Janet Wong Poems -- Tuesday1. If you were a car… What would you be?

Why?

If I were a car… I would be a 1967 Mercedes 190 convertible, because it’s timeless, classy, sophisticated, and most importantly, cool; hopefully, I possess a few of those qualities…

Janet Wong Poems – ILMN444

2) How much does dad spend on the truck, at the beginning of the poem?

3) Why does the poet consider the truck to be a curse? The poet considers the truck to be a curse because…

4) Why might this truck be worth it to dad?

ooxxoxo 5) What is happening in this poem?

Decipher it. 6) What is the occasion?

• 7) What is Grandma doing in the first stanza? Why?

• 8)What are they doing when they each reach over for one another?

• 9) How do parts 1 & 2 of the poem fit together?

• 10) What is the poet saying about the value of cars, and the value of money?

C R A S H

Crazy 11) What

has mom done?

Rainbow Hand 12) How is

the mother’s care of her child like a rainbow?

Onion 13) “…

how she makes you cry, when you cut her with your words”? Explain.

The Light 14) What does

grandmother mean?

• 15) Are your parents’ expectations of you clear to you? Do they expect too much? Explain.

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• 16) which one is worse: the shame, or the beatings?

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• 17) do you get to understand the poet better through this poem?

Restraint• 18) Why is the poem

titled “Restraint”? Explain.• 19) How are the people in the family like trees, owls, and slugs? (I didn’t ask about ‘hurricane, because that one is self explanatory…)

• 20) Given the previous poem, ‘Beat’, how do these two poems differ in the way they present her parents?

21) Janet Wong has a humble opinion of herself, comparing herself to a Honda Civic. Think about the car poem you wrote. Were you humble, or proud? Did you compare yourself to a compact economy car, or a high-priced sports car? Explain your thinking.

• 22)why do you think the witches lose their power when the lights go out?

• 23) Do you believe that tomorrow is going to be an unlucky day? Why?

• 24) “…as she travels through your time…”? What does the last line in the first stanza mean?

• 25) why, again, does the poem end with that same verse?

Your Task:Go back to #1, and write a poem about the kind of car you would be. Be creative. Have fun. You can collage, cut out pictures from magazines, or find images off of Google Images. Your final drafts should be typed or done in ink. The poem can rhyme, or not—it’s up to you! About 8 lines, give or take, but more if you like!