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SELF-PORTRAIT AS CRASH TEST DUMMY

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IAN C. WILLIAMS

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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: IMAGERY

  • Read “Self-Portrait as Crash Test Dummy” by Ian C. Williams.
    • Go to http://bit.ly/401hCQZ to access the poem.
  • Answer the following question(s):
    • Choose one of the poem’s most violent images (such as the body “threading the windshield”). How does this imagery help shape the speaker’s internal conflict?
    • How does the poet use mechanical or road-related imagery to explore vulnerability or control? Point to a specific image that captures this tension.
    • Consider how the imagery changes near the end of the poem. What effect does this shift have on the tone or meaning of the piece?

CREATIVE WRITING EXTENSIONS

  • Describe a moment when you felt like you had to pull yourself back together. Use mechanical or automotive imagery.
  • Write a self-portrait using metaphors of impact, tension, or movement.
  • Imagine what happens just after the poem ends. Describe the speaker’s next move using quiet, grounded imagery.