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POEM ON MY FORTIETH BIRTHDAY TO MY MOTHER WHO DIED YOUNG

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LUCILLE CLIFTON

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INSTRUCTIONAL

NOTE

Feel free to modify, add, or select specific questions from this bellringer to best fit your instructional goals and available time. Adjust as needed to align with your lesson focus or classroom pacing.

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Also, some of the materials in these bellringers contain sensitive subject matter and/or language. Please preview the resources beforehand and make any alterations as needed.

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BELLRINGER FOCUS: VARIOUS

  • Read “poem on my fortieth birthday to my mother who died young” by Lucille Clifton.
    • Go to http://bit.ly/45axtPX to access the poem.
  • Answer the following question(s):
    • What does the running metaphor suggest about the speaker’s relationship to their mother’s legacy?
    • How does the continuous flow affect the tone or pacing of the poem? What is the effect by the poem’s end?
    • What emotions are left unresolved by the end? How do you know?

CREATIVE WRITING EXTENSIONS

  • Write about a milestone that made you think of someone from your past.
  • Describe a time you kept going even when you weren’t sure what was ahead.
  • Create a short poem using a physical action (like running) as a metaphor for something emotional.