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Task

Tasks: Praise Song for My Mother by Grace Nichols

Analyse:

Read the poem carefully. Write full answers to the questions.

  1. In the first three stanzas the narrator in the poem says the mother was water, the eye of the moon, and sunrise to them. What do you think these three metaphors mean? What do they tell us about what the mother means to the narrator?
  2. In the fourth stanza there are several metaphors: fishes' red gill, flame tree's spread, crab's leg, smell of fried plantains. What do these metaphors tell us about the narrator's relationship with the mother?
  3. Is there a difference between the metaphors in the first three stanzas and the metaphors in the last stanza? Why do you think the poet chose these metaphors for the fourth stanza?
  4. What do you think is meant by the last line of the poem? What does it tell us about the relationship between the narrator and the mother?
  5. The poem is written in the past tense as seen in the phrase "you were". What do you think the poet is trying to communicate by using the past tense?
  6. Grace Nichols emigrated to the UK from Guyana when she was 27 years old. Does this poem contain anything that reflects her Guyanese background?
  7. Why do you think the poem is called "Praise Song for My Mother"?
Picture showing the red flowers of the Flame Tree.
Flame trees are common in the Caribbean, Central America, and parts of South America. Image: Carol Van Hook / CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Create:

Choose either Task A, Task B, or Task C.

Task A:

  • Create an illustration for the poem "Praise Song for My Mother". You can draw, make a collage, or use drawing tools on your computer... Be creative.
  • Show your illustration to a partner and explain why you chose to illustrate the poem this way.
  • Display your illustration in the classroom.

Task B:

  • Use the poem "Praise Song for My Mother" as inspiration to write your own poem about someone you love or admire.
  • Read the poem to a partner.
  • Display the poem in the classroom.

Task C:

  • Imagine that you are the mother in the poem "Praise Song for My Mother" and you want to write a poem for your child. Write the poem.
  • Read the poem to a partner.
  • Display the poem in the classroom.

Write:

  1. Write an analysis of the poem "Praise Song for My Mother". You may want to pay special attention to the use of metaphors, structure, and theme.
  2. Find another poem that deals with being a parent, and write a text where you compare this poem with Grace Nichols' poem.

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