citizenship; p. 1162 Voting is a civic responsibility. Big Idea An Era of Protest As you read this excerpt from Working, focus on the degrading (di ra¯ din ) adj. tending to drag aspects of life that Roberto Acuna found most difficult down in character or social status; p. 1163 to accept and those that he found were most in need Having to ride in the back of the bus was degrading. of change. compensation (kom´pən sa shən) n. payment; p. 1166 The compensation for babysitting depends Literary Element Oral History on how long you work.
Oral History is history that passes by word of mouth solidarity (sol´ə dar ə te¯) n. unity of a group and begins with those who actually lived it. As you that produces a sense of community; p. 1166 read the interview with Roberto Acuna, think about Their sense of solidarity helped them work together how the thoughts of an ordinary farm worker help you for voting rights. understand the events, as well as the hopes and frus- stipulate (stip yə la¯t´) v. to require or demand trations, of farm workers in the 1960s. as part of an agreement; p. 1167 The negotiators • See Literary Terms Handbook, p. R12. stipulate four requirements for a successful treaty.
Interactive Literary Elements Handbook To review or learn more about the literary elements, go to www.glencoe.com.
OBJECTIVES In studying this selection, you will focus on the following: • analyzing oral history • connecting to historical events • analyzing cause-and-effect relationships
1160 UNIT 7 INTO THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
1159-1169 U7P1APP-845481.indd 1160 1/11/07 1:19:46 AM ghndfgfdgndc
walked out of the fields two years ago. I saw suffering have to stick together, whether they like it or I 1 the need to change the California feudal system, not, whether they be black, brown, or pink.” to change the lives of farm workers, to make these huge corporations feel they’re not above anybody. According to Mom, I was born on a cotton I am thirty-four years old and I try to organize for sack out in the fields, ’cause she had no money the United Farm Workers of America. to go to the hospital. When I was a child, we used to migrate from California to Arizona and His hands are calloused and each of his thumbnails is back and forth. The things I saw shaped my life. singularly2 cut. “If you’re picking lettuce, the thumb- I remember when we used to go out and pick nails fall off ’cause they’re banged on the box. Your carrots and onions, the whole family. We tried to hands get swollen. You can’t slow down because the scratch a livin’ out of the ground. I saw my par- foreman3 sees you’re so many boxes behind and ents cry out in despair, even though we had the you’d better get on. But people would help each whole family working. At the time, they were other. If you’re feeling bad that day, somebody who’s paying sixty-two and a half cents an hour. The feeling pretty good would help. Any people that are average income must have been fifteen hundred dollars, maybe two thousand.4
4. Acuna adds: “Today, because of our struggles, the pay is up 1. A California feudal system is a bitter metaphor comparing to two dollars an hour. Yet we know that is not enough.” the use of serfs on feudal manors in the Middle Ages to the use of farm workers by growers in California. Literary Element Oral History In what ways is the 2. Singularly means “oddly.” speaker an ordinary person or “common man”? 3. A foreman is any leader of a work crew.
STUDS TERKEL 1161 Leonard Nadel/National Museum of American History/Handout/Reuters/CORBIS
1161-1167 U7P1SEL-845481.indd 1161 4/20/06 2:50:25 PM This was supplemented5 by child labor. During them. That’s another thing: when I see the many those years, the growers used to have a Pick- things in this world and this country, I could tear the Your-Harvest Week. They would get all the churches apart. I never saw a priest out in the fields migrant kids out of school and have ’em out trying to help people. Maybe in these later years there pickin’ the crops at peak harvest time. A they’re doing it. But it’s always the church taking child was off that week and when he went back from the people. to school, he got a little gold star. They would “We were once asked by the church to bring veg- make it seem like something civic to do. etables to make it a successful bazaar. After we got We’d pick everything: lettuce, carrots, onions, the stuff there, the only people havin’ a good time cucumbers, cauliflower, broccoli, tomatoes—all were the rich people because they were the only the salads you could make out of vegetables, we ones that were buyin’ the stuff . . .” picked ’em. Citrus fruits, watermelons—you name it. We’d be in Salinas about four months. I’d go barefoot to school. The bad thing was From there we’d go down into the Imperial they used to laugh at us, the Anglo kids. They Valley. From there we’d go to picking citrus. would laugh because we’d bring tortillas and frijo- It was like a cycle. We’d follow the seasons. les6 to lunch. They would have their nice little After my dad died, my mom would come home compact lunch boxes with cold milk in their and she’d go into her tent and I would go into thermos and they’d laugh at us because all we had ours. We’d roughhouse and everything and then was dried tortillas. Not only would they laugh at we’d go into the tent where Mom was sleeping us, but the kids would pick fights. My older and I’d see her crying. When I asked her why she brother used to do most of the fighting for us and was crying she never gave me an answer. All she he’d come home with black eyes all the time. said was things would get better. She retired a What really hurt is when we had to go on wel- beaten old lady with a lot of dignity. That day she fare. Nobody knows the erosion of man’s dignity. thought would be better never came for her. They used to have a label of canned goods that said, “U.S. Commodities.7 Not to be sold or “One time, my mom was in bad need of money, so she exchanged.” Nobody knows how proud it is to got a part-time evening job in a restaurant. I’d be help- feel when you bought canned goods with your ing her. All the growers would come in and they’d be own money. laughing, making nasty remarks, and make passes at her. I used to go out there and kick ’em and my mom “I wanted to be accepted. It must have been in told me to leave ’em alone, she could handle ’em. But sixth grade. It was just before the Fourth of July. they would embarrass her and she would cry. They were trying out students for this patriotic “My mom was a very proud woman. She brought play. I wanted to do Abe Lincoln, so I learned the us up without any help from nobody. She kept the Gettysburg Address inside and out. I’d be out in family strong. They say that a family that prays the fields pickin’ the crops and I’d be memorizin’. together stays together. I say that a family that works I was the only one who didn’t have to read the part, together stays together—because of the suffering. My ’cause I learned it. The part was given to a girl mom couldn’t speak English too good. Or much who was a grower’s daughter. She had to read it Spanish, for that matter. She wasn’t educated. But out of a book, but they said she had better diction. she knew some prayers and she used to make us say
6. Tortillas are thin, flat, unleavened bread. Frijoles is the Spanish word for beans. 7. Commodities are goods. 5. Supplemented means “added to.” Big Idea An Era of Protest In addition to the work, Reading Strategy Analyzing Cause-and-Effect what else strikes Roberto Acuna as unfair? Relationships What kept migrant workers on the move?
Literary Element Oral History How do both the mean- Vocabulary ing and the language of this comment reveal what type of civic (siv ik) adj. related to citizenship person Acuna is?
1162 UNIT 7 INTO THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
1161-1167 U7P1SEL-845481.indd 1162 4/17/06 4:12:30 PM I was very disappointed. I quit about eighth grade. “Any time anybody’d talk to me about
Peter Turnley/CORBIS Peter Turnley/CORBIS politics, about civil rights, I would ignore it. It’s a very degrading thing because you can’t express yourself. They wanted us to speak English in the school classes. We’d put out a real effort. I would get into a lot of fights because I spoke Spanish and they couldn’t understand it. I was pun- ished. I was kept after school for not speaking English.”
We used to have our own tents on the truck. Most migrants would live in the tents that were already there in the fields, put up by the company. We got one for ourselves, secondhand, but it Filipino migrant workers cut lettuce in a field of the Imperial Valley of was ours. Anglos8 used to laugh at us. California, 1939. Dorothea Lange. “Here comes the carnival,” they’d say. We couldn’t keep our clothes clean, we couldn’t I started picking crops when I was eight. I keep nothing clean, because we’d go by the dirt couldn’t do much, but every little bit counts. Every roads and the dust. We’d stay outside the town. time I would get behind on my chores, I would get I never did want to go to town because it was a a carrot thrown at me by my parents. I would day- very bad thing for me. We used to go to the small dream: If I were a millionaire, I would buy all these stores, even though we got clipped9 more. If we ranches and give them back to the people. I would went to the other stores, they would laugh at us. picture my mom living in one area all the time They would always point at us with a finger. We’d and being admired by all the people in the com- go to town maybe every two weeks to get what we munity. All of a sudden I’d be rudely awaken by a needed. Everybody would walk in a bunch. We broken carrot in my back. That would bust your were afraid. (Laughs.) We sang to keep our spirits whole dream apart and you’d work for a while and up. We joked about our poverty. This one guy come back to daydreaming. would say, “When I get to be rich, I’m gonna We used to work early, about four o’clock in marry an Anglo woman, so I can be accepted the morning. We’d pick the harvest until about into society.” The other guy would say, “When I six. Then we’d run home and get into our sup- get rich I’m gonna marry a Mexican woman, so I posedly clean clothes and run all the way to can go to that Anglo society of yours and see school because we’d be late. By the time we got them hang you for marrying an Anglo.” Our to school, we’d be all tuckered out.10 Around world was around the fields. maybe eleven o’clock, we’d be dozing off. Our teachers would send notes to the house telling Mom that we were inattentive. The only thing 8. Anglos refers to people who do not have a Hispanic or I’d make fairly good grades on was spelling. I Latino heritage. couldn’t do anything else. Many times we never 9. Here, clipped is an informal way of saying “cheated.” did our homework, because we were out in the Reading Strategy Analyzing Cause-and-Effect fields. The teachers couldn’t understand that. I Relationships What was one reason why Anglos made fun would get whacked there also. of migrant workers? School would end maybe four o’clock. We’d rush home again, change clothes, go back to Vocabulary work until seven, seven thirty at night. That’s degrading (di ra¯´ din) adj. tending to drag down in character or social status 10. Tuckered out means “exhausted.”
STUDS TERKEL 1163
1161-1167 U7P1SEL-845481.indd 1163 4/17/06 4:12:32 PM A migrant Mexican field worker’s home on the edge of a frozen pea field in California’s Imperial Valley, 1937. Dorothea Lange.
We just had a little old blanket for the four of us kids in the tent. We were freezin’ our tail off. So I stole two brand-new blankets that belonged to a grower. When we got under those blankets it was nice and comfortable. Somebody saw me. The next morning the grower told my mom he’d turn us in unless we gave him back his blankets—sterilized.11 So my mom and I and my kid brother went to the river and cut some wood and made a fire and boiled the water and she scrubbed the blankets. She hung them out to not counting the weekends. On Saturday and dry, ironed them, and sent them back to the Sunday, we’d be there from four thirty in the grower. We got a spanking for that. morning until about seven thirty in the evening. I remember this labor camp that was run by the This is where we made the money, those two city. It was a POW12 camp for German soldiers. days. We all worked. They put families in there and it would have I would carry boxes for my mom to pack the barbed wire all around it. If you were out after ten carrots in. I would pull the carrots out and she o’clock at night, you couldn’t get back in until the would sort them into different sizes. I would get next day at four in the morning. We didn’t know water for her to drink. When you’re picking the rules. Nobody told us. We went to visit some tomatoes, the boxes are heavy. They weigh about relatives. We got back at about ten thirty and they thirty pounds. They’re dropped very hard on the wouldn’t let us in. So we slept in the pickup outside trucks so they have to be sturdy. the gate. In the morning, they let us in, we had a The hardest work would be thinning and hoe- fast breakfast and went back to work in the fields.13 ing with a short-handled hoe. The fields would The grower would keep the families apart, hop- be about a half a mile long. You would be bend- ing they’d fight against each other. He’d have ing and stooping all day. Sometimes you would three or four camps and he’d have the people have hard ground and by the time you got home, over here pitted against the people over there. your hands would be full of calluses. And you’d For jobs. He’d give the best crops to the people have a backache. Sometimes I wouldn’t have he thought were the fastest workers. This way he dinner or anything. I’d just go home and fall kept us going harder and harder, competing. asleep and wake up just in time to go out to the When I was sixteen, I had my first taste as a fields again. foreman. Handling braceros,14 aliens, that came I remember when we just got into California from Mexico to work. They’d bring these people from Arizona to pick up the carrot harvest. It
was very cold and very windy out in the fields. 11. Here, sterilized means “free from germs.” 12. POW stands for prisoner of war. 13. Acuna adds: “Since we started organizing, this camp has Big Idea An Era of Protest What reasons for protest are been destroyed. They started building housing on it.” implied in these facts and other facts on this page? 14. A bracero is a Mexican citizen who comes to the U.S. temporarily to do agricultural labor.
Literary Element Oral History What does this oral his- Literary Element Oral History Why would it be unusual tory tell you that a history of U.S. agriculture might not tell? to hear this point of view in a traditional history?
