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Before Readingthe lesson of the mothPoem by Don MarquisIdentityPoem by Julio NoboaDoesRL 1 Cite the textual evidencethat supports inferencesdrawn from the text.RL 4 Determine the meaningof words and phrases as theyare used in a text; analyze theimpact of specific word choiceson meaning. RL 5 Analyzehow structure contributes tomeaning.BEAUTY matter?What is our standard of beauty? A recent study found that peoplejudged the beauty of strangers differently than they judgedthe beauty of people they knew. With strangers, people tookinto account only physical appearance. With familiar faces, theparticipants considered characteristics such as intelligence, courage,and dependability. The speakers in the poems you’re about to readhave their own ideas about beauty.SURVEY Survey your classmates to find out what five or sixcharacteristics they think make someone beautiful. List the tenanswers that were given most often, and then separate them intointernal and external characteristics. According to your survey, isbeauty only skin deep?616616-617 NA L08PE-u05s03-brMoth.indd 61612/28/10 4:16:29 PM

Meet the Authorspoetic form: free verseIt is often said that to write poetry, you first have to learnthe rules—then you can break them. Free verse is poetry that“breaks the rules” because it does not contain regular patternsof rhythm or rhyme. However, writers of free verse often userepetition and other sound devices to emphasize meaning.As you read, notice the way the poems sound likeeveryday speech.Don Marquis1878–1937Poets use line breaks, stanzas, and punctuation to helpemphasize ideas. For example, look at how the punctuationand line and stanza breaks in the first stanza of “Identity”affect meaning.Talented NewsmanDon Marquis published novels and workedas a screenwriter, but he was mainly anewspaper writer. A daily column in theNew York Evening Sun led Marquis to createa character called Archy the cockroach, whohelped Marquis see life from a differentperspective. “the lesson of the moth” is oneof many poems Marquis wrote in the voiceof Archy. Marquis pretendedthat Archy wrote his verseson a typewriter duringthe night. Marquisexplained the lack ofcapitalization in thepoems by saying thatArchy never learned touse the shift key. AlthoughMarquis’s poems are mainlyremembered for theirhumor, they also allowedhim to commenton society.Let them be as flowers,always watered, fed, guarded, admired,but harnessed to a pot of dirt.Julio Noboatext analysis: speakerIn a poem, the voice that “talks” to the reader is called the speaker.Readers often assume that the speaker and the poet are thesame, but this is not always true. The speaker may be a charactercreated by the poet. For example, the speaker in “the lesson of themoth” is a cockroach named Archy. As you read each poem, useclues from the text to infer the speaker’s identity.reading skill: clarify meaningIn the first two lines, commas cause you to pause and linger onwords that are associated with positive feelings. However, thethird line, which ends with a period, abruptly undercuts thesecomforting words. Because the stanza ends with this line, itemphasizes that the speaker sees confinement where otherssee beauty. As you study each poem, think about how the linebreaks, stanzas, and punctuation affect the way you read andunderstand it. Use a graphic organizer like the one shown tonote these elements and the effects they create.ElementsUsed?Effectsline and stanzabreaksyesseparate positive and negativeideascommasend marks (questionmarks, periods, etc.)Complete the activities in your Reader/Writer Notebook.born 1949Poet and EducatorJulio Noboa was born in the Bronx. He creditshis Puerto Rican father and a high-schoolEnglish teacher withencouraging him to write.Noboa wrote “Identity”when he was in the eighthgrade. The poem wasinspired by Noboa’s feelingsafter a breakup with agirlfriend, an experiencethat he says encouraged himto think “about what’s reallyimportant to me.” Noboa isnow a college professor.Authors OnlineGo to thinkcentral.com. KEYWORD: HML8-617the lesson of the moth / identity616-617 NA L08PE-u05s03-brMoth.indd 61761712/28/10 4:16:32 PM

thelessonofthemothDon Marquis51015i was talking to a moththe other eveninghe was trying to break intoan electric light bulband fry himself on the wiresWhat might the lightbulb symbolize?awhy do you fellowspull this stunt i asked himbecause it is the conventional1thing for moths or whyif that had been an uncoveredcandle instead of an electriclight bulb you wouldnow be a small unsightly cinder 2have you no sense bplenty of it he answeredbut at times we get tiredof using itwe get bored with the routineaSPEAKERWhat are your firstimpressions of thespeaker?bCLARIFY MEANINGImagine that this stanzawas punctuated likeregular text. Wherewould the punctuationappear?1. conventional: customary; usual; accepted.2. cinder: a piece of burned material.618unit 5: poetry618-620 NA L08PE-u05s03-Moth.indd 61812/28/10 4:17:01 PM

image of a moth hoveringoutside of a lightbulbprobably photography618-620 NA L08PE-u05s03-Moth.indd 61912/28/10 4:17:07 PM

