Topic & Theme
What is theme?
a) the a central idea, message, or underlying meaning explored throughout a work
b) the feeling or atmosphere created by the text
c) the author's attitude toward the text
d) the use of words in a non-literal way to create vivid imagery, emphasize ideas, or evoke emotions
a) the a central idea, message, or underlying meaning explored throughout a work
What is the mood in literature?
a) the a central idea, message, or underlying meaning explored throughout a work
b) the feeling or atmosphere created by the text
c) the author's attitude toward the text
d) the use of words in a non-literal way to create vivid imagery, emphasize ideas, or evoke emotions
b) the feeling or atmosphere created by the text
What is the author/speaker of the poem/song asking people to do in the first stanza?
Lift every voice and sing
Till earth and heaven ring,
Ring with the harmonies of liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise
High as the listening skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
a) sing softly and sorrowfully
b) sing loudly and happily
c) sing loudly and sorrowfully
d) sing softly and happily
b) sing loudly and happily
What is figurative language?
a) the a central idea, message, or underlying meaning explored throughout a work
b) the feeling or atmosphere created by the text
c) the author's attitude toward the text
d) the use of words in a non-literal way to create vivid imagery, emphasize ideas, or evoke emotions
d) the use of words in a non-literal way to create vivid imagery, emphasize ideas, or evoke emotions
What is tempo?
a) the amount of sound
b) the speed of the music
c) writing or saying things over and over
d) the sound of words as they show a feeling
b) the speed of the music
Which of the following is the best example of a theme in literature?
a) the power of love
b) love
c) love can conquer any obstacle
d) Two people in love
c) love can conquer any obstacle
Which of the following best describes the overall mood of "Lift Every Voice and Sing"?
a) hopeful and determined
b) sorrowful and despairing
c) anxious and fearful
d) angry and vengeful
a) hopeful and determined
Which of the following best describes what "Lift Every Voice and Sing" is about?
a) the story of giving up in the face of difficulty
b) a lesson in not taking for granted what you have
c) the journey of a people who have suffered greatly but persevered
d) a lesson about forgetting the past
c) the journey of a people who have suffered greatly but persevered
What type of figurative language compares two things WITHOUT using "like" or "as"?
a) metaphor
b) alliteration
c) simile
d) onomatopoeia
a) metaphor
Why do writers and singers use repetition?
a) To explain the meaning of the poem or song
b) To emphasize an idea, feeling, or theme in the poem or song
c) To maintain the attention and focus of the reader/listener
d) To communicate the relevance or importance of the poem or song
b) To emphasize an idea, feeling, or theme in the poem or song
"Lift Every Voice" addresses which 2 topics?
a) love
b) struggle
c) despair
d) faith
b and d (struggle and faith)
Which of the following best describes the mood or overall feeling of the first stanza?
a) surprise at lucky circumstances
b) hesitation about what is yet to come
c) strength and resolve in the face of difficulty
d) disappointment and anger about the present
c) strength and resolve in the face of difficulty
In the second stanza, how do the phrases "a way that with tears has been watered" and "treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered" affect the meaning of the poem?
a) by describing a dark and violent past
b) by showing why the singers gave up hope
c) by explaining the ways in which history repeats itself
d) by foreshadowing how the future will be disappointing
a) by describing a dark and violent past
Which type of figurative language is present in the following lines from stanza 1 of "Lift Every Voice and Sing"?
Let our rejoicing rise
High as the listening skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
a) metaphor
b) personification
c) simile
d) onomatopoeia
c) simile
How does the repetition in these lines help convey the meaning of the lyrics?
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us.
a) by suggesting the type of gift the speaker wishes to make to the listener
b) by explaining why the speaker fears that the present will be like the past
c) by showing how the speaker draws strength from past and present
d) by reminding the listener of the subject of the song
c) by showing how the speaker draws strength from past and present
Name at least 2 topics addressed by Shuffle Along's "I'm Just Wild About Harry."
Possible answers:
unconditional love, passion, the joy of being in love
How do the following lines from "Lift Every Voice and Sing" contribute to the mood of the poem/song?
Out from the gloomy past,
Till now we stand at last,
Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.
a) by creating a sense of hope after the struggle
b) by highlighting how things can change very quickly
c) by displaying confusion on the part of the speakers
d) by showing why similar events keep happening in history
a) by creating a sense of hope after the struggle
What does the phrase, "for which our fathers sighed" tell us about the place where they find themselves?
Yet with a steady beat,
Have not our weary feet
Come to the place for which our fathers sighed!
It is a place the speaker’s ancestors wished to arrive, but could not.
Name the type of figurative language used in the following line from stanza 3 of "Lift Every Voice":
Lest our hearts drunk with the wine of the world
Personification
Which literary technique is being demonstrated by the lines below?
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us.
repetition or emphasis
State the theme of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" in a complete sentence.
Possible answers:
A difficult past can make you strong
The present moment is deeply connected to the past
Explain how the mood of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" compares with the mood of "Love will Find a Way."
Possible answers:
The overall mood of both poems/songs is hopeful, optimistic, or resilient (in the face of difficulty or struggle)
Explain the meaning of the following lines from stanza 2 of "Lift Every Voice and Sing":
Stony the road we trod,
Bitter the chastening rod
Felt in the days when hope unborn had died
Possible answer:
The lines describe the difficult and painful journey taken by their ancestors in order to lead them to a better place.
Identify the phrases that best illustrate the use of imagery in stanza 2 of "Lift Every Voice":
We have come over a way that with tears has been watered,
We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered,
Out from the gloomy past,
Till now we stand at last,
Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.
1. with tears has been watered
2. treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered
3. gloomy past
4. white gleam of our bright star is cast
How does the singers’ emphasis of the final four lines of the last stanza affect the meaning of the text?
Possible answer:
It highlights the determination or resolve of the speakers.