INDIVIDUAL READING
Underneath We're All the Same
by Amy Maddox
He prayed--it wasn't my religion.
He ate--it wasn't what I ate.
He spoke--it wasn't my language.
He dressed--it wasn't what I wore. He took my hand--it wasn't the color of mine.
But when he laughed--it was how I laughed, and
When he cried--it was how I cried.
Questions:
1. Give one piece of evidence from the poem that shows that the speaker (indicated
by the pronoun my) and the subject (he) are similar.
But when he laughed—it was how I laughed.
- When he cried--it was how I cried.
2. List the differences between the speaker and the subject of the poem. Cite
specific examples.
The speaker and the subject differ in the following aspects:
Religion – how they pray.
Culture – the food and how they dress
Language – how they speak
Race – the color of their hands/skin
3. Which of the following interpretations of the poem is closest to your own? Give
reasons for your choice.
The poem is mainly about
Equality in the face of diversity.
Discrimination is detrimental in society.
Coming together as one community.
The poem talks about equality in the face of diversity and different types
of diversity. The lines in the poem highlight not the individual differences
of people but what makes them similar. For example, the emotions
experienced by people, regardless of how different they are from each
other, are much the same for everyone. It is a fact of life that we are drawn
to one another because of our similarities, e.g. emotional feelings are
universal. It is our differences that we must learn to respect.
PAIR READING
DREAMS
Langston Hughes
Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.
Questions:
1. What happens when dreams die?
People will lose hope and would not strive anymore as may be interpreted
in the lines, “Life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.”
2. Enumerate the two metaphors on life stated in the poem.
The first metaphor is: “Life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.”
It compares a frustrating life without dreams to a “broken-winged bird.”
The second metaphor is: “Life is a barren field Frozen with snow.”
This image shows how life might become useless if a person will allow
himself
to let go of his dreams.
3. How does the poet use the images of the bird and the field to make the
argument that life without dreams is not worth living?
He gives the bird a broken wing, which means it cannot fly and therefore
cannot fulfil its purpose in life. The field too is under snow, which
prevents it
from achieving its full potential in a harvest of a crop that would feed
people
and bring happiness and survival.
GROUP READING
Instructions: Read carefully the lyrics of the song, What a Wonderful World, and
answer the questions that follow.
WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD
Sung by: Louis Armstrong | Written by: Bob Thiele and George David Weiss
I see trees of green
Red roses too
I see them bloom
For me and you
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
I see skies of blue
MAnd clouds of white
The bright blessed day
The dark sacred night
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
The colors of the rainbow
So pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces
Of people going by
I see friends shaking hands
Saying how do you do
They're really saying
I love you
I hear babies cry
I watch them grow
They'll learn much more
Than I'll ever know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
Yes, I think to myself
What a wonderful world
Ooh, yes
Questions:
1. What events does the song refer to?
The events referred to are the past events but still occurring at the
present.
2. List the reasons the writer gives for seeing the world as wonderful.
Based on the poem, the writer says that the world is wonderful because he
sees things such as plants/flowers blooming, bright days with blue skies
and clouds, how pretty rainbows are in the sky, and babies
learning/growing.
3. This song is optimistic about life because the lines express appreciation and value
for even the smallest things in the world. Looking at the current extraordinary
circumstances the world is facing e.g. the COVID-19 Pandemic, recurring
Earthquakes, Flooding, etc. Can you still say that we have a wonderful world?
Explain your answer.
Despite the current global problems, I still believe there is hope. Like what
the song implies, we can cling to the people and things around us. We have
our family to begin with, and we simply have to enjoy time with them for
things to be wonderful. We also have to learn how to appreciate the little
things we see around us. They give us hope.
ACTIVITY:
GROUP THE STUDENTS AND LET THEM SING THE SONG “WHAT A WONDERFUL
WORLD”.
