Poetry Unit Final Assessment - Jerilyn Lambert | Library

Today you will read a new poem by Grace Nichols titled "They Were My People."  After reading the poem, you will answer several questions.

"They Were My People"

They were those who cut cane
to the rhythm of the sunbeat

They were those who carried cane
to the rhythm of the sunbeat.

They were those who crushed cane
to the rhythm of the sunbeat.

They were women weeding, carrying babies
to the rhythm of the sunbeat.

They were my people, working so hard
to the rhythm of the sunbeat--long ago
to the rhythm of the sunbeat.

2

Grace Nichols's poem uses two different examples of anaphora. What are they?

2

What are some reasons that Grace Nichols might use anaphora?

4

The poem "They Were My People" includes several different examples of alliteration. What are they?

3

The phrase "to the rhythm of the sunbeat" is an example of figurative language. What might Nichols mean by this expression?

2

Nichols reminds the readers that the subjects of the poem were her people. What might she mean by this?

1

Below are two examples of figurative language (not from the poem). Which is the simile and which is a metaphor

Draggable item		Corresponding Item
The thunder rumbled like a roaring lion		simile
The clouds were fluffy pillows moving across the sky.		metaphor

Poetry Vocabulary:
Match the word to the correct definition

1

Draggable item		Corresponding Item
form		the repetition of sounds at the beginning of several words in order or near one another
free verse		the repetition of words at the start of a series of lines in a poem
content		the message of a poem
alliteration		words or sentences spoken by a character in a poem, plya, or story
dialogue		small part of a larger work
literal meaning		a metaphor that continues for more than one line of a poem
simile		words or phrases that mean more than their dictionary definition; similes and metaphors are two examples
anaphora		the structure or appearance of a poem or other text
extended metaphor		a poem with no rhyme scheme or set pattern of beats
line break		an exaggerated statement not meant to be taken literally; for example, "I've been waiting forever"
figurative language		to reach a reasonable conclusion based on available evidence
infer		the plave where a line ends
repetition		the dictionary defition of a word
metaphor		comparison that does not use like or as
excerpt		saying the same letters, sounds, or words over and over again
hyperbole		comparison using the words like or as