General Comprehension of Poem
Thematic elements in poem
Literary device identification
Connection to Cicada poem
Miscellaneous
100

What role does the Ocean have in the poem?

The speaker of the first poem.

100

What themes do both poems show about how society treats the boy?

Injustice

100

Why you think we fly?

Why you think we roll in packs?

Repetitions

100

What insect is speaking in "What the cicada said to black boy"?

Cicada (You get this wrong just good luck)

100

Where was Clint Smith born?

New Orleans

200

What role does the Cicada have in the poem?

The speaker

200

What theme is show when the cicada tells the boy to "get you some wings"?

Survival

200

You know how to swim, boy?

You know how many of y'all I swallowed?

Repetitions

200

How often does the cicada show its face?

Every 17 years

200

What does Conflagration mean?

Particularly large and destructive fire
300

What historical event is implied when the ocean says "how many of y'all I swallowed."

The Transatlantic Slave Trade

300

What theme appears when the ocean says people misunderstand why things are called "blue" or "black"?

Misunderstanding

300
You know how to swim, boy?
Rhetorical Questions
300

What body part of the cicada was pulled back?

It's shell

300

What page is "what the ocean said to the black boy" on?

Page 10

400

What lesson is the cicada trying to teach the boy by explaining why they fly and roll in packs?

Survival or self-preservation tactics

400

What theme is shown when the cicada says people have harmed it and the boy?

Oppression

400

A little too much L'Ouverture un you,

A little too much Turner, 

A little too much of what they already had enough of.

Anaphora

400

What does the cicada tell the boy to get at the end?

Wings

400

When the shift for "What the ocean said to the black boy"?

"boy"

500

What is the connection the cicada feels to the boy when he says "they have undone me as well"?

There shared history of exploitation.

500
What theme appears when the ocean tells the boy he already knows how to float?

Self-worth

500

What you see when you look at me?

Rhetorical Question

500
Why do cicadas move together in large groups?

Protection

500

Who did the Tpcastt?

Brandon

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