The Language Inside 30 Prompts: Day 11
April is National Poetry Month in the U.S., and for the month of April, I am posting 30 poetry prompts from my verse novel The Language Inside. Some of the prompts relate to poems referenced in the book, such as poems that the main character Emma reads to the patient Zena in the long-term care facility. Other prompts derive from poems that Emma, Zena or her friend Samnang draft and share during the story.
The Language Inside 30 Prompts: Day 11 In Chapter 26, Zena shares a poem about struggling to communicate after the stroke that left her locked-in, unable to espress herself. “My Sister” builds through repetition.
Here is Zena's poem:
My Sister
my sister said isn’t she still in there?the doctor said nomy sister said isn’t it possible her brain is fine?the doctor said nomy sister said I think she’s cryingthe doctor said nomy sister said I think she’s angrythe doctor said nomy sister said Zena’s in there, I know itthe doctor said nobut the OT said well maybe she isthe OT said Zena, you look up when you mean yes, okay?my sister said Zena are you in there?and I looked up and told heryes
Prompt Day 11: Write a poem about someone who played a role as a helper, like Zena’s sister and the OT—“angels” as Emma describes them. More prompts from The Language InsideThe full reader's guide to The Language Inside--A Discussion, Reading and Activity Guide for Teachers and Readers--with these and other prompts, discussion questions and activities is HERE.
About The Language Inside
Emma Karas was raised in Japan; it's the country she calls home. But when her mother is diagnosed with breast cancer, Emma's family moves to a town outside Lowell, Massachusetts to stay with her grandmother while her mom undergoes treatment. Emma feels out of place in the United States, begins to have migraines, and longs to be back in Japan. At her grandmother's urging, she volunteers in a long-term care center to help Zena, a patient with locked-in syndrome, write down her poems. There, Emma meets Samnang, another volunteer, who assists elderly Cambodian refugees. Weekly visits to the care center, Zena's poems, dance and noodle soup bring Emma and Samnang closer, until Emma must make a painful choice: stay in Massachusetts, or return early to Japan. The Language Inside is a verse novel rich in language both spoken and unspoken that crosses boundaries to create a story layered with love, loss, movement and words. (Delacorte/Random House)
YALSA 2014 Best Fiction for Young Adults Notable Books for a Global Society 2014 Bank Street Best Books of the Year 2014 Notable Books for the Language Arts 2014 A Librarians' Choices 2013 Book
The Language Inside 30 Prompts: Day 11 In Chapter 26, Zena shares a poem about struggling to communicate after the stroke that left her locked-in, unable to espress herself. “My Sister” builds through repetition. Here is Zena's poem:
My Sister
my sister said isn’t she still in there?the doctor said nomy sister said isn’t it possible her brain is fine?the doctor said nomy sister said I think she’s cryingthe doctor said nomy sister said I think she’s angrythe doctor said nomy sister said Zena’s in there, I know itthe doctor said nobut the OT said well maybe she isthe OT said Zena, you look up when you mean yes, okay?my sister said Zena are you in there?and I looked up and told heryes
Prompt Day 11: Write a poem about someone who played a role as a helper, like Zena’s sister and the OT—“angels” as Emma describes them. More prompts from The Language InsideThe full reader's guide to The Language Inside--A Discussion, Reading and Activity Guide for Teachers and Readers--with these and other prompts, discussion questions and activities is HERE.
About The Language Inside
Emma Karas was raised in Japan; it's the country she calls home. But when her mother is diagnosed with breast cancer, Emma's family moves to a town outside Lowell, Massachusetts to stay with her grandmother while her mom undergoes treatment. Emma feels out of place in the United States, begins to have migraines, and longs to be back in Japan. At her grandmother's urging, she volunteers in a long-term care center to help Zena, a patient with locked-in syndrome, write down her poems. There, Emma meets Samnang, another volunteer, who assists elderly Cambodian refugees. Weekly visits to the care center, Zena's poems, dance and noodle soup bring Emma and Samnang closer, until Emma must make a painful choice: stay in Massachusetts, or return early to Japan. The Language Inside is a verse novel rich in language both spoken and unspoken that crosses boundaries to create a story layered with love, loss, movement and words. (Delacorte/Random House)YALSA 2014 Best Fiction for Young Adults Notable Books for a Global Society 2014 Bank Street Best Books of the Year 2014 Notable Books for the Language Arts 2014 A Librarians' Choices 2013 Book
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