The document contains summaries of 6 poems: "Breaking Tradition", "The Lanyard", "Blue Spruce", "Mr. Z", "Facing It", and "Coke". Each summary analyzes the poems' images, ideas, and style in 1-2 sentences. The summaries provide a concise high-level overview of the key elements and themes discussed in each poem.

1. CHAPTER 7 * REVIEW
CHAPTER 8 * REVIEW
POETRY ASSIGNMENT (details)…

2. Chapter 7: Getting Started…Now! (p 338)
Prewriting / Brainstorming
Individual Group
Clustering / Listing / Journals
Active Reading Incubation
Drafting
Audience Audience Awareness (347)

3. Why Stop Smoking? Let’s Get Clinical
“The Erie railroad kills 23 to 46; the Be careful of facts, and
other 845 railroads kill an average of How they are used…
one-third of a man each; and the rest After reading the above essay,
of that million, amounting in the Identify who this is
aggregate to that appalling figure of Written for?
987,631 corpses, die naturally in their
beds! You will excuse me from taking Is the argument effective?
any more chances on those beds. The
Are there counter-arguments?
railroads are good enough for me. “
Mark Twain

4. Poem Assessment
Journal 2 Questions: EN 102
1. What is a standout poem of the six in our text?
2. Billy Collins “The Lanyard” and Philip Dacey’s “Coke” are ironic voices:
does this diminish the work, or enliven it? Explain.
3. Janice Mirikitani’s “ Breaking Tradition” and Yusef Komanyakaa’s “Facing
It” are quite serious, somber: how is the tone established, sustained, &
makes it effective?
4. “Mr Z” and “Blue Spruce” are based on a male perspective:
compare/contrast.
SEE EXAMPLES WORKSHEET--

5. Now, let’s take a look at our poems from Between
Worlds…
“Breaking Tradition” –
21
“The Lanyard” – 41
“Blue Spruce” – 71
“Mr Z” – 133
“Facing It” – 195
“Coke” - 243

6. “Breaking Tradition” -- Analysis
Group Images Repeating words, Phrases.
• “room” – related to all 3 women—suggests inner life– what are the differences between
Mother, Daughter, and Grandmother? Why is it an effective appropriate metaphor?
*Grandmother—pearl choker, ontonashii, *Daughter—secretive, “veiled behind smoke
& telephones” * Mother– broke away from traditional Japanese ideals, living in USA.
Ideas Breaking repression, resentment
• The Mother values nonconformity, but is also paying the price for a willful daughter– as
she paid the price of her own Mother’s “weight of sacrifice”.
• Dedicated to her daughter: an embrace for her, rather than a complaint about her.
Style (aka Shape) Our poet is contemporary.
• The style/ attitude is less formal, free verse, with some socio/political undertones.
• Serious, somber tone.
• Rhythm: Syllable count.

7. “The Lanyard” -- Analysis
Images: “Lanyard”– Neck rope (?)
• Created “lazily at camp” – “she gave me life…I gave her a lanyard”,”here is
clothing & a good education/And here is your lanyard”– Proust allusion –”no
cookie eaten by a French novelist”–Undercuts lanyard–”never seen anyone wear
one, if that’s what you did with them” and “useless, worthless”-why?
Ideas: How can you ever pay back Mom’s love?
• Contrasts humorously his adolescent ideas with grown up reflections.
• Life of idyll amusement v real life struggle
Style:
• Light tone, humorous
• Turns cliche into new insight, unexpected.

8. “The Blue Spruce” -- Analysis
Images Vibrant grandfather; virile, loving
• 3 mentions of love tied to music; flirting, sousa phone player—”bandstand”
• Senses evoked – “smelling of lotions”—”lather and new skin”—”sharp blade carefully
over your skin”—Mother “bore his neglect”– scandal! Icy small town.
Ideas Hard to hate, but…
• Town “gossip(s)” and “hisses”--
• Mother and Father hate him.. And he flirted w/ the nurses at Gma’s deathbed. (!)
• Girl “bundled out of town/ with the savings that should have gone to my Mom.” 31-2.
Style “Blue Spruce”—dbl pun..?
• Lively tone, in spite of the possible negative feelings/cold imagery of the town

9. “Mr. Z” -- Analysis
Images “dressed & spoke the perfect part”
•Restrained, playing a role; mother’s skin “an error”, “pork in all profane forms”, “kinship with jazz”.
•“prudent”, “wary” , “expert”, “careful”, “choosing the right addresses”, “skirt dissension” –No
spontaneity. “One of the most distinguished members of his race”
•Wife: “Lost her jewishness/ but kept her blue eyes”—Her grief at his death, and anger at “obit writers”
Ideas “chameleons”—”airborne plant”—
•“not burdened by ethnic weights” -- SATIRE– Praises are ironic
•Mr Z --”Mr” and “Z” are formal titles… anonymous & non-descript; first and best, but Z….
•No ethnic identity, not really any identity at all
Style Formal and stiff– Just like Mr Z
• Complex words represent the constructed identity

10. “Facing It” -- Analysis
Images “Black face fades”– “Stone: Flesh”
• Vietnam vet @ Vietnam Veterans Memorial--
• survivor’s guilt– “58,022 names,/ half expecting to find/ my own in letters like smoke.” --”I’m
a window”—references to birds (2)
• References to the Wall (black granite, stone, names shimmer, inside the stone, black mirror).
Ideas Bitter memories, participant in the Memorial
• “A white vet’s image… look thru mine” – “A woman’s trying to erase names: No, she’s brushing
a boy’s hair.”-- “…Andrew Johnson/ I see the booby trap’s white flash.”
• Restless: “I turn this way… I turn that way…”
Style Short lines, single syllable words
• Meter: 5 beats per line

11. “Coke” – Analysis
Images “stitched in red…above his heart”--
•“Coca Cola was America/ and my dad drove its truck” –Proud– “I believed our President and my dad/
were partners”– “his arms strong from stacking/ case after case of Coke all day”-- “That’s from America,
Jesus. I hope/ you like it.” -- Tied to image of a “sweaty player at a sandlot game.. The crucial 9th coming
up next.
•Satiric– narrator’s naïve, but positive view of the world—”no more wars”– Even God enjoys a Coke…
Ideas “Dark, sweet flood of American sleep”
• Past tense: Narrator is looking backwards – 1950’s “Leave It To Beaver” attitude-- if everyone has
Coke, everyone will be the same! -- God + Jesus even drink Coke
• Coca Cola = freedom (“Bring me your poor, your thirsty…”) Statue of Liberty
Style Ironic, humorous, earnest
•Effective by NOT being a lecture about his own misconceptions