to ward off winter colds. It is more commonly
known as cod liver oil, mixed with sugar and
other flavorings to make it more palatable. It
was common to dose children with variations of
cod liver oil as preparation for winter’s approach,
and Father John’s was a popular brand.TOPICS FOR
FURTHER
STUDY Giovanni’s poem was composed near the end
of the 1970s. Research the economic and social
status of African Americans from the 1950s to
1970s. Prepare an oral report in which you
discuss the economic and social changes that
African Americans experienced during these
decades.
‘‘Winter’’ is about preparing for change. Take
the first line of Giovanni’s poem and use it as
the first line of your own poem. Write a poem
of at least twelve lines by continuing Giovan-
ni’s first line to whatever conclusion fits your
own experiences with change. Write a brief
paragraph to attach to your poem, in which
you evaluate what your poem reveals about
the changes you are undergoing or expect to
undergo.
‘‘Winter’’ has a rhythm or a sing-song quality
that is best appreciated by being read aloud.
Read ‘‘Winter’’ aloud and then read it silently
to yourself. Then ask a friend to read the
poem to you. Write a short reflection paper
in which you explain the different qualities of
the poem that you noticed in reading and
hearing the poem in these different ways.
Langston Hughes is widely considered one
of the most important African American
poets of the twentieth century. Like Gio-
vanni, Hughes was considered a revolution-
ary poet who wrote about inequality and
oppression of African Americans. Research
Hughes’s life and read at least six of his
poems. Also read six poems from Giovan-
ni’s collectionCotton Candy on a Rainy Day.
Write an essay in which you discuss Hugh-
es’s poetry of the first half of the twentieth
century and compare it to Giovanni’s poetry
from the last half of that century. Discusspoetic style, choice of topics, tone, and
content.
Arnold Adoff writes many poems for chil-
dren and young adults. In his poetry collec-
tionSlow Dance Heartbreak Blues, Adoff
focuses on poetry about teenagers and their
concerns. Read one of Adoff’s poems for
teenagers and consider how effective his
poetry is in exploring the problems of teen-
agers. You should also consider how Adoff’s
poetry differs in tone and content from Gio-
vanni’s poetry. Prepare an evaluation of the
differences that you noted and present your
findings on a poster to your classmates.
My Black Me: A Beginning Book of Black
Poetry(1994) contains fifty poems for young
children by Lucille Clifton, Sam Cornish,
Langston Hughes, Sonia Sanchez, Nikki
Giovanni, and several other poets. Choose
two of the poems from this book to study.
Be sure that you choose poems by two differ-
ent authors. With at least one other student
partner from your class, prepare a multime-
dia presentation of the poems that you have
chosen. Your presentation should include an
oral component, in which you either down-
load an audio of the poets reading their
poems, or if that is not available, you or
your partner read the two poems aloud.
You should also prepare several PowerPoint
slides in which you present what you have
learned about the poems that you chose and
what you have learned about the kind of
poetry these poets write. Your slides may
include information about poetic styles,
including meter, tone, stanza arrangement,
and rhyme, and information on imagery,
metaphors, similes, and parallelism.Winter