1164 UNIT 7 INTO THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
1161-1167 U7P1SEL-845481.indd 1164 4/17/06 4:12:35 PM A woman cooking in a camp for migrant agricultural workers. Imperial Valley, California, © CORBIS February-March 1937. Dorothea Lange.
to work over here and then send them back to Mexico after the season was over. My job was to make sure they did a good job and pushin’ ’em even harder. I was a company man, yes. My parents needed money and I wanted to make sure they were proud of me. A foreman is recognized. I was very naïve. Even though I was pushing the workers, I knew their problems. They didn’t know how to write, so I would write letters home for them. I would take ’em to town, buy their clothes, out- side of the company stores. They had paid me $1.10 an hour. The farm workers’ wage I began to see how everything was so wrong. was raised to eighty-two and a half cents. But When growers can have an intricate watering even the braceros were making more money than system to irrigate their crops but they can’t have me, because they were working piecework.15 I running water inside the houses of workers. asked for more money. The manager said, “If you Veterinarians tend to the needs of domestic ani- don’t like it you can quit.” I quit and joined the mals but they can’t have medical care for the Marine Corps. workers. They can have land subsidies16 for the growers but they can’t have adequate unemploy- “I joined the Marine Corps at seventeen. I was very ment compensation for the workers. They treat mixed up. I wanted to become a first-class citizen. I him like a farm implement. In fact, they treat wanted to be accepted and I was very proud of my their implements better and their domestic ani- uniform. My mom didn’t want to sign the papers, mals better. They have heat and insulated barns but she knew I had to better myself and maybe I’d for the animals but the workers live in beat-up get an education in the services. shacks with no heat at all. “I did many jobs. I took a civil service exam and Illness in the fields is 120 percent higher than was very proud when I passed. Most of the others the average rate for industry. It’s mostly back were college kids. There were only three Chicanos in trouble, rheumatism and arthritis, because the the group of sixty. I got a job as a correctional officer damp weather and the cold. Stoop labor is very in a state prison. I quit after eight months because I hard on a person. Tuberculosis is high. And now couldn’t take the misery I saw. They wanted me to because of the pesticides, we have many respira- use a rubber hose on some of the prisoners—mostly tory diseases. Chicanos and blacks. I couldn’t do it. They called me The University of California at Davis has gov- chicken-livered because I didn’t want to hit nobody. ernment experiments with pesticides and chemi- They constantly harassed me after that. I didn’t quit cals. To get a bigger crop each year. They haven’t because I was afraid of them but because they were any regard as to what safety precautions are trying to make me into a mean man. I couldn’t see needed. In 1964 or ’65, an airplane was spraying it. This was Soledad State Prison.” these chemicals on the fields. Spraying rigs
15. Piecework is work paid by the amount done, rather than by 16. Subsidies are grants of money from the government to the hour. companies or private individuals for projects that serve the public interest. Reading Strategy Analyzing Cause-and-Effect Relationships Why do you think Acuna joined the Marine Big Idea An Era of Protest What does Acuna view as Corps? wrong?
STUDS TERKEL 1165
1161-1167 U7P1SEL-845481.indd 1165 4/17/06 4:12:37 PM they’re called. Flying low, the wheels got tangled on the fence wire. The pilot got up, dusted himself off, and got a drink of
water. He died of convulsions. The Peter Turnley/CORBIS ambulance attendants got violently sick because of the pesticides he had on his person. A little girl was playing around a sprayer. She stuck her tongue on it. She died instantly. These pesticides affect the farm worker through the lungs. He breathes it in. He gets no compensation. All they do is say he’s sick. They don’t investigate the cause. There were times when I felt I couldn’t take it any more. It was 105 in the shade and I’d see endless rows of lettuce and I felt my back hurting . . . I felt the frustration of not being able to get out of the fields. I was getting ready to jump any foreman who looked at me cross-eyed. But until two years ago, my world was still very small. I would read all these things in the papers about Cesar Chavez17 and I would denounce18 him because I still had that thing about becoming a first-class patri- just got caught up with it all, the beautiful feel- otic citizen. In Mexicali they would pass out leaf- ing of solidarity. lets and I would throw ’em away. I never You’d see the people on the picket lines at participated. The grape boycott19 didn’t affect me four in the morning, at the camp fires, heating much because I was in lettuce. It wasn’t until up beans and coffee and tortillas. It gave me a Chavez came to Salinas, where I was working in sense of belonging. These were my own people the fields, that I saw what a beautiful man he and they wanted change. I knew this is what I was. I went to this rally,20 I still intended to stay was looking for. I just didn’t know it before. with the company. But something—I don’t My mom had always wanted me to better know—I was close to the workers. They couldn’t myself. I wanted to better myself because of her. speak English and wanted me to be their spokes- Now when the strikes started, I told her I was man in favor of going on strike. I don’t know—I going to join the union and the whole move- ment. I told her I was going to work without pay. She said she was proud of me. (His eyes glisten. A long, long pause.) See, I told her I wanted to 17. Cesar Chavez (1927-1993) was an activist and community 21 organizer who helped unionize farm workers. be with my people. If I were a company man, 18. Here, denounce means “criticize.” nobody would like me any more. I had to belong 19. The grape boycott was a successful national effort to to somebody and this was it right here. She said, persuade citizens not to buy table grapes so that growers would give in to workers’ demands for better wages and conditions. 21. A company man is a worker who unquestioningly carries 20. Here, a rally is a large meeting for the purpose of creating out the policies of an employer. enthusiasm. Vocabulary Vocabulary solidarity (sol´ ə dar ə te¯) n. unity of a group that pro- compensation (kom´ pən sa shən) n. payment duces a sense of community
1166 UNIT 7 INTO THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
1161-1167 U7P1SEL-845481.indd 1166 4/17/06 4:12:40 PM “I pushed you in your early years to try to better yourself and get a social position. But I see that’s Bettmann/CORBIS not the answer. I know I’ll be proud of you.” All kinds of people are farm workers, not just Chicanos. Filipinos started the strike. We have Puerto Ricans and Appalachians too, Arabs, some Japanese, some Chinese. At one time they used us against each other. But now they can’t and they’re scared, the growers. They can organize conglomerates.22 Yet when we try organization to better our lives, they are afraid. Suffering people never dreamed it could be different. Cesar Chavez tells them An unidentified Mexican shows his permit to cross the border and work in the fields of South Texas under the Brancero program. The federal government has now this and they grasp the idea—and decided to keep the Mexican Brancero south of the border. August 1964. this is what scares the growers. Now the machines are coming in. It takes skill to operate them. But anybody brains. Now we see they have no brains. They can be taught. We feel migrant workers should have only a wallet in their head. The more you be given the chance. They got one for grapes. squeeze it, the more they cry out. They got one for lettuce. They have cotton If we had proper compensation we wouldn’t machines that took jobs away from thousands of have to be working seventeen hours a day and farm workers. The people wind up in the ghettos following the crops. We could stay in one area and of the city, their culture, their families, their it would give us roots. Being a migrant, it tears the unity destroyed. family apart. You get in debt. You leave the area We’re trying to stipulate it in our contract that penniless. The children are the ones hurt the the company will not use any machinery without most. They go to school three months in one place the consent of the farm workers. So we can make and then on to another. No sooner do they make sure the people being replaced by the machines friends, they are uprooted again. Right here, your will know how to operate the machines. childhood is taken away. So when they grow up, Working in the fields is not in itself a degrad- they’re looking for this childhood they have lost. ing job. It’s hard, but if you’re given regular If people could see—in the winter, ice on the hours, better pay, decent housing, unemployment fields. We’d be on our knees all day long. We’d and medical compensation, pension plans23—we build fires and warm up real fast and go back onto have a very relaxed way of living. But the growers the ice. We’d be picking watermelons in 105 don’t recognize us as persons. That’s the worst degrees all day long. When people have melons or thing, the way they treat you. Like we have no cucumber or carrots or lettuce, they don’t know how they got on their table and the consequences to the people who picked it. If I had enough 22. Conglomerates are large corporations made up of many money, I would take busloads of people out to the different types of companies. fields and into the labor camps. Then they’d know 23. A pension is a fixed sum paid regularly to someone after retirement. how that fine salad got on their table.
Vocabulary
stipulate (stip yə la¯t´) v. to require or demand as part Literary Element Oral History In what ways does this of an agreement sound like the real voice of a real person?
STUDS TERKEL 1167
1161-1167 U7P1SEL-845481.indd 1167 4/17/06 4:12:42 PM AFTER YOU READ
RESPONDING AND THINKING CRITICALLY Respond from the story. (b)How does hearing about Acuna in his own voice help you understand the chal- 1. Is Roberto Acuna like anyone you know, or is he lenges he faced? completely unlike anyone you’ve ever met? Explain. 6. (a)What was Acuna’s childhood like? (b)How well Recall and Interpret does the interview communicate the details and 2. (a)How old was Acuna when he became a farm feelings of that time in his life? Use details from the worker? (b)Why did he become a farm worker at selection in your answer. such an early age? 7. Studs Terkel once said, “Poor people never lose 3. (a)What did Acuna do as a foreman? (b)How did hope. They can’t afford to.” How well does this he feel about the work? opinion relate to the life of Roberto Acuna as recounted in Working? 4. (a)How did Acuna react when people first talked to him about politics and civil rights? (b)Why didn’t Connect Acuna get involved at first? 8. Big Idea An Era of Protest Do you regard this Analyze and Evaluate selection more as a work of protest or as an ordi- 5. (a)In your opinion, what was the most difficult part nary narrative of a working life? Explain. of Acuna’s life? Support your answer with details
LITERARY ANALYSIS
Literary Element Oral History 1. In addition to cause-and-effect and chronological order, what other organizational methods do you This oral history is brimming with details, large and find in this interview? Name one method and iden- small, told almost exclusively in the first person. The tify the page and paragraph where you find it. use of the pronouns I, we, me, my, and mine help create an intimate voice, a voice that may seem to be 2. This selection is presented as a series of recollec- talking only to you, or from the pages of a diary. tions rather than one simple story told from begin- ning to end. What advantages and disadvantages 1. How does the use of the first person help you hear do you see to this structure? Acuna’s voice and understand his history? Cite at least one example. Partner Activity Choose one passage of three or more paragraphs and work with a classmate to analyze 2. Name one or more other places in the narrative its structure. where you feel as if you are listening to a real per- son. Explain why.
Passage begins with . . . Pattern or Order Review: Structure Structure is the particular order or pattern a writer One time, my mom . . . chronological uses to present ideas. Fiction and nonfiction narratives are mainly chronological in structure. Other nonfiction My mom was a very . . . works often use a combination of structures, including cause and effect, main idea and details, problem and We were once asked . . . solution, and other patterns.
1168 UNIT 7 INTO THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
1159-1169 U7P1APP-845481.indd 1168 4/17/06 4:08:43 PM READING AND VOCABULARY WRITING AND EXTENDING
Reading Strategy Analyzing Cause-and- Writing About Literature Effect Relationships Explore Author’s Purpose What was Studs Terkel’s Sometimes, events are related in a chain. In some ways, purpose in presenting this interview? Does his method Roberto Acuna’s life is a chain of events rather than a of presenting a somewhat free-form oral history serve series of unrelated causes and effects. Review the this purpose best? If so, why? Do you think another cause-and-effect chart you filled in as you read the method might work better? Present your answer in a selection and also reflect on the selection as a whole. persuasive essay. 1. In the first paragraph, you learn that Acuna organizes Begin by identifying and stating your opinion in a clear for the United Farm Workers. Name at least three thesis statement. Then gather evidence from the events in the chain of events that led to this work. essay that supports your point of view. 2. Write or sketch a cause-and-effect chain that shows how a person might make progress as a farm START worker. Base your work on the text. Introduce the topic and ▲ Introduction present a thesis with your opinion. Vocabulary
Practice ➧ Practice with Context Clues Read the following sentences and then decide which of the choices is
▲ Present supporting evidence closest in meaning to the boldfaced word. Body from the selection. Relate all your evidence to your thesis. 1. Many consider voting a civic duty. ➧ a. related to joy b. related to citizenship 2. The company president faced the degrading End by summarizing your prospect of going to prison. ▲ Conclusion position and adding a clincher a. humiliating b. unfair statement or other insight. 3. The compensation for that job is too low. a. payment b. entry level FINISH 4. All the marchers at the rally felt a sense of solidarity. After you complete your draft, have a peer read it and a. fear b. unity suggest revisions. Then proofread and edit your work 5. The workers stipulate higher pay as a term of for errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation. their contract. a. reject b. require Literary Criticism The review of Working in Business Week magazine pro- Academic Vocabulary claimed that “the people we meet [in Working] are not digits in a poll but real people with real names who Here are two words from the vocabulary list on share their anecdotes, adventures, and aspirations with page R86. These words will help you think, us.” Why might portraying working people in an oral his- write, and talk about the selection. tory be a better medium than a poll or survey? What recover (ri kuv ər) v. to get back advantages might a survey have over an oral history for transport (trans po^rt) v. to carry or transfer presenting information on jobs in the United States? from one place to another Write a paragraph describing the advantages and disad- vantages of using oral histories to describe people’s jobs. Practice and Apply 1. How does Acuna recover his pride? 2. Why was Acuna’s mother not transported to a Web Activities For eFlashcards, hospital when she was in labor with her son? Selection Quick Checks, and other Web activities, go to www.glencoe.com.
STUDS TERKEL 1169
1159-1169 U7P1APP-845481.indd 1169 4/17/06 4:08:46 PM Grammar Workshop Sentence Structure
º Vocabulary Terms Avoiding Run-On Sentences A run-on sentence occurs “They didn’t know how to write, so I would write letters home for them.” when two or more com- —Studs Terkel, “Roberto Acuna, Farm Worker” plete sentences are writ- ten as through they were Connecting to Literature Connecting ideas are presented in a compound one sentence. sentence—a sentence with two or more main clauses. Carelessness with com- pound sentences, however, can lead to run-on sentences, which are two or more complete sentences written as though they were one sentence. º Test-Taking Tip When writing in a test- Note the following run-on sentence problems and their solutions. taking situation, return to Problem 1 Two main clauses are separated by only a comma. any sentences that present more than one thought. Everybody would walk in a bunch, we were afraid. Check carefully to be sure Problem 2 Two main clauses do not have punctuation between them. that each clause has proper punctuation I knew this was what I was looking for I just did not know it before. and any necessary Solution A Break the sentence into two short sentences. conjunctions. Everybody would walk in a bunch. We were afraid. I knew this was what I was looking for. I just did not know it before. º Language Handbook Solution B Separate the clauses with a semicolon. For more about run-on sentences, see the Everybody would walk in a bunch; we were afraid. Language Handbook, I knew this was what I was looking for; I just did not know it before. p. R51. Solution C Add a coordinating conjunction after the comma. Everybody would walk in a bunch, for we were afraid.
eWorkbooks To link to I knew this was what I was looking for, but I just did not know it before. the Grammar and Language Problem 3 Two main clauses do not have a comma before the eWorkbook, go to www.glencoe. coordinating conjunction. com. He gets no compensation and all they do is say that he is sick. Solution Add a comma before the coordinating conjunction. He gets no compensation, and all they do is say that he is sick.
