Q2 Extra Credit: A Cure for Winter Break Boredom

In case you are bored over break, here is an extra credit opportunity to engage and entertain you. It is worth up to 5 points. These seemingly little points add up; take advantage. Read and consider the following poem as it relates to the texts we’ve read thus far in English 10.

Fear
By Raymond Carver

Fear of seeing a police car pull into the drive. 1
Fear of falling asleep at night.
Fear of not falling asleep.
Fear of the past rising up.
Fear of the present taking flight. 5
Fear of the telephone that rings in the dead of night.
Fear of electrical storms.
Fear of the cleaning woman who has a spot on her cheek!
Fear of dogs I've been told won't bite.
Fear of anxiety! 10
Fear of having to identify the body of a dead friend.
Fear of running out of money.
Fear of having too much, though people will not believe this.
Fear of psychological profiles.
Fear of being late and fear of arriving before anyone else. 15
Fear of my children's handwriting on envelopes.
Fear they'll die before I do, and I'll feel guilty.
Fear of having to live with my mother in her old age, and mine.
Fear of confusion.
Fear this day will end on an unhappy note. 20
Fear of waking up to find you gone.
Fear of not loving and fear of not loving enough.
Fear that what I love will prove lethal to those I love.
Fear of death.
Fear of living too long. 25
Fear of death.

I've said that…



Your mission should you choose to accept it:

Part I
1. Divide the poem into six sections.
2. Keyword Note the poem. For each section of the poem, write down 2-3 of the most important words or concepts.
3. At the bottom of the page, using at least one word from each section, write a 2-3 sentence summary of the main idea or purpose of the poem.

Part II
1. Rewrite Raymond Carver’s poem from the perspective of one of the characters we’ve read about this year in English 10. Your poem must be the same length as Carver’s poem and must follow his same form. You may select any character, minor or major from one of the following texts:

a. The Namesake
b. Siddhartha
c. The Road
d. The Odyssey
e. All My Sons

2. Do not reveal the name of the character in your title or in the poem. The examples and details that you incorporate into the poem should reveal the complexity of the character and make evident who it is that you are describing. What are his or her motivations, fears, desires, flaws, and/or strengths? Think beyond the obvious, and use your creativity.
3. Create an appropriate thinking map to help you chart out your ideas before you begin writing the poem.
4. Turn these in no later than Friday, January 8.

Enjoy your break. I'll look forward to seeing you in the new year.