Once you have identified some words that could represent one of the Seedfolk narrators, what might you do with those words―to understand the character even better? In other lessons, you were asked to summarize what happened in a chapter. A better way of understanding what makes a character unique, though, is to write a poem expressing who that character is or what sets him or her apart from others.
Use the tabs to see how you might compose a short poem from Sam’s point of view. Here are some words that might represent who Sam is and what he saw happening in the vacant lot.
- cat
- fisherman
- police
- herring
- net
- neighbors
- paradise
- chatted
- Eden
- unbelievable
- like
- Babel
Think of a good way to start your poem. Use at least one word from your list in the poem’s first line. (You can use more than one word if you want.) Here’s how you might start Sam’s poem.
At first it was paradise―like
Write the second line of your poem using another word from your list. The second line should continue the sentence you started on the first line.
At first it was paradise―like
a pile of herring to a cat.
Keep writing your poem, using at least one word from your list in each line.
At first it was paradise―like
a pile of herring to a cat.
I could be a fisherman mending
nets
while we chatted, dug, and planted.
Then, the police were called to settle
down disgruntled
neighbors.
End your poem when you run out of words or when it seems like the narrator has said all they need to say.
At first it was paradise―like
a pile of herring to a cat.
I could be a fisherman mending
nets
while we chatted, dug, and planted.
Then, the police were called to settle
down disgruntled
neighbors.
And our Garden of Eden became
Babel instead. Unbelievable!