OBJECTIVES Exercise • Analyze and correct run-on sentences. Rewrite these sentences, applying one of the solutions shown above. • Rearrange sentences to 1. When you are picking tomatoes, the boxes are heavy they weigh about clarify meaning. thirty pounds. 2. I would pull the carrots out and she would sort them. 3. Sometimes you would have hard ground, by the time you got home, your hands would be full of calluses.
1170 UNIT 7 INTO THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
1170-U7P1APP-845481.indd 1170 1/11/07 1:24:40 AM Comparing Literature Across Time and Place
Connecting to the Reading Selections War has always been part of the human experience. What would your life be like if it were touched by war? The three writers compared here—Tim O’Brien, Tran Mong Tu, and Pin Yathay— explore how war affects individuals swept up in its complex events. In the following selections, they describe the horrors of war and its tragic consequences.
Tim O’Brien Ambush ...... short story ...... 1174 Haunted by a memory
Tran Mong Tu The Gift in Wartime ...... poem ...... 1177 Tokens of love and loss
Pin Yathay from Stay Alive, My Son ...... memoir ...... 1178 The cost of survival
COMPARING THE BIG IDEA An Era of Protest People protest, or voice objections, in different ways. Some hold vigils; others march together, waving banners or placards. Still others create literature to change minds and stir hearts. Tim O’Brien, Tran Mong Tu, and Pin Yathay protest war by showing their readers its human cost.
COMPARING Themes The theme is the central message of a work of literature—an insight that readers can apply to their own lives. Each of these writers uses literary elements to convey a theme about war and its consequences.
COMPARING Cultures Tim O’Brien, Tran Mong Tu, and Pin Yathay all belong to different cultures, each of which influ- ences the writer’s message significantly. Through their choice of words and details, the writers invite readers to enter their worlds, relive their experiences, and share their messages.
COMPARING LITERATURE 1171 (t)Tim Page/CORBIS, (c)Francis Bailly/The Liaison Agency, (b)Tim Page/CORBIS
1171-1181 U7P1APP-845481.indd 1171 4/17/06 5:28:58 PM 1171-1181 U7P1APP-845481.indd 1172 1172 Ambush UNIT 7 7 UNIT R O’BRIEN TIM MEET of his tour of duty in Vietnam.in duty of tour his of memoir a is (1973), Home Me Ship and Up Me Box book, first His books. his for material furnished later entries journal These impressions. and observations his recording journal, a Vietnam,kept in O’Brien stationed While battle. in killed or wounded soldiers U.S. to given award an Heart, Purple the including medals, several earned and sergeant a became He clerk. a as and infantryman Vietnam,an as Province, Ngai Quang in year a over just spent Writerand Soldier service,thereby honoring familya tradition. hedecided toreport for induction and enter the wheremany other war protesters had fled. Finally, whattodo. Heconsidered escaping toCanada, hestruggled with his conscience trying todecide receiveddrafta notice. For the rest ofthat summer, Then,shortly after his college graduation, O’Brien candidate,Senator Eugene McCarthy, for president. involvementinVietnam and supported peacea inMinnesota, O’Brien protested the U.S. military Aspoliticala science major atMacalester College asthe meaning ofcourage, duty, and honor. inVietnam and explores philosophical issues, such oftendescribes the experiences ofordinary soldiers shortstories, and nonfiction works. His writing perform miracles of the imagination.” the of miracles perform to and create to rather but resolve, to or explain to not is magic, of object the like storytelling, of object “The criticaland popular acclaim for his novels, VietnamWar, Tim O’Brien has earned both ecognizedasone ofthe major writers onthe INTO THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY TWENTY-FIRST THE INTO If I Die in a Combat Zone, Combat a in Die I If Beginning in 1968, O’Brien 1968, in Beginning —TimO’Brien BEFORE YOU READ YOU BEFORE recent novels include novels recent His work. his guide that questions and memories, feelings, elicits image This something.” doing being human a of picture “a image, an often is story a of source the him for that said has O’Brien world.” the in thing right the do to trying holiness, enlightenment, rectitude, “courage, relief: sharp Vietnam,”in of stand issues “the or values, where arena spiritual a as envisions he Vietnam,in which intersect writer a and person a as passions Moreover,own identical. his almost are life ordinary in those and war in emotions the that Vietnambelieves the Warhe about because write to continue will probably he that said has O’Brien stories. war his in reality with fantasy Hemingway,intertwines and he Crane Unlike details. sensory of masses compiling by lives daily soldiers’ of picture a builds he authors, war.those about Like written have who others and Hemingway,Heller,Ernest Joseph Crane, Stephen of that to compared been O’Brien’shas fiction storycollection, wasalso nominated forPulitzer a Prize for his short- NationalBook Award for this novel in1979. He fromthe Vietnam War one day. O’Brien won the aboutsoldiera who simply decides towalk away a novelcalled WriterofWar Stories Tim O’Brien was born in 1946. in Timborn was O’Brien Vietnam.in occurred that events to alludes novels and (1994) Tim O’Brien, go to go O’Brien, Tim (1999). Each of these of TomcatEach (1999). Love in GoingAfter Cacciato www.glencoe.com TheThings They Carried
Author S Author In the Lake of the Woodsthe of Lake the In In1978, O’Brien wrote earch . ( k
acha For more about more For (1990). to¯ ),
Miriam Berkley 4/17/06 5:29:02 PM LITERATURE PREVIEW READING PREVIEW
Connecting to the Story Reading Strategy Analyzing Concrete In “Ambush,” the narrator recalls a combat experience Details that he cannot put behind him. As you read the story, Concrete details are vivid sensory details, or evocative think about the following questions: words and phrases that appeal to one or more of the • What situations do people usually react to without five senses. For example, to give the reader an experi- thinking? ence of fear, a writer might include concrete details • Why do some experiences continue to haunt one’s such as a clenched jaw, a dry mouth, or sweaty palms memory? in his or her description. As you read this story, notice the concrete details and ask yourself these questions: Building Background • What do the details emphasize? The story takes place in Vietnam, near the village of • What does this emphasis imply? My Khe (me¯ ka¯), around 1968. From 1965 to 1973, U.S. troops fought alongside the South Vietnamese Reading Tip: Noting Details Use a chart to record in their struggle against a communist movement from concrete details in the story and what they imply. the North. Human losses in the war were heavy; it is estimated that more than two million Vietnamese and 57,000 Americans died. The Vietcong were guer- Details Implications rilla forces who supported communist North Vietnam. They sometimes disguised themselves as innocent “the dense brush The narrator’s hiding civilians before ambushing South Vietnamese and along the trail” place seems safe and U.S. troops. well-hidden. Setting Purposes for Reading Big Idea An Era of Protest During the Vietnam War, student protests were com- Vocabulary mon in the United States; protests were also frequent grope ( r o¯ p ) v. to feel about uncertainly with in South Vietnam, especially among Buddhists and the hands; to search blindly; p. 1174 I groped in other religious groups. As you read, consider how this the dark while searching for my keys. story expresses a protest against the Vietnam War. stooped (st¯¯¯oopt) adj. bent forward and down- ward; p. 1175 Stooped with fatigue, he looked as Literary Element Mood though he carried a heavy load on his shoulders. The mood of a story or poem is the feeling or atmo- ponder ( ) v. to think about thoroughly sphere that a writer creates for the reader. Writers pon dər and carefully; p. 1175 In combat, soldiers have develop a mood with carefully chosen words and no time to reflect and ponder; instead, they must details that vividly describe the setting and the events react quickly without thinking. of the story. As you read the story, look for words and details that help to create the mood. gape ( a¯p) v. to stare with the mouth open, as in wonder or surprise; p. 1175 Stunned and See Literary Terms Handbook, p. R11. • shaken, the soldier gaped at his fallen comrade.
dwell (dwel) v. to think about at length; p. 1175 Even if one tries not to dwell on painful memories, Interactive Literary Elements Handbook To review or learn more about the literary elements, they sometimes refuse to go away. go to www.glencoe.com.
OBJECTIVES In studying this selection, you will focus on the following: • determining mood • analyzing literary periods • analyzing concrete details
TIM O’BRIEN 1173
1171-1181 U7P1APP-845481.indd 1173 1/11/07 12:28:57 AM Indiana Rangers: The Army Guard in Vietnam, 1984. Mort Künstler. Oil on canvas, 24 x 32 in. Collection National Guard Bureau, Pentagon, Washington, DC.
Tim O’Brien
When she was nine, my daughter Kathleen asked along the trail, and for five hours nothing at if I had ever killed anyone. She knew about the all happened. We were working in two-man war; she knew I’d been a soldier. “You keep writing teams—one man on guard while the other slept, these war stories,” she said, “so I guess you must’ve switch ing off every two hours—and I remember killed somebody.” It was a difficult moment, but I it was still dark when Kiowa shook me awake for didS1 what1-221-01C-635423 seemed right, which wasU7 toTh1 say,1 “Of course the final watch. The night was foggy and hot. not,” and then to take her onto my lap and hold For the first few moments I felt lost, not sure Stencil David Reed her for a while. Someday, I hope, she’ll ask again. about directions, groping for my helmet and But here I want to pretend she’s a grown-up. I weapon. I reached out and found three grenades want to tell her exactly what happened, or what and lined them up in front of me; the pins had I remember happening, and then I want to say to already been straightened for quick throwing. her that as a little girl she was absolutely right. And then for maybe half an hour I kneeled there This is why I keep writing war stories: and waited. Very gradually, in tiny slivers, dawn He was a short, slender young man of about began to break through the fog, and from my twenty. I was afraid of him—afraid of something— position in the brush I could see ten or fifteen and as he passed me on the trail I threw a gre- meters up the trail. The mosquitoes were fierce. nade that exploded at his feet and killed him. Or to go back: Shortly after midnight we moved into the Reading Strategy Analyzing Concrete Details Why ambush site outside My Khe. The whole does the author include this detail? platoon1 was there, spread out in the dense brush Vocabulary
grope (ro¯p) v. to feel about uncertainly with the 1. A platoon is a military unit, usually commanded by a hands; to search blindly lieutenant, that forms part of a company.
1174 UNIT 7 INTO THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY Collection National Guard Bureau, Pentagon, Washington, DC. From the original painting by Mort Künstler. ©1984 Mort Künstler, Inc.
1174-1180 U7P1SEL-845481.indd 1174 4/17/06 4:19:24 PM I remember slapping at them, wondering if I to his right, and he glanced down at the grenade should wake up Kiowa and ask for some repel- and tried to cover his head but never did. It lent, then thinking it was a bad idea, then look- occurred to me then that he was about to die. I ing up and seeing the young man come out of wanted to warn him. The grenade made a pop- the fog. He wore black clothing and rubber san- ping noise—not soft but not loud either—not dals and a gray ammunition belt. His shoulders what I’d expected—and there was a puff of dust were slightly stooped, his head cocked to the and smoke—a small white puff—and the young side as if listening for something. He seemed at man seemed to jerk upward as if pulled by invis- ease. He carried his weapon in one hand, muzzle ible wires. He fell on his back. His rubber sandals down, moving without any hurry up the center had been blown off. There was no wind. He lay of the trail. There was no sound at all—none at the center of the trail, his right leg bent that I can remember. In a way, it seemed, he was beneath him, his one eye shut, his other eye a part of the morning fog, or my own imagination, huge star-shaped hole. but there was also the reality of what was hap- It was not a matter of live or die. There was pening in my stomach. I had already pulled the no real peril. Almost certainly the young man pin on a grenade. I had come up to a crouch. It would have passed by. And it will always be was entirely automatic. I did not hate the young that way. man; I did not see him as the enemy; I did not Later, I remember, Kiowa tried to tell me that ponder issues of morality or politics or military the man would’ve died anyway. He told me that duty. I crouched and kept my head low. I tried to it was a good kill, that I was a soldier and this swallow whatever was rising from my stomach, was a war, that I should shape up and stop star- which tasted like lemonade, something fruity ing and ask myself what the dead man would’ve and sour. I was terrified. There were no thoughts done if things were reversed. about killing. The grenade was to make him go None of it mattered. The words seemed far too away—just evaporate—and I leaned back and complicated. All I could do was gape at the fact felt my mind go empty and then felt it fill up of the young man’s body. again. I had already thrown the grenade before Even now I haven’t finished sorting it out. telling myself to throw it. The brush was thick Sometimes I forgive myself, other times I don’t. and I had to lob it high, not aiming, and I In the ordinary hours of life I try not to dwell on remember the grenade seeming to freeze above it, but now and then, when I’m reading a news- me for an instant, as if a camera had clicked, paper or just sitting alone in a room, I’ll look up and I remember ducking down and holding my and see the young man coming out of the morn- breath and seeing little wisps of fog rise from the ing fog. I’ll watch him walk toward me, his earth. The grenade bounced once and rolled shoulders slightly stooped, his head cocked to across the trail. I did not hear it, but there the side, and he’ll pass within a few yards of me must’ve been a sound, because the young man and suddenly smile at some secret thought and dropped his weapon and began to run, just two then continue up the trail to where it bends back or three quick steps, then he hesitated, swiveling into the fog.
