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A poem on the GED test will be displayed this way:
WHAT DID THE MOTHER WANT HER DAUGHTER TO DO?
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Where Are Those Songs? |
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| 1 |
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Sing |
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I have forgotten |
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| my mother's song |
| | my children |
| 5 | | will never know. |
| | This I remember: |
| | Mother always said |
| | sing child sing |
| | make a song |
| 10 | | and sing |
| | beat out your own rhythms |
| | the rhythms of your life |
| | but make the song soulful |
| | and make life |
| 15 | | sing |
| | Micere Githae Mugo |
Let's start by taking a look at the three steps you will use to interpret poems.
Three Step Process
Step 1 - Look for clues in the title and question.
Step 2 - Read the poem more than once.
Step 3 - Ask the right questions.
Step 1-Look for clues in the title and question.
Type your response in the space provided below each sentence. Then, check your answer.
The title asks a question. You can infer that. . .
- the poem will be about songs.
- the songs are gone or missing.
From the question, you can infer. . .
- a mother and daughter are involved in the poem.
- the mother wants her daughter to do something.
Step 2 - Read the poem more than once.
Reading a poem only once and expecting to understand it is like eating a pint of ice cream in one spoonful and expecting to swallow it all. Gulp! Poems are too "rich" to absorb in one reading. Read "Where Are Those Songs?" two times before moving to the next step.
Step 3 - Ask the right questions.
As you are reading the poem, ask yourself these questions:
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