Select ion Review #1

A Dime a Dozen

“The Dream”

1. What is the “dream” of the speaker in this poem? What is unusual about the way she de-scribes her dream? The speaker’s dream is to write poetry that is powerful and very exact,like a laser. Her description is unusual because she says “to poet,” instead of “to write poetry.”She uses a noun in place of a verb to express herself in a way that is short and crisp.

2. What figurative language does the poet use to describe the way she wants to write? Whyis this comparison surprising? The poet first uses a simile, “to poet/ like a laser.” She thenadds, “to pierce darkness/ with one word.” This comparison is a little surprising. We sometimesexpect poems to be about something in nature, or maybe about people. We do not expect tofind something from modern technology, like a laser, to be in a poem like this one.

3. Explain why the poet compares poetry to a laser. What does the “darkness” stand for? Alaser is a very concentrated beam of light. This makes it much more powerful than ordinarylight. It is also more accurate. Ms. Grimes wants her poetry to use language in the same way.She wants to choose and arrange her words carefully. This will make them communicate in apowerful way. She wants to express her ideas so perfectly that her words give the reader theexact idea she is trying to create. She wants to cut through the “darkness” of things like igno-rance, ugliness, sadness, and hate. Lasers seem almost magical, because they do things thatordinary light cannot do. Ms. Grimes wants her poems to seem almost magical, because theydo things that you could not do with ordinary words.

4. Explain why you think this poem is called “The Dream.” This poem is called “The Dream”because it describes Ms. Grimes’ ideal goal in writing poems. She might not always reachthe goal. However, this is what she is trying to do.

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Select ion Review #2

A Dime a Dozen

“On Quiet Feet”

1. To which of the five senses does this poem appeal? Give examples. This poem appeals tothe senses of sight, hearing, and touch. It creates a visual picture of the father walking into aroom or down a street. More importantly, it describes the things the speaker can and cannothear. The father’s coming is “silent/ as a shadow,” because his daughter never hears “hisquiet feet.” However, sometimes he does come so close that she can “hear/ his heart beat.”Finally, the poem appeals to the sense of touch: “… I feel/ his hug.”

2. Describe the poem in terms of the length of the lines, the punctuation, and the capital-ization. How do these details help to create the mood of the poem? The lines in this poemare very short. They flow smoothly into one another, since each stanza is only one sentence.Only the first line of each stanza is capitalized, and periods are found only at the ends of thestanzas. The short lines create a gentle, easy-going feeling. The poem actually sounds likesomeone slipping about so quietly that no one hears him coming.

3. What kind of person do you think the father described in this poem might be? How doesthe speaker in the poem feel about him? The father in this poem might be a little bit shy,because he doesn’t like to make any noise as he moves around. However, he is a loving father.He hugs his daughter and stands so close to her that she can hear his heart beat. Thedaughter also seems to love her dad a lot.

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Select ion Review #3

A Dime a Dozen

“Hopscotch”

1. Tell what this poem is about. What is the “secret” that is not revealed until the last lineof the poem? This poem is about an adult playing hopscotch with the speaker. The poemdoes not tell us who the adult is at first. We learn in the last line of the poem that it is thespeaker’s dad.

2. How does the speaker in the poem feel about this situation? Explain the difference betweenher reaction and that of “the kids across the street.” The speaker sees how funny it is thather dad is playing hopscotch with his too-big feet. However, she also encourages him. Shetells him he is doing “just fine,” because she loves him and is proud of him. Her reaction isdifferent from that of the kids across the street. They just make fun of her dad playing hop-scotch. They think he is too old for such a childish game.

3. How does the poet use rhyme in this poem? This poem includes some lines that rhyme andothers that do not. In the beginning of the poem, the rhyming lines are irregular (scatteredaround). At the end of the poem, however, there are two rhyming couplets. This is where wefind out that the man playing hopscotch is the speaker’s dad. These couplets also containthe main point of the poem: how the speaker feels about her father.

