Nancy

Hanks by Rosemary Benet Poetry Analysis Frame

NO CREDIT WILL BE EARNED IF QUESTIONS ARE NOT RESTATED and ANSWERS ARE NOT SUPPORTED WITH SPECIFIC DETAILS/EVIDENCE FROM THE POEM
ALL QUESTIONS ARE EXTENDED RESPONSE WHERE ANSWERS REQUIRE A RESTATEMENT OF THE QUESTION (Topic Sentence), A MINIMUM OF 3 IDEAS TO SUPPORT THE TOPIC, A MINIMUM OF 3 DETAILS FOR EACH IDEA PRESENTED THAT SUPPORTS THE TOPIC, and A WRAP UP SENTENCE. 2. 3. 4. 5. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Poems are meant to stir you to think or feel in new ways about a topic or situation. Was this poem successful in doing this for you? Discuss. What does the title add to your understanding of the poem? Poems are quite powerful when they compare or contrast two things (for example good and evil, love and hate, beauty and waste). Does the poet compare or contrast anything? If so, what? What does the scene or setting contribute to the poem? In-Depth Analysis Describe the speakers attitude toward the people or situation in this poem. Support your answer with specific details from the text. What is the main idea, image, or message of this poem? What event or situation is described? Where does the poem take place? Who is the speaker?

Basic Analysis 1. What is this poem about?

If Nancy Hanks Came back as a ghost, Seeking news Of what she loved most, She'd ask first "Where's my son? What's happened to Abe? What's he done?" "Poor little Abe, Left all alone Except for Tom, Who's a rolling stone; He was only nine The year I died. I remember still How hard he cried." "Scraping along In a little shack, With hardly a shirt To cover his back, And a prairie wind To blow him down, Or pinching times If he went to town." "You wouldn't know About my son? Did he grow tall? Did he have fun? Did he learn to read? Did he get to town? Do you know his name? Did he get on?"