Read poems by Franz Wright and discuss the following questions:

  1. What's the main idea of the poem?
  2. Give three examples of literary elements/techniques to illustrate the main idea you have described.
  3. What's the message?
  4. How is the title discussed in the poem? What does the each title mean to you?
  5. What makes his poems different from the ones you know? Do you like his style? Explain your answer.
  6. What have you learned from the poem(s)?

Enrichment Activities:

  1. What do you know about the poet, Franz Wright?
  2. Read more poems written by Franz Wright and describe some of the themes that permeate his poems.
  3. What prompted him to write these poems in his unique style?
  4. What made his poems stand out?
  5. Do you think he deserves the title "the best poet of the year" -poet laureate? Explain your answer.

HW# 2 Use the questions 1-6 as the guidelines to write your analytical essays on Franz Wright's poems "The Shaving in the Dark" and "The Word 'I'". If you want to get higher grade for your essays, challenge yourself by including your responses to the questions in the Enrichment Activities.