Bruce A. Jacob’s poem “Home Training” talks about how he did not understand the quotes his mother hung up at home, or her “laying on of hands,” or her warning “fence line of red roses” because he didn’t know the suffering his mother did. He didn’t realize it was “her way of clearing a circle / for the perfectly ordinary, / where brown children could dream.” Students will consider how she attempted to “predict the future by creating it,” as Lincoln states. Students may then write a poem including words that have influenced them or words they believe hold influence.
Level: Secondary English/Language Arts
Subject Area: American Literature/Multi-Cultural Literature
Author: Karina Isley
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