4. What is understatement? How is it used in this poem? Understatement is a form of irony(saying one thing and meaning another). In understatement, a speaker says something lessstrongly than we would expect. In this poem, the speaker uses understatement when shesays, “I’ll keep my dad, I think.” This statement makes it sound as if she thinks her dad isjust okay. However, we can tell that she really loves her dad a lot.

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Select ion Review #4

A Dime a Dozen

“Handel”

1. What feelings about classical music does this poem stir up in us? How does the poet bringthese feelings to mind? The poem stirs up feelings of wonder and respect for the music. Italso suggests feelings of warmth and happiness. The poet does this partly by telling how thepeople in her family respond to this music. She tells us how her father prays before he beginsto play. She and other family members are relaxed but respectful while the music plays on thestereo. She hums along quietly, and she feels proud when her dad plays a solo. Also, the poetsuggests feelings of wonder and respect by using words connected with religion to describethe music.

2. List some of the ways the poet connects music with religion. Why do you think she doesthis? The poet links music and religion all through the poem. She says that the father praysbefore he plays. He also handles his violin as if the wood were holy. She describes the musicon the stereo as a “sermon-song.” She suggests that the father’s music is so beautiful that itbreaks through to heaven. It even makes the angels stop to listen. The poet probably wantsto show that the music stirs up feelings of awe and wonder. They remind her of the feelingspeople have when they worship God.

3. How does the poet use rhyme in this poem? In this poem, some of the lines end in rhymingsounds. However, the rhyming lines do not follow a regular pattern. Many lines do not rhymeat all. Sometimes a line rhymes with one or more other lines in a different stanza. Becausethey do not follow a pattern, the rhymes do not create a sense of predictable music or rhythm.However, they do help to bring the whole poem together.

4. In stanza 4, the speaker says that her father’s music “shatters/ heaven’s crystal floor.”What does she mean? What other word picture does she use to express this idea? Thespeaker says that her father’s music “shatters/ heaven’s crystal floor” because it is so beau-tiful. An opera singer can break a fine crystal glass by singing a very high, very pure note. Inthe same way, the father breaks the “glass ceiling” separating heaven from earth by playingamazingly beautiful music. The speaker also says that the angels “pause/ to listen” whenher father plays. This expresses the same idea.

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Select ion Review #5

A Dime a Dozen

“Sister ’s Skin”

1. What is this poem about? This poem is about the speaker’s feelings about her sister’s skin.Her sister has very dark skin. The speaker wishes she were as dark as her sister is.

2. Describe the structure and special visual effects found in this poem. What hints does thepoet give us about the way the poem should be read aloud? In this poem, each stanza islike one line of poetry broken apart. The first few words are in a line together, but then eachword is a line all by itself. These short, one-word lines are all indented. The four stanzas rhyme,and the words follow a regular rhythm. However, the short, one-word lines tell us that the poetwants the poem to be read slowly. We are expected to pause at each line break. Also, thefourth stanza contains other special visual effects. Capital letters are used to begin the words“Everybody” and “Me.” This suggests these words are to be given special emphasis. The word“E v e r y b o d y “ is written with extra space between the letters. This tells us the word is tobe drawn out very slowly.

3. What is ironic or surprising about the ending of this poem? How do you think the poet reallyfeels about her topic? In the ending of this poem, the speaker dreams that everybody enviesher. This is ironic, because we can guess that she really envies her sister. The poet seems totake a light-hearted, humorous view of this subject. She is poking fun at herself (the speaker)for envying her sister. The extra capital letters and spaces in the fourth stanza add to thiscomical effect. She says that “Everybody” would envy her. However, we can guess that mostpeople are not even worried about her skin color.

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Select ion Review #6

A Dime a Dozen

“Genius”

1. Describe the setting and the characters in this poem. The setting of the poem is the middleof the night, in the speaker’s sister’s bedroom. The two characters are the speaker and hersister.