Literary Element Mood What feelings does this detail stir Big Idea An Era of Protest What attitude toward war in you? do these sentences reveal?
Vocabulary Vocabulary stooped (sto¯¯o¯pt) adj. bent forward and downward gape (a¯p) v. to stare with the mouth open, as in won- ponder (pon dər) v. to think about thoroughly and der or surprise carefully dwell (dwel) v. to think about at length
TIM O’BRIEN 1175
1174-1180 U7P1SEL-845481.indd 1175 4/17/06 4:19:27 PM AFTER YOU READ
RESPONDING AND THINKING CRITICALLY Respond Analyze and Evaluate 1. If you could speak with the narrator about his expe- 5. What do you think the story’s title signifies? Who, rience in Vietnam, what would you talk about? besides the enemy soldier, might have been ambushed? Recall and Interpret 6. Do the narrator’s reactions to the killing of an 2. (a)How does the narrator respond to his daughter’s enemy soldier seem convincing to you? Explain. question? (b)In your opinion, why does he lie to her? 7. A frame story is a story that either surrounds or 3. (a)What does the narrator do when he sees the introduces a more important story. What effect young man? (b)What does this episode suggest does O’Brien achieve by using a frame story? about the role of a soldier in wartime? 4. (a)What does Kiowa tell the narrator, and how Connect does the narrator feel about this advice? (b)What 8. Big Idea An Era of Protest In what ways does does this exchange suggest to you about the this story protest the Vietnam War? narrator’s values?
LITERARY ANALYSIS READING AND VOCABULARY
Literary Element Mood Reading Strategy Analyzing Concrete To determine the mood of a literary work, look closely Details at scene-setting descriptions and the reactions of Review the concrete details that describe the young characters to events. man’s appearance in the story. 1. How would you describe the mood of “Ambush”? 1. What is the effect of reading about what the young Give examples of details that contribute to the man wore, carried, and did immediately before and mood. after the narrator tosses the grenade? 2. How does the mood of the story affect its overall 2. How do the concrete details in the final paragraph impact on you? Explain. enhance your understanding of the narrator?
Writing About Literature Vocabulary Practice Respond to Conflict In the story, the narrator can- Practice with Context Clues Choose the vocab- not resolve his internal conflict over killing an enemy ulary word from “Ambush” that fits the context of soldier. Write a brief essay in which you state and sup- each sentence. port your opinion about the narrator’s actions in com- bat. Support your opinion with details from the story. grope stooped ponder gape dwell 1. Sometimes it is better to forget unpleasant incidents than to � on them.
2. I had to � in the dark for my helmet.
3. Don’t just stand there and � —do something.
4. Her shoulders were bent, � with age.
5. I must � this question instead of giving it Web Activities For eFlashcards, a quick answer. Selection Quick Checks, and other Web activities, go to www.glencoe.com.
1176 UNIT 7 INTO THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
1171-1181 U7P1APP-845481.indd 1176 4/17/06 5:29:26 PM Tran Mong Tu Translated by Vann Phan
I offer you roses BEFORE YOU READ Buried in your new grave I offer you my wedding gown Building Background To cover your tomb still green with grass “War is a terrible thing,” says Tran Mong Tu (tran mong t ¯¯¯oo), who has had firsthand experience with 5 You give me medals the war in Vietnam. She was born in Hai Dong, Together with silver stars North Vietnam. She and her family were forced to And the yellow pips1 on your badge relocate to South Vietnam in 1954 during the Unused and still shining French-Indochina War, in which communist forces battled and eventually drove out the French. Yet I offer you my youth South Vietnam did not remain safe for long; a civil 10 The days we were still in love war soon raged between communist and non- My youth died away communist sympathizers. When they told me the bad news By the time the United States became heavily involved in the Vietnam War in the 1960s, Tran You give me the smell of blood worked for the Associated Press (a large U.S. news From your war dress service) in Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam. 15 Your blood and your enemy’s When the United States pulled its troops out of So that I may be moved South Vietnam in 1975, the Associated Press evacuated its Vietnamese employees because it I offer you clouds feared communist reprisal against those working That linger on my eyes on summer days for U.S. interests. Tran’s immediate family and I offer you cold winters thousands of other Vietnamese also fled to the 20 Amid my springtime of life United States at that time. Tran Mong Tu was born in 1943. You give me your lips with no smile You give me your arms without tenderness You give me your eyes with no sight Author Search For more about And your motionless body Tran Mong Tu, go to www.glencoe.com.
25 Seriously, I apologize to you I promise to meet you in our next life 2 Quickwrite I will hold this shrapnel as a token By which we will recognize each other Much of the power of this poem comes from the writer’s use of contrasting images. In two or three paragraphs, discuss these contrasting images and 1. Pips are military badges of rank worn on the shoulder. comment on their overall impact. 2. Shrapnel are fragments scattered from an exploding shell or bomb.
TRAN MONG TU 1177 Francis Bailly/The Liaison Agency
1174-1180 U7P1SEL-845481.indd 1177 4/17/06 4:19:32 PM BEFORE YOU READ Building Background Pin Yathay (pin yat¯ ) was born in the village of and his family joined the refugees who clogged the Oudong, just north of Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s roads, seeking safety away from the cities. Eventually, capital and largest city. An excellent high school most of Pin Yathay’s family died of malnutrition, disease, student, he won the Cambodian national prize for or murder. The Khmer Rouge, which controlled the mathematics and earned a scholarship to study government until 1979, executed an estimated one to abroad in Montreal, Canada. There he learned three million citizens—anyone it felt was a threat. Pin French and studied engineering. After completing Yathay survived this nightmare and lived to tell audi- his studies, he returned to his homeland and ences throughout the world about his ordeal. started a family. Pin Yathay was born in 1943. When the Khmer Rouge, a communist political organi- zation, seized power in Cambodia in 1975, Pin Yathay knew he was in danger because of his position as an Author Search For more about employee of the state. As the situation worsened, he Pin Yathay, go to www.glencoe.com.
Pin Yathay with John Man
My first reaction was to give way to despair, to tiny freedom would be taken from me. There give up, to surrender to my fate. Everything was would be no gentle, natural passing with my fam- lost, I was going to die anyway, I knew that. There ily beside me. They were going to slaughter me, was no escape. We swelled up1 and died. It was the like an animal, away in the forest. law of nature, unalterable. We all died one after At that thought, I felt another sensation, a another. There was nothing to be done. What surge of raw energy that drove out all other feel- did it matter? I would die, and the sooner the ings. The instinct for self-preservation took over, better, there in the house with my wife and son. and I suddenly, desperately, wanted to stay alive. Then the true enormity of my situation struck I told myself: “Pull yourself together! Sharpen me. There would be no such choice. Even that up! Get out of this! You’ve always succeeded before! This is your last chance! Do something!” I began to think. What was to be done? Leave 1. Their bodies swelled up, or became bloated, from alone? But there was Nawath across the hut, malnutrition and vitamin deficiencies. lying prostrate,2 his limbs swollen. I could hardly Vocabulary
enormity (i noˆ r mə te¯) n. outrageousness; state of being monstrous 2. Prostrate means “flat on the ground,” in this case from exhaustion.
1178 UNIT 7 INTO THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY Christine Spengler/Sygma/Corbis
1174-1180 U7P1SEL-845481.indd 1178 4/17/06 4:19:37 PM bear the thought of leaving him and Any. But she had not come to the same conclusion as me. neither could I imagine escaping with them. “What did you think?” Better they should have a chance to live here “Not that. Not that.” than die with me. Better that I should get away, I said nothing, for there was only one other and give myself a chance to live, or at least die course open, the one that was impossible to con- on my own terms. template. She would see that in a few minutes, I It was all very simple. My mind was made up. I thought, and accept my decision. had to tell Any of my decision, that very eve- But no. With hesitations and bitter sobs, she ning. went on, “It’s impossible, my dearest Thay . . . I After we had eaten, as we sat on the floor don’t want to be separated from you . . . I prefer opposite each other, with Nawath sleeping to die with you rather than to stay here . . .” As I behind his cloth partition across the hut, I pre- listened to her in silence, unable to say anything pared myself to speak. I was certain of my course, to stem the slow, whispered outpouring of words but that did not make me any less nervous. It and sobs and tears, I couldn’t believe that she was a terrible thing to do to us as a family, a ter- understood what she was saying. Soon, soon, she rible thing to impose on Any. But as I glanced up would see, and know why I had to go alone. “I at her, and saw her sweet and wasted features lit cannot live without you!” she sobbed. “I prefer dimly by the flickering flames of the cooking fire, to die quickly and cleanly, with you.” She paused, wracked by sobs. I waited for her I knew there was no other course. It was pur- to say: But if you think it is for the best, of poseless to stay on there merely to face death. course that is how it must be. They would be alone all too soon, anyway. Silence. “Any, my dearest,” I said, “I have something To my astonishment, I began to realize she to tell you.” She looked up, without surprise, and meant what she said. For the first time in our I realized she had been expecting a decision of lives, she was refusing to accept my judgment of some kind. She too must have known that I what was best. could not stay. Speaking softly in order not to The silence dragged on, broken only by her wake Nawath—I could see his little bloated face gasps. She was looking at me. I could see the round the edge of the partition—I began to highlights cast by the fire on her cheeks and in explain. I was doomed, I said. All the former her eyes. Still she said nothing further. I knew high officials had disappeared. I was trained in then she had understood all along what she was 3 the West. I was irredeemable in the eyes of the saying. Khmer Rouge. They would come for me in a I felt the strength of her, as well. Once, she week, and that would be that. “But you’re a had asked my opinion even before buying a dress. woman, Any, if you were alone with Nawath I Now she had been hardened by experience. She don’t think they would harm you.” knew what she was doing, knew that in any She said nothing, but I saw her gaze turn to event she and Nawath would die, knew that we one of horror. were in the process not of choosing life over “You can live on here with Nawath,” I went death, but of choosing different ways of dying. on. “It’s the only answer. I’ll take my chances in And she knew that, having chosen, there was the forest. If I succeed, we’ll meet again. But I one more fearful choice still to make. There have to go soon. In one week, it’ll be too late.” seemed nothing I could do or say to help her “You’ll leave?” she said. “Leave me here with through it. It was too awful for me to put into Nawath?” And suddenly she began to sob as if words. If I spoke the words, it would turn some- she were being torn apart. thing that was merely a nightmarish fear into “Yes, my dearest. It’s the only way,” I said, des- dreadful reality. I could not say them. perately. For the first time, I began to realize that “But,” she said at last. “But what shall we do with Nawath?” Yes: those were the words I had refused to utter. 3. Irredeemable here refers to being unable to be changed or “Tell me, Thay dearest. What shall we do with reformed to accept the new government. Nawath?” She broke down again as she struggled
PIN YATHAY 1179
1174-1180 U7P1SEL-845481.indd 1179 4/17/06 4:19:40 PM to express the thought. “He can’t come with us. I glanced at Nawath, still asleep. I felt I We can’t carry him, and he can’t walk far. They wanted to go to him, stroke his head, provide would catch us and kill us before . . .” She some comfort for him, or myself. But I did not paused, her face working to control her emotion. move. I couldn’t risk waking him. I glanced back “We . . . we have to leave him behind. But . . . at Any. Her eyes were lowered, as if waiting for what are we going to do with him if we leave me to pronounce sentence. him?” She broke off again, After another eternal overcome by sobs. minute, the burden of Could she really contem- silence became intolerable. plate leaving Nawath? It But I felt her I felt it as an accusation seemed an extraordinary against me for evading thing for a mother to do. I resolve, and responsibility. realize now that she had “You know there is only made a mother’s supreme knew there was one thing to do,” I whis- sacrifice. People say that for pered. “We must take him to a mother the supreme sacri- nothing I could the hospital.” fice is to die with her child. say to make her The hospital, where peo- No—if death is inevitable, ple went only to die. the mother’s supreme sacri- change her mind. I looked into the shadows fice is to abandon her child, of her eyes. “We must,” I if thereby she can prolong said. her own life. She knew that this time I I did not understand all that right then and was right. Nawath’s chances were better in that there. But I felt her resolve, and knew there was morgue of a place than in the forest, while ours nothing I could say to make her change her were better in the forest than there in the vil- mind. After what we had been through, after lage. We would all die anyway; but to ensure we being made one body with her by what we had all lived as long as possible we had to leave him. endured together, it never even occurred to me While we would at least die together, he would to argue her out of her decision. I don’t think I die alone, abandoned by the only ones who cared could have done so. I simply had to accept that for him. things were different now. Any was still sobbing. “What do we do with Nawath?” she asked again, and fell silent. I knew Vocabulary
from her tone of voice, and the silence, that she irrevocable (i rev ə kə bəl) adj. not possible to undo already knew the answer, for there was only one. ensure (en shoor ) v. to make certain; guarantee Knowing it, again neither of us could bring our- selves to express it. Again, expressing it would Discussion Starter make it irrevocable. Meet with a small group to discuss whether Pin Yathay and Any made the only reasonable choice in their situation or not. Consider whether they acted Vocabulary according to their values or whether they were inevitable (i nev ə tə bəl) adj. incapable of being simply trying to save themselves. Summarize your avoided or evaded discussion for the rest of your class.
