2.3 Assignment. parts 2 and 3
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Jan 9, 2024
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Samantha-Rae Bélanger
TVO ILC ENG4U Learning Activity 2.3 October 2023
Part 2 - Poem analysis worksheet
Analysis prompt
I Lost My Talk by Rita
Joe
I, too by Langston Hughes
What can you learn from the title of the poem?
There is a loss of communication. Whether that be a literal loss of being able to speak, or a loss of expression. This could be a loss due
to cultural issues, personal issues or
social issues. The author is trying to express inclusion. The way there is a pause due
to the comma, before too, shows he is trying to including himself in the group
Whether it be Physically, emotionally, or educationally included.
Identify and explain poetic devices in the poem.
Symbolism – Talk represents speech, but also her culture being stripped away.
Repetition of “My talk” to emphasize the impact of the loss of her heritage.
Contrast – Your way and my way does imply a power struggle
Metaphor – Darker brother insinuates African American. Assertion – I, too, am America. This reinforces his need for equality and inclusion.
Explicitly Stated fact – “They’ll see how beautiful I am and be ashamed.” This is a line used to change a behaviour. It speaks to their current behaviour as being wrong. How are the words arranged? What is the effect on the reader?
Each sentence is short, but impactful. Each stanza is simple but
conveys a powerful message
Each sentence is short. The words are impactful. Each stanza gains more power as the poet gets more assertive as the poem goes on. Identify word clusters to help you determine the theme or main idea of your poem.
Assimilation – Speak like you, think like you, create like you
Power struggle – The talk you took away, you snatched it away, Let me find my talk
Identity – “I, too” “I am the darker brother” “I, too, am America.
Strength – “I laugh, and eat well, and grow strong.”
Focus questions: What is the theme or main idea of your poem? How do you know? How does the title relate to the theme?
The main themes of the poem is the
writer attended a residential school called Shubenacadie that stripped her of her heritage. (The talk you took away, when I was a little girl at
Shubenacadie school) The writer is looking to reclaim her heritage with
support from her oppressors. (So I gently offer my hand and ask, let me find my talk, so I can teach you about me)
The title implies the writer lost her voice. The poem builds upon the title. The main idea of the poem is the importance of unity for the author’s race. African American’s are to this day, still fighting for equal rights. The author made the strength and resilience
as an African American clear as his poem becomes stronger worded with each stanza. The author begins with backstory of being sent away to eat in a
different room – exclusion. The end of the Poem he speaks out about how he will one day be included, and everyone
will be ashamed of their ways. The Title reflects the central idea of the poem – of inclusion. What image or line from the poem stood out to you? Explain. If you could ask the The line that stood out to me is “So gently I offer my hand and ask.” This definitely causes some “Tomorrow, I’ll be at the table when company comes.” There is something so assertive about the author’s strength
Samantha-Rae Bélanger
TVO ILC ENG4U Learning Activity 2.3 October 2023
poet a question, what might it
be? Why are you asking that question?
frustration for me and I wonder why the author made the character so soft? I am a Métis woman myself and my life was dramatically influenced by the cultural genocide of our people. We
are a friendly and welcoming people, and this is what aided our downfall. A part of me hates that we
continue to be nothing but soft, even when times call for being stronger, such as demanding our rights as opposed to begging for them.
for change. I wish I could be this assertive in life. I would ask the poet if he saw the change between the time he wrote the poem to now. Did the willpower pay off? Did the strong emotional resilience pay off? I ask because life in itself is a hardship, and I’m struggling to keep focused and resilient in Ontario. Do you notice the poet’s gender reflected in their writing? If so, how? If not, what do you think is the reason? Do you notice any other part of the poet’s intersectionality reflected in their writing? Explain
The poet is a woman. “When I was a little girl at Shubenacadie school.”
The author is a Mi’kmaq woman, so I believe her poem reflects her personal struggle. The poet is from a lower social class, as during the Era of residential schools, the indigenous were considered second have citizens. I believe this to be reflected by the author outright claiming that the way of the indigenous is less powerful. The poet is male, as his second line is “I’m a darker brother” This line also alludes to not being Caucasian, but likely African American. He’s clearly in a lower social class, as he’s fighting for his place in that home. (Tomorrow, I’ll be at the table when company comes.)
How does the poet comment on resilience in this poem?
The poet shows great resilience in several ways. The lines “So gently I
offer my hand and ask, let me find my talk so I can teach you about me.” This speaks to the author still wanting to come together and teach her ways to the people that have been actively suppressing her and her heritage. She wants to go forth and teach as opposed to fight or retaliate. The author using the word gently speaks to their people not losing their friendly demeanors, regardless of the hardship they were
put through. Stripped of their language, and of their rights and being disallowed to live. But still, they want to peacefully find a way to co-exist and teach their ways. The Poet comments on resilience at the
beginning. “They send me to eat in the kitchen when company comes, but I laugh, and eat well and grow strong.”
This growth and ability to thrive and be
happy speaks to his resilience amidst a hard life.
Samantha-Rae Bélanger
TVO ILC ENG4U Learning Activity 2.3 October 2023
Part 3 – Which poem resonates more?
I Lost My Talk by Rita Joe resonates with me quite deeply. I felt quite an emotional response to this poem, that I think even caught me off guard. I mentioned in the worksheet than I am a Métis woman. My mother went to a residential school in Kamloops as child. Her mother was a fluent Cree woman that was stripped of all her rights, her language and her comforts. Everything she went through, shaped the person and parent she became. I grew up learning about
her struggle, I grew up watching her struggle to heal. I watched her last breath be taken while filled with fear of the government. She was never able to heal from the trauma these residential schools had caused. My mother being so mentally unwell is the reason I am sitting here at 31 years old doing English 4U. I had to drop out of school 16 years ago, to get a job and care for my
sister as my mother could never pull herself out of the fear from her childhood. To this day, I’m still struggling to learn more about my family, and I will be working on that for the rest of my life. When I read that poem, I couldn’t help but find myself curious about the author personally. Did she ever recover from her trauma? Did she have kids? What did they go through? Did they find a way to recover at least part of the lost languages and heritage? I hope she felt safe, felt heard and passed away comfortably. I can only imagine the life she lived. BLOG LINK
Blog | My Site (samantharaebelange.wixsite.com)
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