Search for My Tongue

The opening line is:

You ask me what I mean

What is the effect of starting the poem by addressing the reader?

• The reader considers questions they have asked.

• It hooks the reader by speaking to him/her.

• It confuses the reader.

• The reader makes a connection to the poet.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

What does the poet mean when she says, "I have lost my tongue."

• Someone cut out her tongue and she just can't find it anywhere.

• She is at a loss for words and doesn't know what to say.

• She is afraid she has lost her native language and thus part of her identity.

• She is shy when speaking English because it is not her native language.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

The poet comparing knowing two languages to having two tongues in her mouth is an example of which literary device?

• Metaphor

• Personification

• Alliteration

• Simile

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

Read the following excerpt from the poem:

your mother tongue would rot,

rot and die in your mouth

What is the effect of the placement and repetition of the word "rot"in these lines?

• By placing the word both at the end and the beginning of a line, it's importance is stressed.

• It emphasizes the decay of the native language and creates a bitter tone towards it's loss.

• Both of the above

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

What is suggested by the poet continuing to dream in her native language?

• People can not control their dreams.

• No one really understands where dreams come from.

• Her language and cultural identity are still inside of her.

• She no longer understands the language spoken in her dreams.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

Why might the poet have structured her poem with her native language in the center?

• It is her core and the base of her identity.

• It is more symmetrical that way.

• She dreams in the middle of the poem.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

Why do you think the poet included her native language in the poem even though most readers will not understand it?

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

What is the effect of the metaphor comparing the poet's first language to a blossoming flower in the last stanza?

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

How many languages do you speak fluently?

• 1

• 2

• 3+

What do you think are advantages and disadvantages of knowing more than one language?

Tags

CCSS.RI.2.1

CCSS.RI.3.1

CCSS.RL.1.1

CCSS.RL.2.1

CCSS.RL.3.1