Barbara Johns Article- Racial Segregation of Schools - Scope February 2014

This is a paired article taken from Scope Feb 2014.
Read the article then the poem.

Barbara Johns Reaches for the Moon

by Irene Latham 

She steps onto the stage,
makes a bold declaration,

No

      Now

          Strike!

Without hesitation,
she illuminates the situation—
separate but not equal:
cracked toilets, smoke inhalation,
tar-paper shacks packed
with the student population.
Despite danger, despite trepidation,
she clings to the dream with determination,
joins the fight for integration.
Together they march
like constellations
across a midnight sky,
their combined shine
inspiration for a changing nation.
—By Irene Latham


Worksheet with Paired Article
Directions: Follow the directions and answer the questions in the boxes below. You don’t need to write in complete sentences; just jot down your ideas.
Who is “she” (first mentioned in line 1)? How do you know?
1
_What event in Barbara Johns’s life do lines 1-2 refer to? (Use the article “Imagine This Was Your School” to help you answer.) In your own words, what is the declaration referred to in line 2?
3
How does the poet portray Barbara Johns? Which words and phrases from the poem
reveal Barbara’s personality?
4
How is the “declaration” formatted differently than the rest of the poem? What is the effect of this formatting?
Lines 1 and 2 say that “She steps onto the stage,/makes a bold declaration.” Underline the lines in the poem that contain her declaration.
2
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SCHOLASTIC SCOPE ACTIVITY • FEBRUARY 2014
SCOPE PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS PAGE FOR USE IN THEIR CLASSROOMS. ©2014 BY SCHOLASTIC INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.


POETRY: “Barbara Johns Reaches for the Moon ” • SKILL: Text Analysis
Find and underline the simile in the poem.
Why do you think the poet chose this simile? How does it relate to the poem’s title?
6
Consider lines 18-19: “their combined shine/inspiration for a changing nation.”
What does the poet mean by “their combined shine”? Put this idea into your own words.
7
What is the effect of having a series of words with the same ending sound?
How does it affect the way you read the poem?
Circle the words in the poem that have the same ending sound.
5
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