2. Explain why the speaker wakes her sister up. Tell how suspense is created in this poem.What resolves the suspense? The speaker wakes her sister up because she has just writtena poem. She wants to read it to her sister. When the poem begins, we do not know why thespeaker wakes her sister up. This causes some suspense, because the sister wonders whatis wrong. Her fears are put to rest when she sees the notebook in her sister’s hand. Later, thepoet worries when her sister is very quiet. She is in suspense until the sister says, “We havea genius in the house.” This tells her that the sister likes the poem very much.

3. Describe the relationship between the two sisters. The two sisters have a very good relation-ship. The younger sister is happy to share her poetry with the older one. She trusts her sisternot to hurt her or make fun of her work. The older one doesn’t mind waking up in the middleof the night to listen to her sister’s poems. She knows how important her opinion is to hersister. She encourages her by saying good things about her poems.

4. What does this poem look like on the page? Tell about its rhythm and rhyme scheme. Howdo the rhyming stanzas “match” each other at the level of meaning? This poem is made ofeight two-line stanzas. Each stanza has a regular rhythm of seven stressed syllables. Everyother stanza is indented. Each pair of stanzas rhymes at the end (stanza 1 rhymes with stanza2, stanza 3 rhymes with stanza 4, and so on). Each pair of rhyming stanzas forms a completethought or section of the story. The first two tell about the speaker waking her sister. The secondtwo tell how the sister is relieved to see that it is just a poem and not an emergency. Thethird two tell about the poem being read. The fourth pair tells about the older sister’s reaction.

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Select ion Review #7

A Dime a Dozen

“Foster Home”

1. Why didn’t the girl want to accept a hug from the foster mom? What was she afraid of?The girl didn’t want to accept a hug from the foster mom because she didn’t feel as if it wasreally hers. She was afraid she might count on the foster mom’s love. Then one day it mightbe taken away from her. She would be hurt even worse.

2. What extended metaphor does the speaker use to describe the foster mother’s love? Listthe similarities between the things being compared. The speaker says that the fostermother’s love would be like a borrowed winter coat. Like a coat, her love would be warm andwould make her feel good. However, like the coat, it would not be hers to keep. A person wholent her a coat might ask her to return it. Then she would feel even colder than if she neverhad worn it. In the same way, the foster mother might decide she does not love her anymore.Or, she might have to leave that foster home when her situation changes. If she began tocount on this love and it was taken away, then she would feel even more hurt and lonelythan she was before.

3. Describe the speaker’s tone or attitude in this poem. How does this come out in the waythe poem is written? The speaker’s tone is sad. We can tell she wishes she didn’t have tobe in foster care at all. At the same time, she knows it is no use to make a fuss. The poem iswritten in a way that is not splashy. The lines are short. There is no punctuation and thereare hardly any capital letters. Like the little girl, the poem is just there. It does not demandour attention. It just, very simply, says what it has to say.

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Select ion Review #8

A Dime a Dozen

“A Dime a Dozen”

1. Explain why Nikki Grimes’ mother did not want her to become a writer. Nikki’s mother didnot want her to become a writer because she was afraid Nikki would not succeed. She did notwant her to be disappointed. She said that writers were “a dime a dozen.” This meant thatthere were already too many of them and they were not worth much.

2. What could make her mother change her mind about writers? Why is this funny or ironic(the opposite of what you would expect)? Nikki knew her mother would change her mindabout writers if Nikki succeeded in becoming a writer. If that happened, her mother would bevery proud. This is funny, because in the beginning, she seemed to have no use for writers. Ifher daughter became a writer, she would decide being a writer was wonderful.

3. Where do we find most of the rhyming words in this poem? What is this called? Give someexamples. Why do you think the poet plays so much with the words in this poem? Many ofthe rhyming words in this poem are found in the middle of the lines. This is called internalrhyme. For example, we find the rhymes dime and time, heard and words, mother and another,and proud and loud. We can guess that Nikki Grimes is having fun in this poem showing whata skillful poet she has become. This shows how wrong her mother was to think she would failas a writer.

