Week 45: College Reading and Writing: Yusef Komunyakaa and DeAndra Yates

 

Yusef Komunyakaa and DeAndra Yates: Annotating, Summarizing, Analyzing, Imitating 

 

to annotate: to make notes on something to help you understand it better 

to summarize: to put something in your own words 

to analyze: to consider a question on the text, providing supporting examples from the text 

to imitate: to create an original piece of writing based on something you have read 

 

We are doing the twenty-ninth poem and response in the book today, starting on page 103. 

 

Exercise: Read and annotate 

 

1. Read the poem and response out loud and underline any words you need to look up 

2. Write any questions you have in the margins or in your notebook 

3. Put tricky parts into your own words in notes in the margins or in your notebook 

 

Exercise: Questions for comprehension of the poem 

 

1. What is the “dirt-green hush” (Komunyakaa 104)?

2. What role do the trees play in the poem? 

3. Why does the speaker focus on Jonny and Joe? 

 

Exercise: Summarize the poem  

Write a paragraph summarizing the poem with quotations, in-text citation, and a Work Cited Page.  

  

Example too-short summary, incorporating quotation and in-text citation:   

   

Brenda Hillman’s poem “The Family Sells the Family Gun” tells the story of siblings getting rid of their father’s gun after “his ashes...were lying” (87). The speaker questions what it means to own and get rid of a gun in America, saying, “[w]e couldn’t take it to the cops even in my handbag” (Hillman 88).   

  

Work Cited Page (for today’s poem)   

 

Komunyakaa, Yusef. “Shotguns.” Bullets Into Bells: Poets and Citizens Respond to Gun Violence. Ed. Brian Clements et al. Beacon Press, 2017. 

 

Exercise: Questions for Comprehension of the response 

1. Who is the speaker and why it important?
2. What does “he only helped manifest it” mean (Yates 105)?
3. Why is “One Shot One Bullet” capitalized (Yates 105)?

Exercise: Summarize the response 

 

Write a paragraph summarizing the response with quotations, in-text citation, and a Work Cited Page. 

 

Exercise: Analysis 

 

Question for analysis: There are similarities and differences to how Komunyakaa and Yates write about accidental death and youth. Closely examine the two texts and write an analysis where you think about each author’s perspective and how they each approach their encounter with gun violence.

 

Exercise: Imitation 

 

Write a poem about the day after Christmas. Choose a Christmas from your youth. Use elements from Komunyakaa’s poem that you admire to make your own poem stronger.  

 

 

Homework: 

 

1.     Summary of Poem 

2.     Summary of Response 

3.     Analysis of Poem and Response

4.     Imitation of Poem 

 

About this class: 

 

In this class, you are welcome to submit homework for a grade. If it’s not strong enough to earn an A, I’ll give you some comments to help you revise it, and let you do it over again. You have as many chances as you want to complete and perfect the work in this class, and you are welcome to do more than one week’s worksheet for homework at a time; ask me for sheets you’ve missed. Students who complete 15 weeks of graded assignments and a longer paper can qualify for college credit. When you get close to completing 15 weeks, I’ll help you get started on your longer paper.