Which two characteristics of this excerpt from james weldon johnson's poem "lift every voice and sing" to classify it as a lyric poem? stony the road we trod, bitter the chastening rod, felt in the days when hope unborn had died; yet with a steady beat, have not our weary feet come to the place for which our fathers sighed? we have come over a way that with tears has been watered, we have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered, out from the gloomy past, till now we stand at last where the white gleam of our bright star is cast. the poem contains imagery that communicates the speakers' emotions. the poem is written in sapphic stanzas with lines of alternating meter. the poem captures the mood of a specific historical event. the poem has a simple rhyme and doesn’t narrate a sequence of events. the poem is entirely about past events narrated from an eyewitness's point of view.

The two characteristics of this excerpt from James Weldon Jonhson's poem "Lift Every Voice and Sing" that help classifying it as a lyric poem are: "The poem contains imagery that communicates the speakers' emotions" and "The poem has simple rhyme and doesn't narrate a sequence of events".

When a poem contains imagery that communicates the speakers' emotions, it can be classified as a lyric poem, because lyric poems are always written from a first-person perspective and express their personal feelings and thoughts. In this passage "Have not our weary feet Come to the place for which our fathers sighed? We have come over a way that with tears has been watered", this characteristic can be observed, since the poet uses the pronoun "we" to express his emotions through images like "weary feet" and "a way that with tears has been watered".

Also, the poem is written in simple rhymes, with a simple rhyme scheme, which is a lyric poem's characteristic, since most of them are short and melodic and could be even accompanied by music in the past. Moreover, the poem doesn't narrate a sequence of events, therefore, it can't be considered a narrative poem. What is being told in it are the speaker's emotions and perceives during a moment or event, there is no time or space setting, although there are subjective signs pointing to space-time references. "Out from the gloomy past, Till now we stand at last Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast", the speaker says, not specifying when would be "now" and calling his past "gloomy", which can confirm that the poem doesn't narrate a sequence of events.

The correct answer couldn't be "The poem is written in Sapphic stanzas with lines of alternating meter" because the poem isn't written in Sapphic stanzas, which is an Aeolic verse form in four lines. An example of Aeolic verse can be seen in the poem Sappho 31: "That man seems to me to be equal to the gods Who is sitting opposite you And hears you nearby Speaking sweetly". So, the poem "Lift Every Voice and Sing" isn't written in Sapphic stanzas.

The correct answer couldn't be "The poem captures the mood of a specific historical event" because nor it can be understood from the poem any specific historical event, nor this can be considered as a lyric poem characteristic. Usually, lyric poems express the speaker's subjective feelings and thoughts. Hence, this couldn't be the correct alternative.

The correct answer couldn't be "The poem is entirely about the past events narrated from an eyewitness's point of view" because, in a lyric poem, the speaker talks from a first-person point of view and tells about personal thoughts and feelings. So, the speaker in the poem couldn't be just an eyewitness, telling about something that didn't happen to them. Also, the poem is not entirely about past events. The speaker also talks about some present, "Till now we stand at last Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast", a "now" that influences on the speaker's subjective expressed. Thus, the poem can't be understood as entirely about past events neither as narrated from an eyewitness's point of view.

the tone of the passage is sympathetic to the forbidden love of romeo and juliet. the nurse plays a significant role in the play. she is responsible for making their meeting again possible. additionally, there is a sense of warning in the choice of words of the nurse. she seems to be authoritative when she calls romeo "scurvy knave", and at the same time the fact that she addresses to him as "sir" reflects respect. the nurse is "vexed", this word describes her confused state of mind. on the one hand, she finds romeo a fine and eloquent man, but on the other, it is thought that man's nature forces men to try to trick women.  

pre-writing

why we feel good, or better, when we laugh?

is there a scientific explanation for this to happen?

which are the sources?

rough draft

laughter has a way of instantly connecting people and is one of the most basic and fundamental ways in which we communicate as human beings.

newport academy: endorphins reduce stress and strength social connections.

they combat anxiety and depression.

final draft

we know that when we laugh we feel better; when something is making us laugh it means we thought it was funny at some point, even if it was not meant that way. what we know is that it made us feel good. that is something we all can realize easily, but is it a chemical explanation for it to happen? of course there

according to joe bluett, laughter has a way of instantly connecting people and is one of the most basic and fundamental ways in which we communicate as human beings. also, he says that laughter can increase confidence, self-esteem, creativity, positivity and resilience, bringing positive changes to all aspects of our lives.

the newport academy says that, when we laugh, we release endorphins and that makes our body feel instantly relieved from tension and worry. endorphins also reduce stress and strength social connections.

therefor, laughter is the best to combat anxiety and depression.