Directions: Answer these questions by annotating the poems
Fifteen by William Stafford
- Come up with three adjectives that effectively describe the speaker. Look at all of the poem to come up with adjectives that show more than one side of the speaker.
- What does the speaker want to do? What does he actually do?
- You’ve probably noticed the repetition of the word “fifteen.” Read into it. How does the meaning change each time it’s used.
- Overall, what aspect of adolescence does this poem explore?
The Summer I Was Sixteen by Geraldine Connolly
- Who is the “we” in the poem? What are they like?
- How is the pool a special place?
- What does the speaker see when looking through the chain link fence? How do you interpret this line?
- Overall, what aspect of adolescence does this poem explore?