Golden Lines "Golden lines" are powerful quotes that automatically provide interesting discussion material. Many students find it much easier to select something the author said than to come up with their own reactions. Therefore, Golden Lines are an easy and effective strategy for gathering information to discuss.
Post your Golden Lines for Marshfield Dreams to invite discussion.
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It was difficult to only pick a line from the book since there are many topics explored throughout the poems.
The first poem titled, A Writing Kind of Day, captured my interest because the poet compared poems to rain falling. The part that interested me was “each word hits the page like a drop in a puddle, creating a tiny circle of trembling feeling that ripples out and gathers strength ringing toward the stars”. To me, this means that each word in a poem plays a big role on the poem itself. I also thought it was interesting to have part of a poem from a different page inside a picture of a puddle at the bottom of this poem.
A line from the poem, Grandma, also captured my interest. “Don’t shut it off, Grandma” is a line that repeats but means two different things within the poem. The first time this line is written is through the grandmother’s dialogue as she tells her grandson one of her favorite memories of him when he was younger. The second time it is written, which happens to be the final words of the poem, it plays a new role. The poet is not referring to the hose anymore; he is referring to his grandmother. Any other thoughts on this line and its importance to the poem?
I agree that it was difficult to choose a single line from the book because of the many topics and because I really enjoyed so many of the poems.
Grandma is a poem that many people can relate to-aging grandparents and/or the loss of a grandparent. When the author uses the line "Don't shut it off" at the end of the poem he is making an emotional connection-he acknowledges the fact that she is getting old and he doesn't want her life to end. I have to say that I really related to the poem because my grandmother just turned 86!
The line "Don't shut if off, Grandma" made me think about the fact that his grandma is losing her memory and he doesn't want her memory of him to ever fade. It is scary to see a family member slowly/rapidly lose their memory of even the simplest daily routines, never mind not being able to remember memories of family members or not being able to recognize the people closest to them within the family.
This is extremely hard for adults to witness, just the thought of a child having to try to understand this is all the more difficult.
Responding to "Don't shut it off, Grandma." Brought me back to the lines in the poem Memory Loss, "It's not like losing a wallet, or even your best friend. Losing your memory is losing yourself." This line really allows me to understand how awful it would be to have the beginning stages of Alzheimer's disease. You really lose yourself and you have no control over it at all.
The line, "Poetry is like some sugar-crazed teenager who just got a license but refuses to follow the rules of the road." This poem relates poetry to a teenager's irrational behaviors and honesty. When I read this poem it made me think of the middle and high school teachers and just what they may have to deal with from day to day. Also parents came to mind as I remembered myself and my brother and how we acted at times during that stage of our lives.
Shannon, I also really enjoyed how the author related poetry to a crazed teenager. I have often felt that just when you think you understand poetry (teenagers) they can turn in a different direction. Just like the line, "it races out of control then jams up the traffic by going reeaaaaal slooooooow."
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