Strategy- Drawing Inference from the Text: Poetry from Primary

Sources

Ms. Lucinda EvansAIHE, Professional Development

Cicero Systems

The Abolishionist Tool• Fugitive Slaves

• Ranaway, my negro man named Simon; he has been shot badly in his back and right arm

• Fifty dollars reward, for the negro Jim Blake-has a piece cut out of each ear and the middle finger of the left hand cut off to the second joint

• Ranaway, the negro boy Teams-he had on his neck an iron collar

• Ranaway, Jim-had on when he escaped, a pair of chain hand cuffs.

• Ranaway, a negro named Hambleton, limps on his left for where he was shot a few weeks ago while a runaway

• Ranaway, my man Fountain-he has holes in his ears, a scar on the right side of his forehead-has been shot in the hind parts of his legs-is marked on the back with the whip

And Finally..

• Ranaway, a negro woman and two children; a few days before she went off, I burnt her with a hot iron on the left side of her face, I tried to make the letter M

‘KATIE’S POEM’

HOME 

AS I WENT DOWN TO THE RIVER TO PRAYI THINK HOW I’VE WALKED ALL DAY

I HAVE TO GET TO LARNCE (LAWRENCE) ON MY WAY HOMEI WANNA GO HOME!

FOR HOLIDAYS AS I COOK ALONETHE WAY I COME TO SEE THE BEATUY(BEAUTY) IN ME

I’M FIVE FOOT FOUR OR SO!SO…

I LOOK IN THE RIVER AND SEE A FACE BREED(BRED) FOR BEAUTYYOU MIGHT SEE IT

TRY HARDERI LOOK UP AND SEE GOD’S LOVING HAND AND HE PULLS ME UP!

AND I COMING HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYSI’LL RUN ALONG THE UNDERGROUND RAILWAY

TO MY FREEDOM AWAY I GO!•  •  

The Pedagogy

• Found Poetry– Carefully read the document; highlight important details

that are powerful, moving, interesting, unique– On a separate sheet of paper, list the details you have

highlighted in order, leave space in case you need to add more to ‘fill in’ the poem.

– Change punctuation or words without losing the context of the text to help your poem flow smoothly

– Give your poem a meaningful title– For an extra touch write your final draft of the poem into a

meaningful shape

Sample Found PoemsPEOPLE HAVE VALUEBy Nancy  and Miranda A valuable woman whose name is unknownA mother of four with skills that have grownPeople have value wherever they are from A valuable Blacksmith with wife and 2 

daughtersA daughter of 12 who is valuable to usAnd a 10 year old who’s just as muchThey are up to working in the houseSo they will keep out every mousePeople have value wherever they are from 

A likely girl of 17 or 18Has been accustomed to all kinds of Household and garden choresPeople have value wherever they are from A family of 4, men and a wifeWith 2 beautiful girls from 12 to 4A man between 30 and 33 can beSeen driving a carriage with is wifeWho is 25 and found to be a seamstressThey are a genteel family of 4 from Virginia

People have value wherever they are from

ONE MORE SAMPLE:FOUND POETRY

SLAVE SAYSBy Rachael  Justify to thy self enslave those different from theeAre they not the same as thee?They sing and cry in their native tongues “Why me, Why me?”Let them be as they are and beat the souls oh so innocently deceivedAs the ships come sailing with slaves dressed in mourning and awaiting

A fate oh so terribleWonder why they hate us so, would you hesitate and think if they were you and 

You themWould you continue such a heinous act to know that this caused an Avenged redemption through hostilities and casualtiesLive with the fact of knowing the past and didn’t go by so fastThe future is waiting for an answer so are those yet unborn Well what is thy answer?

The Pedagogy

• Poem with Two Voices– What is it?• A poem written from two different primary source

documents.• A poem written and performed by two people• Always written in two columns• Always includes a refrain that applies to both texts• A dialogue between two people who are represented in

the two texts, usually with opposing view points

• Poem With Two Voices:– Teacher provides the topic– Provide primary source materials; documents and

images work best– Two partners generate separately words that are

powerful, moving, interesting, unique– Craft a poem of similar words for each

document/image while jointly thinking of a good refrain

Sample Poem with Two VoicesMONEY

A YOUNG BOY AN OLD TOWNONE FROM THE NORTH ONE FROM THE SOUTH

MONEYTOOK A DARE FROM HIS FRIENDS ‘TOWNY’ FRIENDS MET THE DAREJUST WANTED TO SAY ‘HI’ MADE SURE HE SAID GOOD BYE

MONEY

EMMITT TILL CAROLYN BRYANTLIVES LOST

MONEY, MISSISSIPPI

• Levans@aihe.info

• evanslucinda@gmail.com