1180 UNIT 7 INTO THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
1174-1180 U7P1SEL-845481.indd 1180 4/17/06 4:19:42 PM Wrap-Up: Comparing Literature Across Time and Place
• Ambush • The Gift in Wartime • from Stay Alive, by Tim O’Brien by Tran Mong Tu My Son by Pin Yathay
COMPARING THE Big Idea An Era of Protest Partner Activity With a partner, read each of the following quotations. Then discuss how each quotation reveals the human cost of war. Cite additional evidence from each selection to support your interpretation.
“[H]e’ll pass within a few yards of me and suddenly smile at some secret thought and then continue up the trail to where it bends back into the fog.” —Tim O’Brien, Ambush
“I will hold this shrapnel as a token By which we will recognize each other” —Tran Mong Tu, The Gift in Wartime
“She knew what she was doing, . . . knew that we were in the process not of choosing life over death, but of choosing different ways of dying.” —Pin Yathay, from Stay Alive, My Son
COMPARING Themes Marker at the extermination camp of Choeung Ek. Group Activity Though Tim O’Brien, Tran Mong Tu, and Pin Yathay all write about the tragedy of war, each conveys a distinct theme, or message, about this subject. With a small group, discuss the following questions:
1. What message about war does each writer share with the reader? 2. What literary elements does each writer use to convey his or her message? 3. Which of the selections, in your opinion, makes the most effective protest against war? Support your answer.
COMPARING Cultures Visual Display A writer’s culture influences his or her ideas and choice of subject, words, and images. Tim O’Brien grew up in the United States; Tran Mong Tu, in Vietnam; and Pin Yathay, in Cambodia. Create a visual display to accompany one of the three selections. In your display, include images that reflect the writer’s culture, such as a collage of photographs or works of art. Share your display with your classmates.
OBJECTIVES • Compare and contrast author’s messages. • Analyze cultural context. • Compare works associated with social protest. COMPARING LITERATURE 1181 Steve Starr/CORBIS
1171-1181 U7P1APP-845481.indd 1181 1/29/07 10:49:51 PM BEFORE YOU READ The Asians Dying, Separation, and When You Go Away
MEET W. S. MERWIN verse. In 1967, the protest move- t makes me angry to feel that the natural ment against the world is taken to have so little importance,” Vietnam War had American poet W. S. Merwin once said. It grown in the “I United States as is no wonder then that the pervading themes of Merwin’s poetry revolve around our self-imposed the war itself had separation from nature and the terrible conse- escalated and the quences that come from humanity’s irresponsible numbers of casu- treatment of the natural world. alties had increased. That year, Merwin published The Lice, a collection of angry poems in which he lashed out against soci- “Poetry . . . tries to convey the sense ety’s lack of moral responsibility. Included in this of what one has seen to those to whom collection was “The Asians Dying,” considered Merwin’s most overt anti-Vietnam War poem. The it may matter, including, if possible, poems in his next collection, The Carrier of one’s self.” Ladders, for which he won the Pulitzer Prize for —W. S. Merwin poetry in 1971, begin to show signs of hope for the human condition.
William Stanley Merwin was born in New York Beyond Anger Merwin’s later poetry moved City, but grew up in Pennsylvania. His father was beyond the angry, “searing, dumb vision” that a Presbyterian minister, and at the age of five, guided him in The Lice. “One can’t live only in Merwin was writing hymns for his father’s church despair and anger,” he said, “without eventually services. When Merwin was a teenager, he met destroying the thing one is angry in defense of.” Ezra Pound, who advised him to write seventy- In his long and illustrious career, Merwin has pub- five lines of poetry a day and to learn languages. lished more than 30 volumes of poetry, contributed He told Merwin that poetry “arises out of disci- to a variety of magazines and anthologies, written pline and continual devotion.” Merwin took this three plays, and translated the works of classical advice to heart. In 1947, at age twenty, Merwin writers such as Dante and graduated from Princeton University with a contemporary poets such as Pablo Neruda. In degree in English. In 1952, he published his first reviewing one of Merwin’s recent poems, a critic poetry collection, A Mask for Janus. commented that the poem “will not recompense the lives lost to history. It will not stop wars or stay Style and Substance Merwin’s early poetry was death. Merwin, for all his acute awareness of loss, inspired by Biblical stories and classical myths. writes not to alter the world but to honor it.” These early poems adhered to traditional narrative forms and regular meter patterns. By the 1960s, W. S. Merwin was born in 1927. Merwin had become a pacifist, environmentalist, and an anti-Vietnam War activist. His poetry became more personal as he delved deeper into the failures of humanity. His language became more relaxed and colloquial. He abandoned punctuation Author Search For more about and traditional narrative forms in favor of free W. S. Merwin, go to www.glencoe.com.
1182 UNIT 7 INTO THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY Christopher Felver/CORBIS
1182-1187 U7P1APP-845481.indd 1182 4/17/06 5:32:08 PM LITERATURE PREVIEW READING PREVIEW
Connecting to the Poems Reading Strategy Clarifying Meaning Love and war represent two extremes of human expe- Free verse often does not always use conventional rience. As you read the poems, think about the follow- punctuation or sentence patterns. As a result, poems ing questions: written in this form can be challenging. As you read Merwin’s poems, take time to reread lines that are How much responsibility do we as individuals bear • confusing to clarify meaning. Be sure to read the for the effects of war? footnotes for further help. If you still cannot figure out Why is it hard to bear the absence of someone we • what something means, ask questions to clarify. love? Building Background Reading Tip: Ask Questions Use the chart to jot down questions that you have after rereading. American poetry became more political and radical during the turbulent 1960s. It abandoned the formal tone and rigid meter of previous eras and became Poem Questions Answer more open and free, reflecting the same desire “The What does “Over the for change and the same anger over repression Asians watercourses / Like that fueled the Civil Rights and anti-Vietnam War Movements. Many poets spoke out against social Dying” ducks in the time of injustice. Merwin’s poetry changed during this time the ducks” mean? period. He eliminated punctuation from his work in an attempt to “transmit [poetry] more directly in words and do it in a way that carried more of the cadences of pure language, of speech.” Vocabulary possessor (pə zes ər) n. one who has or takes Setting Purposes for Reading control of something; owner; p. 1184 As the Big Idea An Era of Protest possessor of all the land in the region, she deter- As you read the poems, notice how Merwin protests mined how the area was to be developed. the Vietnam War and the absence of a loved one. pointless (point lis) n. making no sense; p. 1184 They can’t hear you; it’s pointless to speak.
Literary Element Figurative Language garment (gär mənt) n. a piece of clothing; p. 1185 Figurative language is descriptive language that goes The fabric of his outer garment had been worn thin. beyond its literal meaning to convey ideas and emo- tions. For example, the phrase, “my words are the gar- Vocabulary Tip: Analogies Analogies are compari- ment” is a metaphor that is not literally true. As you read, sons that are based on the relationships between examine how Merwin uses figurative language to create things or ideas. For example, the relationship vivid, haunting images of war and feelings of loss. between “movement” and “symphony” is the same as the relationship between “chapter” and “book”: • See Literary Terms Handbook, p. R7. movements and chapters are both sections of symphonies and books, respectively.
Interactive Literary Elements Handbook To review or learn more about the literary elements, go to www.glencoe.com.
OBJECTIVES In studying this selection, you will: • analyze figures of speech and other stylistic devices • reread and devise questions to further comprehension and • learn to understand stylistic devices and appreciate their effects clarify meaning W. S. MERWIN 1183
1182-1187 U7P1APP-845481.indd 1183 1/11/07 12:40:58 AM When the forests have been destroyed their darkness remains The ash the great walker follows the possessors Forever Nothing they will come to is real 5 Nor for long Over the watercourses1 W. S. Merwin Like ducks in the time of the ducks2 The ghosts of the villages trail in the sky Making a new twilight
10 Rain falls into the open eyes of the dead Again again with its pointless sound When the moon finds them they are the color of everything
The nights disappear like bruises but nothing is healed The dead go away like bruises 15 The blood vanishes into the poisoned farmlands Pain the horizon Remains Overhead the seasons rock They are paper bells 20 Calling to nothing living
The possessors move everywhere under Death their star Like columns of smoke they advance into the shadows Like thin flames with no light They with no past Untitled, 2000. Brenda Chrystie. 25 And fire their only future
1. Watercourses are streams of water, such as a river or a brook. 2. The phrase ducks in the time of ducks recalls the Asian belief that the year of one’s birth is influenced by the traits of particular animals.
Big Idea An Era of Protest Who are the possessors? What does Merwin think is going to happen to them?
Literary Element Figurative Language What are the similes in these lines comparing? What ideas about war do these comparisons suggest?
Vocabulary
possessor (pə zes ər) n. one who has or takes control of something; owner pointless (point lis) n. making no sense
1184 UNIT 7 INTO THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY Brenda Chrystie/CORBIS
1184-1185 U7P1SEL-845481.indd 1184 4/17/06 5:35:43 PM W. S. Merwin
Your absence has gone through me Like thread through a needle. Everything I do is stitched with its color.
W. S. Merwin
When you go away the wind clicks around to the north The painters work all day but at sundown the paint falls Showing the black walls The clock goes back to striking the same hour 5 That has no place in the years
And at night wrapped in the bed of ashes In one breath I wake It is the time when the beards of the dead get their growth I remember that I am falling 10 That I am the reason And that my words are the garment of what I shall never be Like the tucked sleeve of a one-armed boy
Reading Strategy Clarifying Meaning What does the simile in line 12 mean?
Vocabulary
garment (armənt) n. a piece of clothing
W. S. MERWIN 1185
1184-1185 U7P1SEL-845481.indd 1185 4/17/06 5:35:46 PM AFTER YOU READ
RESPONDING AND THINKING CRITICALLY Respond darkness remains; bruises disappear, but nothing is healed; and there are flames, but no light. What do 1. Which of these three poems did you like best? Why? these paradoxes suggest about the effects of war? Recall and Interpret 6. (a)Both speakers in “The Asians Dying” and “When 2. (a)In “The Asians Dying,“ what happens to the You Go Away” reflect on their feelings at “twilight” forests, and, subsequently, what happens to the or “sundown.” What might this time of day villages? (b)How does this connect to what symbolize? (b)How does this setting reflect the happens to the farmlands? meaning and tone of these poems? 3. (a)Summarize lines 10–12 of “The Asians Dying.” 7. (a)Whom is the speaker of “Separation” addressing? (b)What do you think the speaker is trying to tell (b)Through the use of figurative language, what you about the dead in these lines? feeling is Merwin attempting to convey? 4. (a)In “When You Go Away,” what happens to the Connect painters’ work and to the clocks? (b)What do these events mean? 8. Big Idea An Era of Protest (a)What effect do you think the images in “The Asians Dying” would Analyze and Evaluate have had on those who were protesting the 5. In “The Asians Dying,” Merwin employs a series of Vietnam War? (b)How could the poems be used paradoxes—the forests have been destroyed, yet their to strengthen their protests?
LITERARY ANALYSIS
Literary Element Figurative Language Review: Free Verse Figurative language is often found in poetry, which As you learned in Unit 3, free verse is poetry that has relies on imagery to convey ideas. Figurative language no fixed pattern of meter, rhyme, line length, or stanza includes similes, metaphors, personification, hyper- arrangement. Poets who use free verse often do not bole, and symbolism. A poet can use each of these follow the traditional rules of grammar and punctuation. literary devices to emphasize an idea, create an effect, Partner Activity Pair up with a partner and discuss the or establish a particular mood. For example, when the use of free verse in “The Asians Dying,” “Separa tion,” speaker of “The Asians Dying” says, “The ash the and “When You Go Away.” Working with your partner, great walker follows the possessors,” he is using per- create a chart like the one below. Then fill it with exam- sonification to say that the ash, which is all that ples of the poetic techniques that Merwin uses in his remains of the war-ravaged forests, has the human free verse. Working with your partner, create a chart like ability to follow around those who caused the destruc- the one shown below for each poem. tion. 1. When the speaker of “Separation” says, “Everything I do is stitched with its color,” what kind of figura- “The Asians Dying” tive language is he using? Repetition 2. Find two other examples of figurative language in Alliteration the poems and explain how each helps you to understand an idea. Assonance Consonance
1186 UNIT 7 INTO THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
1182-1187 U7P1APP-845481.indd 1186 4/17/06 5:32:33 PM READING AND VOCABULARY WRITING AND EXTENDING
Reading Strategy Clarifying Meaning Writing About Literature The main concepts of Merwin’s poems may be diffi- Respond to Theme and Craft If you could interview cult to understand because of the irregular sentence Merwin, what questions would you ask him? Think patterns and a lack of punctuation. Look back at the about the themes that he develops in his poetry and questions you wrote in your chart from page 1183. note the distinctive ways in which he chooses to Reread the lines that caused you problems and try to express those themes. With a partner, create a list of put them in your own words. questions for Merwin and then write answers from his point of view. 1. What is the main message of “The Asians Dying”? As you begin to brainstorm ideas with your partner, 2. In “When You Go Away,” how does the speaker reread Merwin’s poems and take notes on their feel about the absent person? themes and poetic techniques. These notes will help you write your questions and responses. Also, refer to your chart from page 1183 and see if it contains any Vocabulary Practice unanswered questions that you would like to include Practice with Analogies Choose the word pair in your interview. Keep in mind that good interview that best completes the analogy. questions elicit thoughtful responses that lead to a 1. possessor : owner :: meaningful dialogue between the interviewer and a. army : soldier interviewee. Make sure to review your questions and b. supplier : consumer reword any of them that can be answered with a c. manager : supervisor simple “yes” or “no.” These kinds of questions can 2. pointless : signifi cant :: discourage conversation. Proofread and edit your a. remote : distant questions and answers for errors in spelling, grammar, b. responsible : trustworthy and punctuation. You and your partner may wish to c. meaningful : irrelevant role-play your interview for your classmates. 3. garment : shirt :: a. tool : pliers Literature Groups b. hat : head c. rain : snow Poetry and Politics W. S. Merwin has suggested that the poet takes a tremendous chance when he writes political poetry; by doing so, the poet’s voice, which is Academic Vocabulary naturally private and integral to his own life, “may be deformed into a mere loudspeaker” in danger of losing its individuality and surprising nature. What other conse- Here are two words from the vocabulary list on quences might a successful poet face as the result of page R86. writing political poetry? Why would Merwin or any other target (tär gət) n. someone or something poet take these risks? Share your ideas with the class. affected by an action
objective (əb jek tiv) n. end result; aim; goal
Practice and Apply 1. Who is the target of most political poetry? 2. (a)What do you think Merwin’s objective is in “The Asians Dying”? (b)Do you think that he achieved this objective?
