Open Up - Grade 8 - ELA - Module 3 - Mid Unit 2 Assessment - Formative Library | Library

In this assessment, you will answer questions about language, structure, and theme in a new poem, “The Action in the Ghetto of Rohatyn, March 1942.” You will compare the structure and theme of this poem with your anchor text, Maus I.

Directions: Read the poem and answer the questions below

The Action in the Ghetto of Rohatyn, March 1942
by Alexander Kimel—Holocaust Survivor

Do I want to remember? 
The peaceful ghetto, before the raid: 
Children shaking like leaves in the wind. 
Mothers searching for a piece of bread. 
Shadows, on swollen legs, moving with fear. 
No, I don’t want to remember, but how can I forget? 
Do I want to remember, the creation of hell? 
The shouts of the Raiders, enjoying the hunt. 
Cries of the wounded, begging for life. 
Faces of mothers carved with pain. 
Hiding Children, dripping with fear. 
No, I don’t want to remember, but how can I forget? 
Do I want to remember, my fearful return? 
Families vanished in the midst of the day. 
The mass grave steaming with vapor of blood. 
Mothers searching for children in vain. 
The pain of the ghetto, cuts like a knife. 
No, I don’t want to remember, but how can I forget? 
Do I want to remember, the wailing of the night? 
The doors kicked ajar, ripped feathers floating the air. 
The night scented with snow-melting blood. 
While the compassionate moon, is showing the way.
For the faceless shadows, searching for kin. 
No, I don’t want to remember, but I cannot forget. 
Do I want to remember this world upside down?
Where the departed are blessed with an instant death. 
While the living condemned to a short wretched life, 
And a long tortuous journey into unnamed place,
Converting Living Souls, into ashes and gas. 
No. I Have to Remember and Never Let You Forget.

“The Action in the Ghetto of Rohatyn” © 2005 by Alexander Kimel. Remember.org. Web. Used by permission.

Read the following line from the poem: 

“Do I want to remember?” 

What is the function of the infinitive to remember? (L.8.1a)

It is functioning as an adjective describing I.

It is functioning as a noun that represents an action.

It is functioning as an adjective describing want.

It is functioning as the main verb of the sentence.

SL.8.1.a

What type of figurative language is the phrase “Children shaking like leaves in the wind”? (L.8.5, L.8.5a, RL.8.4)

personification

simile

metaphor

hyperbole

RL.8.4

RL.8.5

L.8.5.a

What is the author comparing through this figurative language and why? (L.8.5, L.8.5a, RL.8.4)

RL.8.4

RL.8.5

L.8.5.a

Which statement best expresses a theme that arises from this poem? (RL.8.2)

There is a strong human will to persevere and survive in the face of hardship.

It is valuable to recount a painful past so that this knowledge may be passed along to future generations.

This man survived and now tells us his story

History matters.

RL.8.2

What piece of evidence best supports the theme of this poem? (RL.8.1)

RL.8.1

How is this theme similar to or different from a theme in Maus I? (RL.8.2)

RL.8.2

What element of structure does the author use to develop this theme? (RL.8.5)

stanzas that each reveal a different historical idea

chronological plot structure that flows in sequential order

stanzas that show a shift in tone and meaning

repetition of the rhetorical question “Do I want to remember?”

How is this structure different from or similar to the structure Art Spiegelman uses in Maus I? (RL.8.5)

RL.8.5

How does the structure of this poem contribute to its meaning? (RL.8.5)

The chronological structure emphasizes the repeated pain the author encountered, highlighting the theme of perseverance.

The repetition of the rhetorical question “Do I want to remember?” draws attention to this phrase, which highlights the theme that remembering is important, though painful.

The stanzas that show a shift in tone and meaning reveal the changes the speaker experienced, which highlights the theme that this man survived and now tells us his story.

The stanzas that each reveal a different historical idea draw attention to the speaker’s history, which highlights the theme that history matters.

RL.8.5

Source: Open Up Resouces (Download for free at openupresources.org.)