Prompt:

Poetry can help students to make connections between historical periods and events and the
impacts those events have on individuals. The author of these poems uses language and tone
to portray to the reader what it was like to be a member of the turn of the century black
community. Compare the language and the tone of the two poems. How does the style add to
the meaning of the poems?

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Highlight the question.

Model Answer 1

The two poems, “An easy-Goin Feller” and “The colored Soldiers” both contain
figurative language and a tone that adds to the poet’s writing style. In the poem, “An
Easy-Goin’ Feller,” Paul Laurence Dunbar uses personification in the line “My head’s all
right, an my heart’s meller…” to add to the style of his poem. This line adds to the
style of Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poem because of the tone and dialect expressed in
this line. In the line “My head’s all right, an my heart’s meller,” Paul Laurene Dunbar’s
tone is oppressed. I can tell that Paul Laurence Dunbar’s tone is oppressed because
he says his heart is “meller”. When someone says their heart is mellow, they mean
their heart is just alright, and they are a little sad. On that note, the speaker of the
poem is oppressed because the speaker is a slave that is not appretiated enough for
all of his hard work. Also, the line “My head’s all right, an my heart’s meller…” adds to
the poet’s style of writing because of the dialect. Paul Laurence Dunbar used early
Afrian dialect to add to the style of his poem. It’s evident that Paul Laurence Dunbar
used early African dialect in the poem, “An Easy-Goin’ Feller” because he used words
like “meller”, “aint,” and “An’ez”. It was appropriate for Paul Laurence Dunbar to use
early African dialect in his poem, considering that the poem was from the point of view
of an oppressed slave. Paul Laurence Dunbar used figurative language and a tone to
add to his writing style in the poem, “The Colored Soldiers” as well. Paul Laurence
Dunbar used an idiom in the line “For their blood has cleansed completely every blot
of slavery’s shame,” to add to his writing style. The line “For their blood has cleansed
completely every blot of slavery’s shame” adds to Paul Laurence Dunbar’s writing
style because of the tone and dialect used in the poem. The speaker’s tone in the
line, “For their blood has cleansed completely every blot of slavery’s shame” is happy.
It’s evident that the speaker’s tone is happy because the poem says “cleansed
completely every blot of slavery’s shame,” which means that slavery has been
abolished, which also makes the speaker very happy. The line, “For their blood has
cleansed completely every blot of slavery’s shame” also contains dialect that adds to
the poet’s writing style. The dialect used in the poem “The Colored Soldiers” is early
American dialect. It’s evident that the poet used early American dialect because the
poet used words such as feeble, faltered, and scorned. It was appropriate for the poet
to use early American dialect in the poem “The Colored Soldiers” because the poem
was from the point of view of a free black person on the outside of slavery, looking in.
In conclusion, the poet’s style added to the meaning of the poem by creating a mood
that enabled readers to understand the poet’s whole purpose for writing.

What is really “smart” about this answer?

How could this answer be improved?

Model Answer 2

In the poems, “An Easy-Goin’ Feller” and “The Colored Soldiers.” The author
makes me feel a connection with the “colored soliders” and the “easy goin feller”.
The style, tone, and language had a lot to do with the connection I made.

After analyzing both poems, I concluded that each tone was completely
different from one another in “An Easy Goin Feller”, the tone is proud and joyous for
the colored soldier the author showed these emotions by saying, “I would sing a song
heroic, of those noble sons of Ham, of the gallant colored soldiers who fought for Uncle
Sam!” Also, the last stanza, “And their deeds shall find a record in the registry of
Fame; For their blood has cleansed completely, Every blot of Slavery’s shame. So all
honor and all glory to those noble sons of Ham- The gallant colored soldiers who
fought for Uncle Sam!”, also shows how the poet is proud of the many colored soldiers
who fought for Uncle Same. In “An Easy Goin Feller”, Dunbar’s tone is relaxed and
laid back. The author shows that there is no sense in “hurryin’, pell-mell, right thro’
life.” This tone is totally different from “The colored Soldiers” the author is a proud
citizen who wants to celebrate and stick up for the colored soldiers that fought for
Uncle Sam while in “An Easy Goin Fellar” the author shows no enthusiasm, but is very
relaxed and content.

The language of the poems also adds to the style. In “An Easy Goin Feller” the
author uses hyperboles to describe how people rush through life. An example of this
would by, “An’ hurryin, pell-mell, might thro’ life.” Also, “I don’t believe in goin too
fast to see what kind of road you’ve part is another example of exaggeration.

In “The Colored Soldiers” Dunbar uses repetition to explain to the reader how
proud he is for the soldiers who fought for Uncle Sam. The line repeated is, “Who
fought for Uncle Sam!” The poet also uses alliteration that shows his joyous spirit; “I
would sing a stirring song.” “The Colored Soldiers” and “An Easy Goin’ Feller” both
have different ways of getting their feelings across.

In conclusion, the tone and the language affects the distinct style of
Dunbar’s writing. The style of “The colored Soldier” is entertaining and informative.
The author entertains us by expressing his happiness for the colored soldiers, but also
informs us on how hard of a journey the colored soldiers have been through. The style
of “An Easy Goin Feller” is persuasive. This is so because, rushing through life. The
style of the poems helps add to the meaning of the poems.

What is really “smart” about this answer?

How could this answer be improved?

Compare your answer to the prompt to these 2 model answers. How are they similar?
How are they different?

Prompt:

Poetry can help students to make connections between historical periods and events and the
impacts those events have on individuals. The author of these poems uses language and tone
to portray to the reader what it was like to be a member of the turn of the century black
community. Compare the language and the tone of the two poems. How does the style add to
the meaning of the poems?

Underline the background information.

Circle the Petition.

Highlight the question.

Model Answer 1

In the poems “An Easy-Goin Feller” and “The Colored Soldiers” Both have a
style of being proud and serious. Being pround and serious adds meaning to these
poems because it helps the readers see that in the poem “An Easy-Goin Feller” he is
proud of what he does and being serious about what he does for his life. The poem
“The Colored Soldiers” is proud because they know that they gave America the
freedom that we have today. They are serious because having freedom is a big thing.

There is many different types of figurative language that is used in both

poems. In the poem “An Easy-Goin Feller” it states “An Earh what kills my plate an
cup” this is an example of hyperbole because he exaggerates the situation. The poem
“The Colored Soldiers” shows personification in the quote “If my tongue were trained
to measures” because it is giving a tongue to do something it can’t.

Both poems bring the point across of being proud and serious about the
things they do for life. What more can you ask for than the thing you have today.

What is really “smart” about this answer?

How could this answer be improved?

 Model Answer 2

The poems, “The Colored Soldiers” and “An Easy-Goin’ Feller” each have
something to do with the black community of America. The author of each poem
expresses this by using various literary techniques for the reader to understand. In
the poem “ An Easy-Goin’ Feller” the author used dialect to help the reader
understand that the narrator ahs a southern accent; this added style to the poem so
the reader could understand how long this dated back. The author’s attitude was
joyful and the mood of the poem was content and happy. The author expressed this
by stating, “My head’s all right, an’ my heart’s meller, but I’m a easy-goin feller”. This
quote means that his mind is ok and mellow and that he doesn’t spend too much time
on one thing that he is just easy going. In the poem, “The Colored Soldiers” the
author’s attitude is determined and proud. The author used figurative language and
detail to express this. In the poem the author quoted, “Then you called the colored
soldiers, and they answered to your call…” This quote clarifies to the reader that the
author is proud of the black soldiers that fought in the war alongside the white
soldiers.

Each poem expressed how the author referring to the black community of
America. The author used dialect and figurative language to get his point across. The
dialect and figurative language of each poem added tremendous style and gave the
reader a better understanding.

What is really “smart” about this answer?

How could this answer be improved?

Compare your answer to the prompt to these 2 model answers. How are they similar?
How are they different?