Web Activities For eFlashcards, Selection Quick Checks, and other Web activities, go to www.glencoe.com.
W. S. MERWIN 1187
1182-1187 U7P1APP-845481.indd 1187 4/17/06 5:32:35 PM 1188-1191 U7P1APP-845481.indd 1188 1188 Province (Peace) Binh Thai In UNIT 7 7 UNIT D LEVERTOV DENISE MEET about political themes, but she was also an artist an also was she but themes, political about PoetConsummate school. Mountain Black the of poets the among controversy created matter subject of choice her Nevertheless, government. her of culpability the as well as culpability own her Levertov’sprobed doctrinaire. poems or cal ideologi- the beyond went that ways in so did She poetry.her in issue the explore to but choice other no saw VietnameseLevertov the people. for trous disas- been had region the in policy U.S. that tion Levertov’sVietnamstrengthened convic- firsthand war-tornof suffering the witnessing of experience The dedicated). is Province” (Peace) Binh Thai “In poem the whom (to Hart Jane and Rukeyser VietnamMuriel North with to traveled she 1972, war.the In of protest in wrote and lectured both and WarLeague the Resisters Vietnam.joined She in war the against protest the in voice sustained Anti-WarVoiceAn influencedher burgeoning American sensibility. helpedshape Levertov’s ideas about poetry and RobertCreeley, Charles Olson, and Robert Duncan, Colleaguesfrom the Black Mountain school, such as oneof the most important writers of her generation. Mountainschool of poets, and established herself as universityprofessor, became involved with the Black theUnited States. She embarked on acareer as a WorldWar II, Levertov married and immigrated to takinglessons in ballet, French, music, and art. After washomeschooled, and, as achild, spent free time andHasidic Jewish scholars on her father’s side. She familyof Welsh intellectuals on her mother’s side Bornand raised in England, Levertov came from a world. violent sometimes chaotic, a in individual the of responsibilities the and language of intricacies the both of exploration thorough a area of her life. In her work, she conducted she work, her In life. her of area every to brought she commitment of depth the for extraordinary was Levertov enise INTO THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY TWENTY-FIRST THE INTO Levertov’s was an early and early Levertov’san was Levertov may have written have may Levertov BEFORE YOU READ YOU BEFORE Denise Levertov was born in 1923 and died in 1997.in died and 1923 in born was Levertov Denise end. the until world the with engagement and respondence cor-lively a maintained Levertov ones, ailing were years last her Though Seattle. in live to retiring before University Stanford Washingtonat of and University the at professor a as worked She azines. mag- several for editor poetry as served and wrote, taught, Levertov wife, and mother working a As seeing.” of patterns of expressive is itself line the that strongly believe I . . . experienced be will it that way the and aloud, read be should it way the for score a is page the on written is poem a that way the example, For language. in place takes Rather,language. it into transposed immediately merely not is process thinking-feeling the poet, a “For remarked, She technique. or standards to indifference into translate not did forms traditional of abandonment Her said. she there,” discovered be can what see and chaos explore to one allow can forms open it; with deal and in live we chaos the acknowledge should we that think “I ent. pres- the than uncertain and chaotic less were that eras her,to to poetry,belonged according which, of forms traditional rejected explicitly Levertov ones. airy and light from sounds thick or rough distinguishing of capable ear an ear”— “good a for need the on ity,expounded and sentimental- lambasted breaks, line precise praised Levertov interviews, and poetry.lectures of In aspects technical the to thought careful gave who Denise Levertov, go to go Levertov, Denise www.glencoe.com
Author S Author earch .
For more about more For
New Directions/The Luce Photo/AP Wide World Photos 4/17/06 5:53:13 PM LITERATURE PREVIEW READING PREVIEW
Connecting to the Poem Reading Strategy Visualizing Why might someone support or protest a war? As you When you visualize, you picture the writer’s ideas or read the poem, think about the following questions: descriptions in your mind’s eye. Visualizing as you read can help to strengthen your engagement with What most disturbs you about war? • a poem. • What circumstances or events would cause you to protest a war? Reading Tip: Taking Notes Use a chart to record Building Background what you picture as you read. Thai Binh is a province in Vietnam. It is located north- east of Hanoi in what was once North Vietnam. Detail What I Picture Bordered by the ocean and home to the Red River Delta, the province is a green place where rice grows “quietly grazing buffalo in a large, in paddies and water buffalo graze. It is home both to buffalo” empty, green field on pagodas, buildings which frequently house Buddhist a sunny day temples, as well as churches. (The French and other missionaries brought Christianity to Vietnam.) Thousands of North Vietnamese soldiers from this peaceful-looking province died during the Vietnam War. Bombing of the province by the U.S. and South Vietnamese, along with the effects of the American- made chemical Agent Orange, affected the lives of thousands of others. Ironically, su thai binh means “peace” in Vietnamese. Setting Purposes for Reading Vocabulary Big Idea An Era of Protest bewildered (bi wil dərd) adj. confused; p. 1190 As you read “In Thai Binh (Peace) Province,” think The bewildered man could not find the bus stop. about what Levertov may be suggesting about the true cost of the Vietnam War, for the United States as well fabled (f a¯ bəld) adj. famous, well-known; told as for Vietnam. about in stories; p. 1190 Many explorers had searched for the fabled city of gold.
Literary Element Setting persistent (pər sis tənt) adj. continuing or going forward, despite problems or obstacles; Setting is the time and place in which the events of a p. 1190 Although other students gave up, Derek literary work occur. Setting includes not only the physi- was persistent. cal surroundings, but also the ideas, customs, values, and beliefs of a particular time and place. In a poem, Vocabulary Tip: Synonyms Synonyms are words the setting may play an important role, or it may be that have the same or similar meanings. Synonyms only incidental. As you read, determine the role of are always the same part of speech. setting in “In Thai Binh.” • See Literary Terms Handbook, p. R16.
Interactive Literary Elements Handbook To review or learn more about the literary elements, go to www.glencoe.com.
OBJECTIVES In studying this selection, you will focus on the following: • analyzing setting • connecting to historical events • visualizing DENISE LEVERTOV 1189
1188-1191 U7P1APP-845481.indd 1189 1/11/07 12:49:27 AM For Muriel and Jane
I’ve used up all my film on bombed hospitals, bombed village schools, the scattered lemon-yellow cocoons at the bombed silk-factory,
and for the moment all my tears too are used up, having seen today yet another child with its feet blown off, a girl, this one, eleven years old, patient and bewildered in her home, a fragile small house of mud bricks among rice fields.
So I’ll use my dry burning eyes to photograph within me dark sails of the river boats, warm slant of afternoon light apricot on the brown, swift, wide river, village towers— church and pagoda1— on the far shore,
and a boy and small bird both perched, relaxed, on a quietly grazing buffalo. Peace within the long war.
It is that life, unhurried, sure, persistent, I must bring home when I try to bring the war home. Child, river, light.
Here the future, fabled bird Denise Levertov that has migrated away from America, nests, and breeds, and sings,
common as any sparrow.
1. A pagoda is a building with an upward curved roof, or a series of upward carved roofs, built as a temple or memorial.
Reading Strategy Visualizing What do you picture as you read these lines?
Literary Element Setting Why does Levertov include these details in a poem about war?
Vocabulary
bewildered (bi wil dərd) adj. confused persistent (pər sis tənt) adj. continuing or going forward, despite problems or obstacles fabled (fa¯ bəld) adj. famous, well-known; told about in stories
1190 UNIT 7 INTO THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
1190 U7P1SEL-845481.indd 1190 4/17/06 5:56:48 PM AFTER YOU READ
RESPONDING AND THINKING CRITICALLY Respond 6. Explain the contrast Levertov develops between violent or disturbing occurrences and images that 1. What do you think is the most powerful image in evoke peace, hope, or health. Why do you think this poem? Explain. Levertov suggests that it is the latter type of image Recall and Interpret she must “bring home” with her? 2. (a)What does the speaker photograph with a 7. (a)What is the “future, fabled bird” mentioned in camera? (b)What do these images reveal about line 24? (b)Why does the poet suggest that the Thai Binh? bird has “migrated away from America”? 3. (a)What does the speaker “photograph” with her Connect eyes? (b)What do these images tell you about Thai Binh? 8. Big Idea An Era of Protest (a)What exactly might reading the speaker’s personal reactions 4. (a)What is the “fabled bird” doing in Thai Binh? have helped Americans to understand about the (b)What does the speaker mean by “fabled bird”? Vietnam War? (b)Do you think this poem is effec- Analyze and Evaluate tive as a means of protest? Explain. 5. (a)Why might this be called an antiwar poem? (b)How well does the poem demonstrate the neg- ative consequences of war? Support your answers.
LITERARY ANALYSIS READING AND VOCABULARY
Literary Element Setting Reading Strategy Visualizing Details about setting can help to create a poem’s In her poem, Levertov vividly contrasts war and peace. atmosphere, or mood. A powerful visual detail can be 1. What do war and peace look like to the speaker? disturbing or evoke feelings of joy. 2. What images or details of the poem did visualizing 1. How does the setting the speaker imagines differ best help you to appreciate? Explain. from the one she sees? 2. What role does setting play in the development of the poem’s theme? Vocabulary Practice Practice with Synonyms Find the synonym for Listening and Speaking each vocabulary word listed in the first column. Levertov wrote many other poems about her experi- Use a dictionary or thesaurus if you need help. ences in Vietnam. With a group, locate and read three 1. bewildered a. confused b. amused of these poems. Then write and deliver an informa- 2. fabled a. famous b. fake tional speech about them. In your speech, summarize 3. persistent a. unknown b. continuous the poems and explain what themes you think are conveyed by them. Also discuss particularly striking examples of poetic technique. End with a conclusion about the purpose and meaning of Levertov’s Vietnam poetry. Web Activities For eFlashcards, Selection Quick Checks, and other Web activities, go to www.glencoe.com.
DENISE LEVERTOV 1191
1188-1191 U7P1APP-845481.indd 1191 4/17/06 5:53:31 PM ARTISTIC PERSPECTIVE on the Vietnam War Informational Text
Maya Lin National Design Award Winner
Building Background alking through this park-like area, 1 Architect Maya Lin was only twenty-one years old the memorial appears as a rift in the when she submitted this design proposal for the Wearth—a long, polished black stone Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Unlike most prior war wall, emerging from and receding into the memorials, it features no statues of soldiers in heroic, earth. Approaching the memorial, the ground determined stances. Instead, it is a seemingly endless slopes gently downward, and the low walls black granite wall that first rises from and then falls to emerging on either side, growing out of the the earth. On its surface are the names of the earth, extend and converge at a point below American men and women who were killed during and ahead. Walking into the grassy site con- the Vietnam War. “I thought about what death is, what tained by the walls of this memorial we can a loss is,” Lin explains. “A sharp pain that lessens with barely make out the carved names upon the time but can never quite heal over. A scar. The idea memorial’s walls. These names, seemingly infi- occurred to me there on the site. Take a knife and cut nite in number, convey the sense of overwhelm- open the earth, and with time the grass will heal it.” ing numbers, while unifying those individuals into a whole. For this memorial is meant not Set a Purpose for Reading as a monument to the individual, but rather as Read to find out how Lin hopes that her memorial a memorial to the men and women who died will inspire visitors. during this war, as a whole. The memorial is composed not as an Reading Strategy unchanging monument, but as a moving com- Analyzing Political Assumptions position, to be understood as we move into and out of it; the passage itself is gradual, the Analyzing political assumptions involves carefully descent to the origin slow, but it is at the ori- examining political beliefs that have shaped an author’s gin that the meaning of this memorial is to be argument or proposal. An author may state each opin- ion or assumption directly or may merely imply it.
1. A rift is a deep crack or slash.
1192 UNIT 7 INTO THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY Jacob Halaska/IndexStock
1192-1195 U7P1SEL-845481.indd 1192 4/20/06 2:37:05 PM Informational Text Library of Congress
The two panels of Maya Lin’s Competition architectural drawing, including her textual description.
