English 1

Unit 3.1: Dealing With Disaster

Focus: Comparing Literary Elements across Literary Texts
Task: To compare-and-contrast the speakers & characters, actions & events, and poetic structure and devices in two poems about Hurricane
Katrina.
Introduction
Your introduction should:

Summarize Hurricane Katrina using text details from Hurricane Katrina: Facts, Damage, & Aftermath.
Identify your task: To compare-and-contrast similarities and differences
Focus:between speakers & characters, action & events, and poetic structure and devices in
Texts: After the Hurricane and Watcher

Locate evidence Each main body part must contain cited evidence from the poem (s) to support your analysis of the three focus topics. Ensure you have identified evidence to
support your analysis and be prepared to explain how the selected word, phrase, or example helps us understand, or to create meaning in, the poem.

Main body parts Close Analysis using textual evidence

Section
Main
body
part 1

Main
body
part 2

Subject-by-Subject

Topic-by-topic

After the Hurricane

Speakers & Characters Analyze details:

That show who the speaker & characters are and their feelings
throughout each poem

Discuss ways in which the speakers and characters are similar or

share similar feelings

Discuss ways in which the speakers and characters are different or

have different feelings about the aftermath of the hurricane

Analyze details:

That show who the speaker & characters are and their feelings
throughout the poem

The key events in the poem and the actions taken by the characters in
response to these events

That show the poem is free verse and examples of poetic devices the
poet uses
Watcher
Analyze details:

That show who the speaker & characters are and their feelings
throughout the poem

The key events in the poem and the actions taken by the characters in
response to these events

That show the poem is traditional form and examples of poetic devices
the poet uses
Compare-and-Contrast

Main
body
part 3

Explain the similarities and differences between the speakers and

characters in each poem
Explain the similarities and differences between the events and actions
that take place in the poems
Explain the similarities and differences between the structure of the
poems and the poetic devices the poets use to create meaning

Events & Actions

Analyze details:

That shoe the key events in the poems and the actions taken by the
characters in response to these events
Discuss ways in which the poem explore similar events or the
speaker/characters take similar actions
Discuss ways in which the poem explore different events or the
speaker/characters take different actions

Poetic structure & devices

Analyze details:

That show the structure of the poems and the different poetic
devices the poet uses
Discuss ways in which the structure or use of poetic devices are
similar
Discuss ways in which the structure or use of poetic devices are
different

Conclusion

Re-state your purpose for writing

Re-state 2/3 key similarities and differences
Explain how you would feel if you shared these experiences after the hurricane. Which speakers/characters do you most identify with?
Evaluate which poem you felt was more successful at describing the events and emotions that occurred after the hurricane