Assignment: Write Your Justice Issue Poem

ELA 10-A (H) (Tri 2)
2022-01-20T18:30:40Z

Due: Jan 31, 2022 by 11:59pm

ASSIGNMENT: For this poetry unit, you will be writing a second poem, touching on a justice issue of your choice.

Like the poems we explored in class this week, you poem should address some issue that touches on society, human rights, etc.

Some ideas for getting started:

Start with a strong, specific piece of imagery - then “zoom out” to your issue and what the audience should understand about it

Rudy Francisco in “Adrenaline Rush”

Place two very different images side-by-side to make a point

Ocean Vuong in “Kissing in Vietnamese”

Focus on narrative - either a story from your own life or something from the news. What should people understand about this?

Alex Dang in “Times I’ve Been Mistaken For a Girl”

Use your poem to respond to people who question or don’t understand the issue

Sherman Alexie in “Powwow at the End of the World”

Grading criteria:

A title!

At least 14 lines

Special attention to imagery (language of the senses)

Meaningful content and effort demonstrated

Powerful diction (word choice) and tone (mood)

For an added challenge, include literary devices (such as: alliteration, metaphor, simile, personification, hyperbole, allusion, oxymoron, irony, pun, symbolism, etc)

Example poems for inspiration:

Let America Be America Again by Langston Hughes (performed by Danez Smith)

Kissing in Vietnamese by Ocean Vuong

Letter to the Girl I Used to Be by Ethan Smith

Adrenaline Rush by Rudy Francisco

Accents by Denise Frohman

Times I've Been Mistaken for a Girl by Alex Dang

Powwow at the End of the World by Sherman Alexie

T.S.A. by Amit Majmudar

ASSIGNMENT: For this poetry unit, you will be writing a second poem, touching on a justice issue of your choice.

Like the poems we explored in class this week, you poem should address some issue that touches on society, human rights, etc.

Some ideas for getting started:

Start with a strong, specific piece of imagery - then “zoom out” to your issue and what the audience should understand about it

Rudy Francisco in “Adrenaline Rush”

Place two very different images side-by-side to make a point

Ocean Vuong in “Kissing in Vietnamese”

Focus on narrative - either a story from your own life or something from the news. What should people understand about this?

Alex Dang in “Times I’ve Been Mistaken For a Girl”

Use your poem to respond to people who question or don’t understand the issue

Sherman Alexie in “Powwow at the End of the World”

Grading criteria:

A title!

At least 14 lines

Special attention to imagery (language of the senses)

Meaningful content and effort demonstrated

Powerful diction (word choice) and tone (mood)

For an added challenge, include literary devices (such as: alliteration, metaphor, simile, personification, hyperbole, allusion, oxymoron, irony, pun, symbolism, etc)

Example poems for inspiration:

Let America Be America Again by Langston Hughes (performed by Danez Smith)

Kissing in Vietnamese by Ocean Vuong

Letter to the Girl I Used to Be by Ethan Smith

Adrenaline Rush by Rudy Francisco

Accents by Denise Frohman

Times I've Been Mistaken for a Girl by Alex Dang

Powwow at the End of the World by Sherman Alexie

T.S.A. by Amit Majmudar