MAYA LIN 1193
1192-1195 U7P1SEL-845481.indd 1193 4/17/06 6:01:11 PM Informational Text Iconica/Getty Images
The Vietnam Memorial at night, with the Washington Monument in the distance. Viewing the Photograph What aspects of the Vietnam Memorial are captured in this photograph?
fully understood.2 At the intersection of these the earth that bounds the angle’s open side, and walls, on the right side, at this wall’s top is contained within the earth itself. As we turn to carved the date of the first death. It is followed leave, we see these walls stretching into the dis- by the names of those who have died in the war, tance, directing us to the Washington Monu- in chronological order. These names continue on ment to the left and the Lincoln Memorial to the this wall, appearing to recede into the earth at right, thus bringing the Vietnam Memorial into the wall’s end. The names resume on the left historical context. We, the living, are brought wall, as the wall emerges from the earth, con- to a concrete realization of these deaths. tinuing back to the origin, where the date of the Brought to a sharp awareness of such a loss, it last death is carved, at the bottom of this wall. is up to each individual to resolve or come to terms Thus the war’s beginning and end meet; the war with this loss. For death is in the end a personal is “complete,” coming full circle, yet broken by and private matter, and the area contained within this memorial is a quiet place meant for personal 3 2. The monument stands in a long, grassy park in Washington, reflection and private reckoning. The black D.C. Visitors standing at the monument can look to the left granite walls, each 200 feet long, and 10 feet and right and see the faraway ends of the park. At one end stands a tall white obelisk, the Washington Monument, and at the other end stands the Lincoln Memorial, with its 3. Private reckoning suggests deep, personal thoughts about famous statue of the seated Abraham Lincoln. the magnitude of the war dead.
1194 UNIT 7 INTO THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
1192-1195 U7P1SEL-845481.indd 1194 1/11/07 1:04:56 AM Informational Text below ground at their lowest point (gradually gradually lessening in height, until they finally ascending towards ground level) effectively act recede totally into the earth at their ends. The as a sound barrier, yet are of such a height and walls are to be made of a hard, polished black length so as not to appear threatening or enclos- granite, with the names to be carved in a simple ing. The actual area is wide and shallow, allow- Trajan4 letter, 3/4 inch high, allowing for nine ing for a sense of privacy, and the sunlight from inches in length for each name. The memorial’s the memorial’s southern exposure along with the construction involves recontouring the area grassy park surrounding and within its wall con- within the wall’s boundaries so as to provide for tribute to the serenity of the area. Thus this an easily accessible descent, but as much of the memorial is for those who have died, and for site as possible should be left untouched (includ- us to remember them. ing trees).5 The area should be made into a park The memorial’s origin is located approxi- for all the public to enjoy. mately at the center of this site; its legs each
extending 200 feet towards the Washington 4. Trajan is the name of the font that Lin has chosen for the Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. The letters in the names. walls, contained on one side by the earth, are 5. Lin specifies here that some recontouring, or excavating, of 10 feet below ground at their point of origin, the land will be necessary in order to accommodate the downward slope of the granite walls.
RESPONDING AND THINKING CRITICALLY Respond Analyze and Evaluate 1. Imagine being a visitor at the Vietnam Veterans 5. At first, many people were shocked and disap- Memorial. How do you think you would respond to pointed with Maya Lin’s design. They expected a the memorial? Explain. more traditional monument, such as a statue con- veying the bravery of U.S. soldiers. Do you agree, Recall and Interpret with the critics, that such a monument would have been more appropriate than Lin’s memorial, or do 2. (a)Describe the appearance of the memorial. you favor Lin’s design? Explain. (b)Why may Lin have wanted the names to convey “the sense of overwhelming numbers”? 6. Lin envisioned the memorial “not as an unchanging monument, but as a moving composition, to be 3. (a)In what order are the names arranged on the understood as we moved into and out of it.” From monument? (b)Why may Lin have chosen this type her description of the memorial and the pictures of order instead of alphabetical order? accompanying the proposal, do you believe that 4. How does Lin conclude her proposal? Why do you she accomplished that vision? Explain. think she ends with this idea? Connect
7. Big Idea An Era of Protest Do you think that the Vietnam Veterans Memorial refl ects an “era of protest”? Why or why not?
OBJECTIVES Use strategies to understand words and text, including inter- Analyze political assumptions. • • preting illustrations. Determine author’s purpose and its effect on the text. • Critique functional documents for information and visual Respond to informational and aesthetic elements in texts • • appeal. and graphic displays.
MAYA LIN 1195
1192-1195 U7P1SEL-845481.indd 1195 1/11/07 1:38:57 AM BEFORE YOU READ
A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall
MEET BOB DYLAN In 1963, Dylan played at the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Born Robert Zimmerman and raised in the small Island. His performance mining town of Hibbing, Minnesota, Bob Dylan at that festival firmly received his first guitar at the age of fourteen. established Dylan as the Throughout his teens, he listened to the music of new voice of folk music. Hank Williams, Elvis Presley, and Little Richard. This phase in Dylan’s career crested with the release of his next “I see my light come shining album, The Times They Are A-Changin’. Dylan From the west unto the east. now personified the folk “protest song” movement, Any day now, any day now, which influenced the Civil Rights, free speech, I shall be released.” and anti-war movements of that period. Going Electric Dylan, however, was on the cusp of —Bob Dylan, “I Shall Be Released” a significant artistic change. The album Bringing It All Back Home, released in 1965, featured electric instru- ments, shocking his purist folk fans. Highway 61 Protest Singer In 1959, the summer before Revisited, Dylan’s next album, included surreal lyrics Dylan enrolled at the University of Minnesota he and a heavy electric sound—but no protest songs. first heard the records of Woody Guthrie, the folk Blonde on Blonde, the critically acclaimed following singer who would become his idol. In Minneapolis, album, followed suit. The tours promoting these he first encountered the era’s beatnik, folk-inflected albums became legendary: feeling betrayed, angry fans counterculture. Dylan dropped out of college at the booed and jeered Dylan to show their displeasure. end of his freshman year and headed for New York In 1966, Dylan was involved in a motorcycle acci- City in search of Guthrie, who had vanished from dent, forcing him into a period of seclusion. When the public eye due to illness. he emerged, his musical style changed again. His When he arrived in New York City in 1961, Dylan next two albums—John Wesley Harding, released in had already changed his name and was developing 1968, and the country infused Nashville Skyline, his distinct musical sound. While playing in small released in 1969—again defied expectations. clubs throughout Greenwich Village, the center of Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Dylan toured bohemian New York, he regularly visited Guthrie, and recorded with decidedly mixed results. who was suffering from Hun tington’s chorea, a Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he nervous system disorder. earned multiple Grammies, including Album of In September 1961, the New York Times gave one the Year for Time Out of Mind in 1998. Recently, of Dylan’s live performances a positive review, Dylan released Chronicles, the first volume of his prompting John Hammond, Columbia Records’ memoirs, to overwhelmingly positive reviews. premier talent scout, to take notice. In less than a year, Dylan recorded and released his first Bob Dylan was born in 1941. album, which received mixed reviews. However, his next album, The Free wheelin’ Bob Dylan, Author Search For more about earned widespread acclaim. Bob Dylan, go to www.glencoe.com.
1196 UNIT 7 INTO THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY © Jerry Schatzberg/CORBIS
1196-1201 U7P1APP-845481.indd 1196 4/17/06 6:03:20 PM LITERATURE PREVIEW READING PREVIEW
Connecting to the Song Reading Strategy Analyzing Rhetorical Have you ever felt frightened by what tomorrow might Devices bring? In this protest song, Dylan voices a prophetic In “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall,” Dylan uses several warning about the future. As you read the song, think rhetorical devices, including juxtaposition, parallelism, about the following questions: and repetition. Juxtaposition refers to the placing of • Do you think life will be better or worse ten years two or more distinct things next to each other in order from now? to compare or contrast them. Parallelism is the use of • What alarming trends in today’s world would you a series of words, phrases, or sentences that have sim- like to see changed? ilar grammatical form. Repetition is the recurrence of sounds, words, phrases, or lines. These devices call Building Background attention to particular ideas and evoke emotional responses in the reader. As you read, notice these Dylan wrote “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” during the devices and consider their effects. Cuban missile crisis in 1962, when the United States and the Soviet Union were on the brink of nuclear war. Reading Tip: Taking Notes Use a chart to record This crisis began when the United States discovered rhetorical devices and their effects. that the Soviet Union was installing ballistic missiles on the island of Cuba, approximately ninety miles from the U.S. mainland. These missiles were capable of Rhetorical Device Effect destroying millions of lives within minutes. In response Juxtaposition: “I to this threat, President Kennedy set up a naval block- saw a newborn baby ade around Cuba, thereby further escalating tensions with wild wolves all between the United States and the Soviet Union. The around it” (line 13) world feared that nuclear war was imminent and unavoidable. The crisis ended when the Soviet Union agreed to remove the missiles in exchange for the United States’ promise not to invade Cuba. Though nuclear war was averted, the crisis left a gnawing anxiety in the minds of most people. They were forced to recog- nize that the threat of nuclear disaster was a grim reality. Setting Purposes for Reading Big Idea An Era of Protest As you read, consider how this song responds to issues raised by historical events.
Literary Element Rhythm Rhythm refers to the pattern of beats created by the Interactive Literary Elements arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables, Handbook To review or learn more about the literary elements, especially in poetry. Rhythm gives poetry a musical go to www.glencoe.com. quality, can add emphasis to certain words, and may help convey the poem’s meaning. As you read the OBJECTIVES protest song aloud, listen to the rhythm and consider In studying this selection, you will focus on the following: how it might support the meaning. • analyzing literary periods • analyzing rhythm • See Literary Terms Handbook, p. R15. • analyzing rhetorical devices
BOB DYLAN 1197
1196-1201 U7P1APP-845481.indd 1197 1/11/07 1:54:53 AM Frank Driggs Collection/Getty Images
Bob Dylan
Oh, where have you been, my blue-eyed son? Oh, where have you been, my darling young one? I’ve stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains, I’ve walked and I’ve crawled on six crooked highways, 5 I’ve stepped in the middle of seven sad forests, I’ve been out in front of a dozen dead oceans, I’ve been ten thousand miles in the mouth of a graveyard, And it’s a hard, and it’s a hard, it’s a hard, and it’s a hard, And it’s a hard rain’s a-gonna fall.
10 Oh, what did you see, my blue-eyed son? Oh, what did you see, my darling young one? I saw a newborn baby with wild wolves all around it I saw a highway of diamonds with nobody on it, I saw a black branch with blood that kept drippin’, 15 I saw a room full of men with their hammers a-bleedin’, I saw a white ladder all covered with water, I saw ten thousand talkers whose tongues were all broken, I saw guns and sharp swords in the hands of young children, And it’s a hard, and it’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard, 20 And it’s a hard rain’s a-gonna fall.
Big Idea An Era of Protest Who do you think these men might represent?
1198 UNIT 7 INTO THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
1198-1199 U7P1SEL-845481.indd 1198 4/17/06 6:35:41 PM And what did you hear, my blue-eyed son? And what did you hear, my darling young one? I heard the sound of a thunder, it roared out a warnin’, Heard the roar of a wave that could drown the whole world, 25 Heard one hundred drummers whose hands were a-blazin’, Heard ten thousand whisperin’ and nobody listenin’, Heard one person starve, I heard many people laughin’, Heard the song of a poet who died in the gutter, Heard the sound of a clown who cried in the alley, 30 And it’s a hard, and it’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard, And it’s a hard rain’s a-gonna fall.
Oh, who did you meet, my blue-eyed son? Who did you meet, my darling young one? I met a young child beside a dead pony, 35 I met a white man who walked a black dog, I met a young woman whose body was burning, I met a young girl, she gave me a rainbow, I met one man who was wounded in love, I met another man who was wounded with hatred, 40 And it’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard, It’s a hard rain’s a-gonna fall.
Oh, what’ll you do now, my blue-eyed son? Oh, what’ll you do now, my darling young one? I’m a-goin’ back out ’fore the rain starts a-fallin’, 45 I’ll walk to the depths of the deepest black forest, Where the people are many and their hands are all empty, Where the pellets of poison are flooding their waters, Where the home in the valley meets the damp dirty prison, Where the executioner’s face is always well hidden, 50 Where hunger is ugly, where souls are forgotten, Where black is the color, where none is the number, And I’ll tell it and think it and speak it and breathe it, And reflect it from the mountain so all souls can see it, Then I’ll stand on the ocean until I start sinkin’, 55 But I’ll know my song well before I start singin’, And it’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard, It’s a hard rain’s a-gonna fall.
Literary Element Rhythm How would you describe the rhythm of these lines?
Reading Strategy Analyzing Rhetorical Devices What rhetorical device is found in this line? What effect does it create?
BOB DYLAN 1199
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RESPONDING AND THINKING CRITICALLY Respond Analyze and Evaluate 1. What image did you find most powerful in this 5. This protest song mostly concerns the past but song? Explain. ends while describing the future. How does the shift in time affect the poet’s message? Recall and Interpret 6. (a)Why did Dylan give his song the title “A Hard 2. (a)Who are the speakers in this song? (b)What Rain’s A-Gonna Fall”? (b)Do you think the title is effect does the poet create by using questions and effective? Explain. responses? 3. (a)Who is on the “highway of diamonds” in line 13? Connect (b)What do you think this image represents in rela- 7. Big Idea An Era of Protest What do you think tion to the song’s historical context? Dylan hoped to accomplish with this protest song? 4. (a)What is unusual about the “executioner’s face” Explain. in line 52? (b)What might this detail suggest?
