Knock Knock By Daniel Beaty 2013

Transcription

1 Name: Class: Knock Knock By Daniel Beaty 2013 Daniel Beaty is an award-winning actor, singer, writer, and poet. He is known for incorporating music, movement, and words in his productions. In this poem, Daniel Beaty explores the relationship between a father and son, and how the son is impacted by his father. As you read, note how the speaker's tone shifts throughout the poem. [1] As a boy I shared a game with my father. Played it every morning til I was 3. He would knock knock on my door and I d pretend to be asleep til he got right next to the bed. Then I would get up and jump into his arms. Good morning, Papa. And my papa he would tell me that he loved me. We shared a game. Knock Knock. Until that day when the knock never came and my momma takes me on a ride past corn fields on this never ending highway til we reach a place of high rusty gates. A confused little boy, I entered the building carried in my mama s arms. Knock Knock. "Knock knock" by Randomthoughtstome is licensed under CC BY- ND 2.0. We reach a room of windows and brown faces. Behind one of the windows sits my father. I jump out of my mama s arms and run joyously towards my papa's only to be confronted by this window. I knock knock trying to break through the glass, trying to get to my father. I knock knock as my mama pulls me away before my papa even says a word. And for years he has never said a word. And so twenty-five years later, I write these words for the little boy in me who still awaits his papa s knock. 1

2 Papa, come home cause I miss you. I miss you waking me up in the morning and telling me you love me. Papa, come home, cause there s things I don t know and I thought maybe you could teach me: how to shave; how to dribble a ball; how to talk to a lady; how to walk like a man. Papa, come home because I decided a while back I wanted to be just like you. But I m forgetting who you are. And twenty-five years later a little boy cries, and so I write these words and try to heal and try to father myself and I dream up a father who says the words my father did not. Dear Son, I m sorry I never came home. For every lesson I failed to teach, hear these words: Shave in one direction in strong deliberate strokes to avoid irritation. Dribble the page with the brilliance of your ballpoint pen. Walk like a god and your goddess will come to you. No longer will I be there to knock on your door. So you must learn to knock for yourself. Knock knock down doors of racism and poverty that I could not. Knock knock down doors of opportunity for the lost brilliance of the black men who crowd these cells. Knock knock with diligence 1 for the sake of your children. Knock knock for me for as long as you are free, these prison gates cannot contain my spirit. The best of me still lives in you. Knock knock with the knowledge that you are my son, but you are not my choices. Yes, we are our fathers sons and daughters, but we are not their choices. For despite their absences we are still here, still alive, still breathing, with the power to change this world, one little boy and girl at a time. Knock knock Who s there? We are. Knock Knock by Daniel Beaty. Copyright 2013 by Daniel Beaty ( Used with permission. All rights reserved. 1. Diligence (noun): careful and persistent work or effort 2

3 Text-Dependent Questions Directions: For the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in complete sentences. 1. PART A: Which of the following identifies a theme of the text? [RL.2] A. There are some things that a boy can only learn from his father regardless of how independent he may be. B. The eventual outcome of children is not determined by their parents, and instead children can learn from their parents' mistakes. C. Parents make choices that have a permanent impact on their children s futures, and this shouldn t be ignored. D. There are some mistakes made by parents that their children cannot forgive. 2. PART B: Which section best supports the answer to Part A? [RL.1] A. I knock knock trying to break through the glass, / trying to get to my father. (Lines 23-24) B. And for years he has never said a word. / And so twenty-five years later, I write these words (Lines 27-28) C. and I thought maybe you could teach me: / how to shave; / how to dribble a ball; / how to talk to a lady; / how to walk like a man. (Lines 33-37) D. The best of me still lives in you. / Knock knock with the knowledge that you are my son, but you are not my choices. (Lines 59-60) 3. PART A: How does the first half of the poem (Lines 1-44) compare to the second half (Lines 45-69)? A. The first half of the poem addresses the speaker's desire to have his father in his life, while the second half shows that he is able succeed without him. B. The first half of the poem shows how dependent the speaker is on his father, while the second half proves that he doesn t need him. C. The first half of the poem shows how much the speaker needs his father, while the second half expresses his anger at him for being absent. D. The first half of the poem shows how close the speaker and his father were, while the second half reveals how much hatred he now has for his father. [RL.3] 4. PART B: Which TWO details from the text best support the answer to Part A? [RL.1] A. I knock knock as my mama pulls me away, / before my papa even says a word. (Lines 25-26) B. Papa, come home, cause there s things I don t know / and I thought maybe you could teach me: (Lines 32-33) C. And twenty-five years later a little boy cries, / and so I write these words and try to heal (Lines 41-42) D. I m sorry I never came home. / For every lesson I failed to teach, hear these words: (Lines 46-47) E. No longer will I be there to knock on your door. / So you must learn to knock for yourself. (Lines 51-52) F. Yes, we are our fathers sons and daughters, / but we are not their choices (Lines 61-62) 3

4 5. How does the conclusion in lines contribute to the development of ideas in the text? [RL.5] 4

5 Discussion Questions Directions: Brainstorm your answers to the following questions in the space provided. Be prepared to share your original ideas in a class discussion. 1. How does the action of knocking evolve throughout the poem? Does it represent the same thing in the ending as it did in the beginning? 2. In the context of the poem, what can we learn from tragedy? How is the speaker impacted by the absence of his father? What does this experience teach him? Cite evidence from this text, your own experience, and other literature, art, or history in your answer. 3. In the context of the poem, what are the effects of prejudice? How does prejudice play a role in the speaker s father s imprisonment? In what ways does the speaker anticipate encountering prejudice himself? 4. In the context of the poem, what makes you who you are? What does the speaker consider important in determining his identity and what he is capable of accomplishing? Cite evidence from this text, your own experience, and other literature, art, or history in your answer. 5. Does the speaker believe he can control his fate? How does his family affect his ideas on this? 5