Easy for students to comprehend after the initial reading with only a few vocabulary clarification needed.Notice the contrast between what is happening in the world (cheering crowd, battle over, safe harbor) and what is happening on the ship.Ask students to infer what is happening to the speaker in each stanza. The logic of this poem is easy to see.I always struggle reading this poem out loud because…it makes me cry!.This will help them focus on the overall theme. Before teaching, share with students that this poem was written about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.“Oh Captain! My Captain!” by Walt Whitman Connection to other pieces of literature (in this case, “I Hear America Singing.”)Ĩ.There is nothing not to love about Langston Hughes!.
The change of just one word - “sing” to “am” provide a great starting point for discussion and analysis. The poem is framed with a similar line.Students can readily comprehend the “today/tomorrow” sequence as well as hear the speaker’s bitterness and anger.This poem is so wonderful and relevant! If you have time, be sure to share with students Walt Whitman’s “I Hear American Singing.”.Another poem that is so relevant today.
The poem argues logically as it moves through how wise men, good men, wild men, and brave men face death.Students will notice the repeated lines of the villanelle form.Before teaching, be sure to share that Dylan Thomas wrote this poem for his dying father.“Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night” by Dylan Thomas