LITERARY ANALYSIS
Literary Element Rhythm Review: Mood Rhythm can be regular or irregular. For example in As you learned on page 823, mood is the feeling or Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy atmosphere that an author creates in a literary work. Evening,” the rhythm is regular: Partner Activity Meet with another classmate to ˘ ˘ ˘ ˘ determine the mood of this song and discuss the liter- Whose woods these are I think I know ary elements Dylan uses to create it. Working with your ˘ ˘ ˘ ˘ His house is in the village though partner, create a web diagram like the one below. Even if the rhythm is irregular, you can still get a sense Then fill it in with examples of the elements that con- of it by paying attention to the number and position of tribute to the mood of the song. stressed syllables, or beats, in each line. 1. About how many beats does each line of “A Hard imagery rhythm Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” usually contain? 2. How does the rhythm of the song influence its meaning? 3. Why do you think Dylan chose irregular rhythm and Mood rhyme? Explain.
diction
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Reading Strategy Analyzing Rhetorical Writing About Literature Devices Evaluate Author’s Craft How well do the images in Though most often found in persuasive essays or “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” reinforce the mood and speeches, rhetorical devices sometimes support an theme of this protest song? Write a brief essay in implied argument in poetry and fiction. Review the which you evaluate the author’s craft. Use examples chart you created on page 1197 listing rhetorical from the protest song to support your position. devices in this protest song. As you draft, write from start to finish. Follow the writ- 1. What argument is implied in “A Hard Rain’s A- ing plan shown here to keep on track. Gonna Fall”?
2. List three rhetorical devices and explain how each Introduction one helps advance that argument. Begin with a general statement ▲ about protest songs and move toward your thesis, or specific statement of your position. Academic Vocabulary ➧ Here are two words from the vocabulary list on page R86. Body Provide evidence showing how ▲ specific (spi si fik) v. exact or definite the images support the theme and mood. emphasis (em fə sis) n. a special stress, accent, or importance given to something ➧
Practice and Apply
1. Identify a specific line in “A Hard Rain’s A- Briefly summarize your position ▲ Gonna Fall” that contains juxtaposition. and leave the reader with a final 2. Which parts of each stanza receive greater insight about protest songs. emphasis because of the use of repetition? Conclusion
After you complete your draft, meet with a peer reviewer to evaluate each other’s work and to suggest revisions. Then proofread and edit your draft for errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
Listening and Speaking Partner Activity Listen to Bob Dylan’s recording of this protest song. Then with a partner discuss how listening to the recording affects your response to the song and your interpretation of it. Be sure to pay close attention to the song’s rhythm. How would you describe Dylan’s delivery and singing style? Is the work more powerful when sung than when read silently?
Web Activities For eFlashcards, Selection Quick Checks, and other Web activities, go to www.glencoe.com. Bob Dylan in 1968-1969. BOB DYLAN 1201 Bettmann/CORBIS
1196-1201 U7P1APP-845481.indd 1201 4/17/06 6:04:38 PM 1202-1206 U7P1APP-845481.indd 1202 1202 Courage UNIT 7 7 UNIT ing poetry to explore her feelings. her explore to poetry ing writ- try to her encouraged therapist her time, this During times. several suicide attempted and sion depres- postpartum severe from suffer to began she that children her of births the after was It 1955. in daughter second her and 1953, in daughter first her to birth briefly.gave only Sexton known had she whom II, Sexton Muller Alfred marrying teen, nine- of age the at eloped Sexton rebellious, and family.class Beautiful middle a in daughters three of youngest the was Sexton Anne Massachusetts, Therapy as Poetry herbecomingto successfula poetthefirstin place. notonlyreflected herpoetryin butalsoactually led casewithAnne Sexton, whosetroubled lifewas Suchtheis life. her or his to references without discussed never almost is poetry the that riences soap-opera.” andnothing more than a“determinedly outspoken siveachievement.” Others saw her work as flawed peoplesremembered,” and “an honest and impres- “remarkable,”“full of the exact flavors of places and reviews.Some critics praised Sexton’s work as PrettyOnes followed,in 1962, by the publication of cledher early struggles with mental illness. This was titled 1960,Sexton published her first collection of poems Sextonapproached writing poetry with fervor. In I SEXTON ANNE MEET senses. It should almost hurt.” almost should It senses. the to shock a be should “Poetry poets is so intimately bound to the poet’sthe expe- to bound intimately so is poets some of work The poet? the understanding without poetry understand to possible it s ToBedlam and Part Way Back, INTO THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY TWENTY-FIRST THE INTO .These first collections received mixed Born in Newton, in Born —Anne Sexton —Anne which chroni- BEFORE YOU READ YOU BEFORE AllMy Sexton did occasionally go outside of herself for herself of outside go occasionally did Sexton feminist, decidedly and “confessional” remained years following the over work her of much While shesaid, “I decided I was the only confessional poet.” railedagainst being labeled a“confessional.” Later intenselyintrospective writing styles. At first, Sexton 1950sand 1960s and were categorized by their School,”agroup of poets who wrote during the late firmlyestablished as amember of the “Confessional Fameand Pain Anne Sexton was born in 1928 and died in 1974. in died and 1928 in born was Sexton Anne life. own TowardGod. galleysfor her latest collection, friendclose Maxinewith Kumin toreview the page met she 1974, 4, October On illness. mental with struggle to continued Sexton while, the All puses. cam- college on readings poetry at figure popular a became she and writing, creative and workshops poetry taught She responsibilities. other on took hercollection books.Sexton received the Pulitzer Prize in1967 for ofpoetry, as well aplay, essays, and several children’s Duringher career, Anne Sexton published ten books collection. this in exhibited Sexton that wit sharp and ery” imag- “colorful the in delighted Reviewers Grimm. Brothers the of tales fairy popular the of retelling material. Anne Sexton, go to go Sexton, Anne published in 1971, is a Transformations,is 1971, in published Later that day, Anne Sexton took her took day,Sexton that Anne Later LiveorDie. www.glencoe.com Sexton,meanwhile, was becoming
Author S Author Asher fame grew, Sexton earch TheAwful Rowing .
For more about more For
AP/Wide World Photos 4/17/06 6:40:44 PM LITERATURE PREVIEW READING PREVIEW
Connecting to the Essay Reading Strategy Examining Connotation We often associate courage with great acts of bravery. and Denotation Sexton, however, sees courage in seemingly ordinary The denotation of a word is its literal, or dictionary, acts. As you read the poem, think about the following meaning. The connotation of a word is the meaning questions: or association that the word has beyond its literal • Would you call yourself courageous? meaning. As you read, consider the positive or nega- • Do you think that people who express pain and tive feelings that the connotations of specific words show vulnerability lack courage? evoke.
Building Background Reading Tip: List Words Use a chart to list words The Awful Rowing Toward God, in which “Courage” with positive and negative connotations in the poem. appears, was Sexton’s last collection of poetry. When Sexton wrote these poems, she was battling severe Positive Connotation Negative Connotation mental illness and was frequently an inpatient at men- awesome fatty tal hospitals. Many reviewers, including some of her close friends, criticized the poems in this collection as being too personal, disjointed, and lacking the strength of her earlier and best poems. Sexton herself called the poems “raw” and “unworked.” The Awful Rowing Toward God was published in 1975. By that time, Vocabulary Anne Sexton was dead, and the poems had become wallowing (wol o¯ in ) v. moving in a clumsy prophetic. manner or with difficulty; p. 1204 After the Setting Purposes for Reading heavy rain, we found ourselves wallowing through muddy ditches to get home. Big Idea An Era of Protest fondle (fond əl) v. to handle gently; p. 1204 As you read the poem, notice how the poet focuses The puppy squirmed as the children tried to pet and on the individual’s conflicts with society. fondle it.
transfusion (trans fu¯ zhən) n. the act of pass- Literary Element Verse Paragraph ing life-saving fluids from one to another; A verse paragraph is a group of lines in a poem that p. 1205 He received a blood transfusion during the form a unit. While stanzas traditionally have a fixed operation. number of lines and are typical of poems written transformed (trans fo rməd ) adj. changed in a before the twentieth century, verse paragraphs are not dramatic way; p. 1205 The messy vacant lot had uniform in length and reflect the open, freer form of been transformed into a lush flower garden. contemporary verse. As you read the poem, examine how Sexton has used each verse paragraph to orga- Vocabulary Tip: Context Clues Context clues for nize her ideas about courage and life. unfamiliar words are often found in words and sen- • See Literary Terms Handbook, p. R19. tences surrounding the word. Look for a synonym or an antonym nearby to provide a clue to the word.
Interactive Literary Elements Handbook To review or learn more about the literary elements, go to www.glencoe.com.
OBJECTIVES In studying this selection, you will focus on the following: • examining connotation and denotation • understanding literary forms and terms, such as verse paragraph • using context clues to understand unfamiliar words ANNE SEXTON 1203
1202-1206 U7P1APP-845481.indd 1203 1/11/07 2:01:47 AM Tate Gallery, London Art / Resource, Gallery, NY Tate
It is in the small things we see it. The child’s first step, Anne Sexton as awesome as an earthquake. The first time you rode a bike, wallowing up the sidewalk. The first spanking when your heart went on a journey all alone. When they called you crybaby or poor or fatty or crazy and made you into an alien,1 you drank their acid and concealed it.
Later, if you faced the death of bombs and bullets you did not do it with a banner, you did it with only a hat to cover your heart. You did not fondle the weakness inside you though it was there. Your courage was a small coal that you kept swallowing. If your buddy saved you and died himself in so doing, then his courage was not courage, it was love, love as simple as shaving soap.
The Deluge, 1920. Winifred Knights. Oil on canvas, 59¹⁄³ x 71¹⁄³ in. Tate Gallery, London, UK.
1. Alien here means “someone who feels like an outsider.”
Literary Element Verse Paragraph How do the lines Vocabulary that follow develop this idea? wallowing (wol o¯ in) v. moving in a clumsy manner or with difficulty Big Idea An Era of Protest According to the speaker, fondle (fond əl) v. to handle gently how does the person addressed in this verse paragraph face death?
1204 UNIT 7 INTO THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
1204-1205 U7P1SEL-845481.indd 1204 4/18/06 6:24:07 PM Later, if you have endured a great despair, then you did it alone, getting a transfusion from the fire, picking the scabs off your heart, then wringing it out like a sock. Next, my kinsman,2 you powdered your sorrow, you gave it a back rub and then you covered it with a blanket and after it had slept a while it woke to the wings of the roses and was transformed.3
Later, when you face old age and its natural conclusion4 your courage will still be shown in the little ways, each spring will be a sword you’ll sharpen, those you love will live in a fever of love, and you’ll bargain with the calendar and at the last moment when death opens the back door you’ll put on your carpet slippers and stride out.
2. Kinsman is a relative. Here the speaker aligns herself with those who suffer the pain of loneliness and despair. 3. The poet may be making an illusion to the Phoenix, a mythical bird that burns itself to ashes and then rises anew from the ashes to live again. 4. The natural conclusion of life is death.
Reading Strategy Examining Denotation and Connotation Why do you think the poet chose to use the word powdered instead of some other phrase?
Vocabulary
transfusion (trans fu¯ zhən) n. the act of passing life- saving fluids from one to another transformed (trans fo rməd) adj. changed in a dramatic way
ANNE SEXTON 1205
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RESPONDING AND THINKING CRITICALLY Respond Analyze and Evaluate 1. How do Sexton’s ideas of courage compare with 5. (a)What images does Sexton use to describe how your own? Do you agree that it takes a certain people can recover from the emotional pain that amount of courage to experience life? Explain. life inflicts? (b)What role does Sexton see for other people in this process? Recall and Interpret 6. (a)What does the speaker envision in the last verse 2. (a)According to the speaker, how does the child paragraph? (b)Why does Sexton, at the end of respond when bullied or abused? (b)What does the poem, describe the encounter with death as this suggest about the speaker’s attitude towards she does? childhood? 3. (a)What image is used in the second verse paragraph Connect to suggest that a great act of courage can be very 7. Big Idea An Era of Protest The 1970s saw the simple and even common? (b)How does this image emergence of the women’s movement and the cri- relate to the main idea of the first verse paragraph? sis of the Vietnam War. How might this poem be 4. (a)How does the speaker let the audience know viewed as an expression of discontent and an that she shares their suffering and pain? (b)What argument for change? does this suggest to you about the speaker’s life?
LITERARY ANALYSIS READING AND VOCABULARY
Literary Element Verse Paragraph Reading Strategy Examining Connotation Poets use verse paragraphs to organize a poem into and Denotation thoughts in much the same way that writers use para- Poets choose words for their sound and for their graphs to organize ideas in prose. For example, in meaning. The denotation of a word is its literal mean- “Courage,” Anne Sexton uses each verse paragraph to ing. Words that have different connotations, or describe a different stage of a person’s life. shades of meaning, have an added impact on the 1. How does Sexton show chronological order both meaning and effect of the poem. In “Courage,” Sexton between and within the verse paragraphs? uses words that have very negative connotations, like “crybaby,” “alien,” and “acid.” Identify words that have 2. How does the poet view courage at each stage in a negative connotations in the third verse paragraph. person’s life? Explain the connotation of each.
Interdisciplinary Activity: Art Vocabulary Practice Create a Mural As a class, plan and create a four- Practice with Context Clues For each of the fol- section mural based on the four verse paragraphs in lowing vocabulary words, construct a sentence that “Courage.” Decide on the mediums you will use to cre- uses context clues to give the meaning of the word. ate the mural. Then separate into groups and have each group choose a verse paragraph to discuss and 1. wallowing design. Display your mural accompanied by a copy of 2. fondle the poem. 3. transfusion 4. transformed Web Activities For eFlashcards, Selection Quick Checks, and other Web activities, go to www.glencoe.com.
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