4. Explain why the phrases “a dime a dozen” and “be proud to say” are repeated in this poem.The beginning and the ending of the poem both include phrases that are repeated, “a dime adozen” and “be proud to say.” The first is a phrase that Nikki’s mother repeated many times,until Nikki was tired of hearing it. The second looks forward to the future. Probably everyoneelse will be tired of the way the mother will brag about her daughter, saying, “My daughter,/the Writer.”

5. What message do you think Nikki Grimes wants her readers to take from this poem fortheir own lives? Nikki Grimes held on to her dream even though her mother discouraged her.She probably wants to tell her readers to hold on to their dreams, too. The people around usmight be afraid we will fail. If we work hard and succeed, though, they will be proud and happy.

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Literature Test #1

A Dime a Dozen

“The Dream”

1. What is unusual about the way the word “poet” is used in this poem? Also, explain why it isused in this unusual way.

2. To what does the poet compare good poetry? Explain the reasons for this comparison (thepoints of similarity).

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3. What is surprising about this comparison? Why does Grimes call this poem “The Dream”?

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Literature Test #2

A Dime a Dozen

“On Quiet Feet”

1. Sensory images are important in this poem. Name two senses, other than sight, to which thispoem appeals. Give an example for each one.

2. What is the mood or feeling you get from this poem? How do the details of punctuation, capital-ization, and line length help to give the poem its own special feeling?

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3. From the description given in the poem, what kind of person is the father? How does thedaughter feel about him?

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Literature Test #3

A Dime a Dozen

“Hopscotch”

1. Who is the person playing hopscotch in this poem? How do we know this?

2. Describe the speaker’s attitude toward the hopscotch player. Why is it different from that ofthe kids across the street?

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3. Where do we find rhymed couplets in this poem? What important ideas are expressed in therhymed couplets?

4. Give an example of understatement from this poem. Explain what the speaker is really feelinghere.

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Literature Test #4

A Dime a Dozen

“Handel”

1. How does the speaker in this poem feel about the music of Handel? How does she feelabout her father when he plays this music?

2. In this poem, several links are made between music and religion. List two of them. Why doyou think the poet highlights the relationship between music and religion?

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3. In stanza 4, we read, “He shatters/ heaven’s crystal floor/ with melody...” What does thismean?

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Literature Test #5

A Dime a Dozen

“Sister ’s Skin”

1. How does the speaker in this poem feel about her sister’s skin color? What does she wish?

2. In this poem, the first line of each stanza is short, and the following lines are even shorter –just one word long! What does this tell us about the way the poem should be read?

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3. Which words are given special emphasis in the last stanza? What special visual effects areused to bring this about?

4. What seems to be the poet’s tone or attitude toward the subject in this poem? How do weknow?

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Literature Test #6

A Dime a Dozen

“Genius”

1. Who are the characters in this poem? What do we learn about their relationship with eachother? Give supporting details for your answer.

2. Why might the sister feel suspense at the beginning of this poem? What lets her know thateverything is all right?

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3. Why does the speaker feel suspense at the end, and what reassures her?

4. Tell what this poem looks like. What is the relationship between the pairs of rhymed stanzas?

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Literature Test #7

A Dime a Dozen

“Foster Home”

1. In this poem, the speaker recalls an incident in a foster home. How did she react when thefoster mother wanted to hug her? Why did she react this way?

2. To what does the speaker compare the foster mother’s love? Why is this an extended metaphor?List at least two ways that the things being compared are similar.

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3. What feelings about her situation does the speaker express? How do these feelings come outin the way the poem is written?

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Literature Test #8

A Dime a Dozen

“A Dime a Dozen”

1. Tell why Nikki Grimes’ mother discouraged her from becoming a writer. Why did Nikki thinkshe would change her mind later?

2. What is internal rhyme? Why do you think there is so much internal rhyme in this poem?

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3. Explain why certain phrases are repeated in the beginning and at the end of the poem.

4. What is the message of this poem for other young people?

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