THEME FOR ENGLISH B

Students read THEME FOR ENGLISH B by Langston Hughes http://www.eecs.harvard.edu/~keith/poems/English_B.html

Among the poems generated by Theme for English B is the following:

THEME FOR MULTI-CULTURAL LITERATURE CLASS by Shuen Wong

Sometimes I ask myself
"Who are you?
A name, a body, a spirit?"
Then I am confused.

I am nineteen years old, Chinese,
born in a small mountain village in South China.
My blissful childhood was there, close to nature.
I was only me, artless and carefree,
like an elf of the mountain.
In the morning, mist arose from the forest
like soft, light gauze.
In the evening, a cool mountain wind blew
through the forest
lulling me into sweet dreams.

Now here I am, a New Yorker,
in this motley land of skyscraping pressures.
I study hard in school to keep up
the Chinese reputation
of diligence and intelligence.
I am confined to school and home
like a caged nightingale.

The tall buildings sorrund me.
Subways and TV's make me dizzy.
I miss the old trees and the mountain,
the wind, the mist, and me.

Caroline Pari introduced me to the following poem when I was teaching English at Seward Park High School. I've used it as a model ever since: http://www.georgeellalyon.com/where.html Among the poems it generated are the following:


Where I’m From by Noah Linda Clayton

I am Noah Linda Clayton.

I’m from fresh catfish,
homegrown goobers,
and our next door neighbor’s
stolen sweet grapes.

I’m from jigsaw puzzles
with missing pieces,
over-grown weeds
and barefoot feet.

I’m from frogs croaking in the night,
snakes hiding in the bushes
and endless mosquito bites.

I’m from understanding grandparents,
sympathetic church members
and a lost puppy.

I’m from “Let’s play cards,” “Oh, me! Oh, my!”
“If you pay attention,
you might still be here tomorrow.”

_________________________


Where I’m From by Willie James McCants

I am Willie James McCants.

I’m from warm crisp cornbread,
crunchy fried chicken, Mom’s baked ziti
and Grandma’s cream-filled vanilla cookies.

I’m from Super Sookers,
power toys with low batteries
and basketballs with no air.

I’m from the J train,
red and brown brick houses,
shoot-outs, dead dogs, highways
and car accidents.

I’m from, “Gimme,” “Nook, nook,” “Stupid,”
“You had your turn,” and
“When you goin’ to Baskin Robbins?”

_______________________________


Where I’m From by Katherine Roman


I am Katherine Roman.

I’m from smooth banana baby food,
rice and beans,
macaroni and cheese with broccoli
and strawberry ice cream.

I’m from red and white polka dot dresses,
shiny black shoes,
heavenly white blankets,
small bald baby dolls
and broken rattles.

I’m from tall buildings
with Welcome signs and balconies,
small rocky playgrounds with tall jail-like walls,
squeaky broken bicycles,
and screaming, laughing kids
flinging eggs from rooftops.

I’m from Angel Luis
cussing out the guys on the street corner,
and Grandma shoving the spoon into my mouth.

I’m from “Vamos para abajo a comprarte dulce,”
“Comete lo o te meto en la cara,” “La luna,”
“Ay, callase!” and “Ay, que linda!”

_________________________


Where I’m From by Dipa Begum

I am Dipa Begum,

I’m from cinnamon and cumin,
mashed potatoes seasoned with mustard oil,
onions and chopped green chilies, date palm jaggery,
curried chicken, sweetened curd and fried bread,
puffy and light that melts in your mouth,

I’m from little ragged dolls,
over 20 Barbies,
plastic baby rattles, pin wheels,
and colorful silk saris.

I’m from straw houses
that break in the wind,
poor people, congestion,
and dirt.

I’m from a religious mom, a generous dad,
two playful sisters,
and two annoying brothers.

I’m from “Stop it! I am going to tell Dad!”
“Behave, or else!”
and “Shut up, Dipa!”

I Am What I Am

Students read Ending Poem by Rosario Morales and Aurora Levins Morales. http://social.chass.ncsu.edu/wyrick/debclass/morale.htm

Among the poems it generated is the following:

I Am What I Am by Ahlem Dakhlaoui

I am what I am
A young devoted Muslim
And a proud Tunisian.

The oldest of four children
Who looks out for her younger siblings.

I am the agile moves of my body --
The belly dancer in my blood
That flows with the rhythms
Of France and Tunisia
On the streets of the Lower East Side.

I am the bystander of my brother's accident
When he was hit by a drunken lunatic driver
Who ran from the scene.

I am the speaker of foreign langauges
With unfamiliar words --
Bonjour! Comment was-tu?
Salem --
That sometimes confuse even me.

I am the traveler to exotic places --
Paris, Madrid, Tunis, Tolouse.

Yet I am still me,
Not the one who depends on others --
But the young proud Tunisian Muslim
Who hears her mother's words
And sees the world with her own eyes.

Where My Grandmother Lived

Students were introduced to the following poem:

Where My Grandmother Lived by Doc Long Jr.

Where my grandmother lived
there was always sweet potato pie
and thirds on green beans and
songs and words of how we'd survived it all.
Blackness.
And the wind
a soft lull
in the pecan trees
whispered
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, Ethiopia
E-th-io-piaaa!

Among the poems it generated is the following:

Where My Grandmother Lived by Selina Lashley

Where my grandmother lived
there was always song
blowin' in the cypress trees.

Where my grandmother lived
there were sunday school,
picnic lunches in the park.

Where my grandmother lived
there were family meals,
barefoot dances for the young.

But my grandmother ran North
to this dirty, lonely slum
trying to find us
a richer life,

leaving us only stories
of where my grandmother lived.

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