20253035404550and crave beautyand excitementfire is beautifuland we know that if we gettoo close it will kill usbut what does that matterit is better to be happyfor a momentand be burned up with beautythan to live a long timeand be bored all the whileso we wad all our life upinto one little rolland then we shoot the rollthat is what life is forit is better to be a part of beautyfor one instant and then to cease toexist than to exist foreverand never be a part of beautyour attitude toward lifeis to come easy go easywe are like human beingsused to be before they becametoo civilized to enjoy themselves cand before i could argue himout of his philosophyhe went and immolated3 himselfon a patent4 cigar lighteri do not agree with himmyself i would rather havehalf the happiness and twicethe longevity 5 dbut at the same time i wishthere was something i wantedas badly as he wanted to fry himselfcFREE VERSEIn what ways do thelines in this stanzasound like the waypeople really talk? Inwhat ways do theysound different?dSPEAKERIn what way doesthe speaker comparehimself to the moth?—archy3. immolated (GmPE-lAtdQ): killed as a sacrifice.4. patent (pBtPnt): patented; covered by a lawfulgrant that gives the inventor the exclusive rightto manufacture an item for a certain time period.5. longevity (lJn-jDvPG-tC): length of life.620unit 5: poetry618-620 NA L08PE-u05s03-Moth.indd 62012/28/10 4:17:08 PM

id ntityJulio NoboaThe Mountain (1991), Albert Herbert.Oil on canvas, 50.8 cm 61 cm. Privatecollection. Bridgeman Art Library.Let them be as flowers,always watered, fed, guarded, admired,but harnessed to a pot of dirt.510I’d rather be a tall, ugly weed,clinging on cliffs, like an eaglewind-wavering above high, jagged rocks.eeSPEAKERReread lines 1–6. Howdoes the speaker’s viewof himself or herselfcontrast with the waythe speaker views“them”?To have broken through the surface of stoneto live, to feel exposed to the madnessof the vast, eternal sky.To be swayed by the breezes of an ancient sea,carrying my soul, my seed beyond the mountainsof timeor into the abyss1 of the bizarre.I’d rather be unseen, and if,1520then shunned2 by everyonethan to be a pleasant-smelling flower,growing in clusters in the fertile valleywhere they’re praised, handled, and pluckedby greedy, human hands. fI’d rather smell of musty, green stenchthan of sweet, fragrant lilac.If I could stand alone, strong and free,I’d rather be a tall, ugly weed.fCLARIFY MEANINGReread lines 13–18,paying attention to thecommas. What effectdo they have on the wayyou read this stanza?1. abyss: a seemingly bottomless space.2. shunned: deliberately avoided; shut out.the lesson of the moth / identity621-621 NA L08PE-u05s03-Ident.indd 62162112/28/10 4:17:31 PM

After ReadingComprehension1. Recall According to “the lesson of the moth,” why do moths fly toward light?2. Represent Create a sketch that shows the differences between the flowerand the weed described in “Identity.” Make sure your sketch reflects at leasttwo specific details from the poem.Text AnalysisRL 1 Cite the textual evidencethat supports inferences drawnfrom the text. RL 4 Determine themeaning of words and phrases asthey are used in a text; analyze theimpact of specific word choiceson meaning. RL 5 Analyze howstructure contributes to meaning.3. Make Inferences What does the speaker learn about himself in “the lesson ofthe moth”? Support your response with evidence from the poem.4. Examine Stanza In “the lesson of the moth,” how does the poet use stanzasto help you follow the conversation between the cockroach and the moth?5. Analyze Metaphor What kind of person does the speaker in “Identity” wantto be? What kind of person does he not want to be?6. Clarify Meaning Refer to the charts you created as you read. For each poem,tell whether the line breaks, the stanzas, or the punctuation did the mostto help you understand the poem’s meaning. Explain what and how thatelement helped you understand.7. Compare and Contrast Views In “the lesson of the moth,” what is the moth’sattitude about the price of beauty? In “Identity,” what is the speaker’s attitudeabout the price of beauty? Explain whether you think their views are moresimilar or more different.8. Evaluate Free Verse Use a chart like theone shown to list examples of rhyme,repetition, or other sound devices,such as alliteration (the repetition ofconsonant sounds at the beginning ofwords). What images or ideas do thesedevices emphasize?“the lesson ofthe moth”“Identity”RhymeRepetitionSound DevicesExtension and Challenge9.SCIENCE CONNECTION How do the qualities ofreal cockroaches and moths correspond to the poeticcreations Don Marquis presents in “the lesson of the moth”?Research to find out about each creature’s habits and life span.Display your findings in a poster, and be ready to explain howthe poem does—or does not—relate to reality.CockroachDoes BEAUTY matter?How has reading these poems influenced your thoughts about beauty?622unit 5: poetry622-623 NA L08PE-u05s03-arMoth.indd 62212/28/10 4:17:57 PM