im a black fella poem

 

I’m a blackfella - Steven Oliver

VOCABULARY

1. Place each word from the box in a gap to complete one of the six sentences below. See if you can do this without a dictionary.

condone

stereotypes

savage

beseech

noble

formulate

1. We decided not to _formulate_ a new mathematical solution - one that no one had ever done before.

2. If you say, “All the people from that country are lazy”, you are only using stereotypes.

3. We do not condone such naughty and unnecessary behavior in this school.

4. The soldier was extremely violent and we soon began to see that he was just a savage.

5. I beseech you, please do not misbehave in class. Be sensible and help the teacher!

6. When someone is of high standing and always behaves well, we call them noble.

2. Decide whether each of these words is a verb, adjective or noun. Highlight your choice.

1. condone verb/adjective/noun

2. stereotypes verb/a

3. djective/noun

4. savage verb/adjective/noun

5. beseech verb/adjective/noun

6. noble verb/adjective/noun

7. formulate verb/adjective/noun

LANGUAGE AND LAYOUT

1. Does this poem rhyme? Yes, it does and very good rhymes. If so, what is the rhyme scheme - that is., is the rhyme in pairs (aa, bb, and so on) or is it irregular? It is irregular I think because only sometimes it's aa bb. What effect does the rhyme have on the poem as you read and listen to it? It is interesting and makes you want to read more

2. Look for examples of internal rhyme - were words on the same line rhyme. What effect does this have on the way you read and listen to the poem? It makes it sound more interesting

3. Can you identify any slang words? What effect do they have on this poem? It has the words slack in it and I think it makes it more interesting

4. Which line is repeated? Why does the poet repeat it? I'm a black fella, not a drunk criminal textbook uneducated unemployed welfare-dependent slack fella. To show how some people see black people and stereotypes

5. This poem has no stanza or verse breaks. What effect does this have when you read through the poem? It makes it sound more smooth

6. Can you identify any figures of speech (e.g. metaphors, similes, etc) in this poem? If so, what effect do they have? If the poem has no figures of speech, does it matter? It makes it sound more recognizable and it doesn't matter if it does have any fingers of speech 

UNDERSTANDING AND EVALUATION

1. What does the poet say he is throughout this poem? I'm a black fella 

2. What does the poet say he is not throughout this poem?

3. How would you describe the poet’s emotions throughout this poem? not a drunk criminal textbook uneducated unemployed welfare-dependent slack fella

4. 
   

5. What does the poet say about how other people see him? a drunk criminal textbook uneducated unemployed welfare-dependent slack fella

6. 
   

7. Who do you think you are throughout the poem? What does the poet want them to do? Not to think that all black people are bad

8. What do you think the poet is saying with these lines: But the drunk white man who stumbles and falls/Oh, he’s not a reflection of a race at all? That if a black man does crime and other stuff that doesn't mean all black people do that and for some reason if a white man does crime people don't think all white people do that

9. What is the problem the poet refers to in his final line? What is the solution? Think back to your discussion in the warm-up section.

10. What two lines do you think to sum up the poet’s overall theme? The line when he said

11. when a drunk black man stumbles and falls then that black man is me but when the white man stumbles and falls he's not a representation of a whole race at all.  

11. Evaluate this poem in one or two sentences. That is, state if you like the poem or not and why. the line when he says when a drunk black man stumbles and falls then that black man is me but when the white man stumbles and falls he's not a representation of a whole race at all.  

12. 
    

FOLLOW UP

Practice and perform this poem in small groups.

ok