"Mother to Son"
At both the beginning and the end of “Mother to Son,” the mother says, “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.” What does the crystal stair most clearly symbolize for the mother?
It is an easy life of wealth and luxury.
It is a smooth, clear path to achieving one’s goals.
Frank Horne uses repetition in “To James,” as in this example: "Think only of the goal/ Run straight/ Run high/ Run hard" (Lines 41–44). What does the repetition of run most clearly emphasize?
The speaker’s hope that James will do his best.
Fill in the blank with one of your vocabulary words.
There was burnt brick with black _____ and ashes on top.
Cinders
Part 1: What type of figurative language is used in the song lyric below?
Part 2: Explain how you know.
"I'm on that supersonic boom. Y'all hear the spaceship zoom."
“Boom Boom Pow” - Black Eyed Peas
Onomatopoeia
In "Mother to Son," what do you think her greatest fear for her son is?
That hardships will make him give up.
The poet Frank Horne wrote “To James” as a series of very short lines. What is the most likely effect of that choice?
The very short lines suggest the rhythm and excitement of a race.
Fill in the blank with one of your vocabulary words.
The ground gave way under her foot, and with a sickening _____ of her heart, she plunged downward.
Lurch
Part 1: What type of figurative language is used in the song lyric below?
Part 2: Explain how you know.
"You start to freeze as horror looks right between the eyes. You’re paralyzed."
“Thriller” - Michael Jackson
Personification