1.Read the Poem:
Southern Mansion
Poplars are standing there still as death
And ghosts of dead men
Meet their ladies walking
Two by two beneath the shade
And standing on the marble steps.
There is a sound of music echoing
Through the open door
And in the field there is
Another sound tinkling in the cotton:
Chains of bondmen dragging on the ground.
The years go back with an iron clank,
A hand is on the gate,
A dry leaf trembles on the wall.
Ghosts are walking.
They have broken roses down
And poplars stand there still as death.
2. Write your first impressions of the poem on your Google Doc.
3. Listen to the poem above.
4. Write what you think the mood of the poem is on the Google Doc.
Analogies are comparisons of things that are similar. Bontemps uses the analogy “Poplars are standing there still as death” .
5. Write: Why do you think he chooses “death” to compare to the poplar trees?
6. Write: Think of a place that you makes you feel great joy or causes you fear -- any place that you have an emotional reaction to. Write a short poem on your Google Doc about that place.
Your poem should be at least three stanzas long and contain one analogy.
Describe your place using as many sensory details as you can (sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures).