“ First Lesson”

1. By: Philip Booth “First Lesson” First Lesson was from Lifetimes: Selected Poems 1950-1999 Presented by: Traeann Scheer and Kelsey Halleman

2. First Lesson • The reason that the poem First Lesson should be kept is because of the meaning it gives off. • First lesson has many literary elements such as: personification, imagery, and even parallelism

3. This is in Free Verse Rhythm • Lie back daughter, let your head • be tipped back in the cup of my hand • Gently, and I will hold you. Spread • your arms wide, lie out on the stream

4. Rhyme Scheme • Lie back daughter, let yourhead-A • be tipped back in the cup of myhand-B • Gently, and I will hold you.Spread-A • your arms wide, lie out on thestream-C • The rhyme scheme in First Lesson is Free Verse- which means it has no rhythm. • ABACADEFGDHIHIH

5. Repetition The word lie is repeated in lines 1,4,10,14, and 15 The word you is repeated in lines 11,13, and 15 The reason these words are repeated is because the writer is teaching his daughter to do a back float.

6. Parallelism • Lines 11, 13, and 15 all end similarly. • as you float now, where I held you • cramps your heart what I told you: • stars, lie back, and the sea will hold you. • you is repeated many 3 times throughout First Lesson

7. Consonance • In lines 12 and 13, there are five repeated constants sounds. • …and let go, remember when fear cramps your heart… • and once again in line 9.. • me, when you tire on the long thrash

8. Assonance • Assonance is the vowel sounds in a word that repeat frequently. • to your island, lie up, and survive.

9. Personification …stars, lie back, and the sea will hold you. • Personification gives something other than a person feelings, movement, etc. • This poem shows personification by saying “the sea will hold you” • The sea can not actually hold you

10. Imagery Spread your arms wide, lie out on the stream and look high at the gulls. • Imagery is the formation of mental images to paint a picture. • The imagery is shown well in lines 3-5.

11. In conclusion… • Keep this poem in the 2011 textbook because it has basic concepts, such as free verse. • First Lesson also has many elements that refer to basic concepts of literature.