A Poem for My Librarian, Mrs. Long (You never know what troubled little girl needs a book) by Nikki Giovanni

At a time when there was not tv before 3:00 P. M.
And on Sunday none until 5:00
We sat on the front porches watching
The jfg sign go on and off greeting
The neighbors, discussion the political
Situation congratulating the preacher
On his sermon
There was always the radio which brought us
Songs from wlac in nashville and what we would now call
Easy listening or smooth jazz but when I listened
Late at night with my portable (that I was so proud of) Tucked under my pillow
I heard nat king cole and matt dennis, june christy and ella fitzgerald And sometimes sarah vaughan sing black coffee
Which I now drink
It was just called music
There was a bookstore uptown on gay street
Which I visited and inhaled that wonderful odor
Of new books
Even today I read hardcover as a preference paperback only As a last resort
And up the hill on vine street
(The main black corridor) sat our carnegie library Mrs. Long always glad to see you
The stereoscope always ready to show you faraway Places to dream about
Mrs. Long asking what are you looking for today When I wanted Leaves of Grass or alfred north whitehead She would go to the big library uptown and I now know Hat in hand to ask to borrow so that I might borrow
Probably they said something humiliating since southern Whites like to humiliate southern blacks

But she nonetheless brought the books
Back and I held them to my chest
Close to my heart
And happily skipped back to grandmother’s house Where I would sit on the front porch
In a gray glider and dream of a world
Far away
I love the world where I was
I was safe and warm and grandmother gave me neck kissed When I was on my way to bed
But there was a world Somewhere
Out there
And Mrs. Long opened that wardrobe But no lions or witches scared me
I went through
Knowing there would be Spring

Can someone help me by creating a list under each column of questions that you have for "Wonder" and observations that you make for "Notice."

1. read the following excerpt from franklin d. roosevelt's "fireside chat 19":

on the other side of the picture, we must learn also to know that guerilla warfare against the germans in, let us say serbia or norway, us; that a successful russian offensive against the germans us; and that british successes on land or sea in any part of the world strengthen our hands.

remember always that germany and italy, regardless of any formal declaration of war, consider themselves at war with the united states at this moment just as much as they consider themselves at war with britain or russia. and germany puts all the other republics of the americas into the same category of enemies. the people of our sister republics of this hemisphere can be honored by that fact.  

the true goal we seek is far above and beyond the ugly field of battle. when we resort to force, as now we must, we are determined that this force shall be directed toward ultimate good as well as against immediate evil. we americans are not destroyers — we are builders.

analyze the effectiveness of this excerpt. how does it function within the speech as a whole? how does the structure of the excerpt to convey the speech's purpose and key points? support your argument with evidence from the speech. (10 points)

i guess you are missing the idea that has to be supported, am i right?

sthe miracle worker  ▾search

home  >   study guides  >   the miracle worker

the miracle worker themeswilliam gibson

themes and meanings

(comprehensive guide to drama)

print  print  document  pdf  list  cite  link  link

there are two central themes in  the miracle worker: that the human spirit can triumph over even the most daunting of disabilities and that a dedicated teacher can transform the lives of those with whom he or she comes into contact. these inspirational themes have long been personified in the widely known true-life relationship between helen keller and annie sullivan, but  the miracle worker  also dramatizes collateral issues that extend beyond the particular case. underlying helen’s process of learning basic principles of what annie terms “obedience” (decorum, etiquette, and hygiene), there are more universal lessons of self-governance—the inculcation of self-restraint instead of willfulness, the development of self-discipline instead of self-indulgence. only when these lessons have been mastered can helen begin to acquire language—which, annie says, “is to the mind more than light is to the eye.”