CommonLit - The Open Boat 1. How is the first paragraph of the story important to the passage
as a whole?
O A It focuses on the danger of the ocean as insurmountable.
OB It focuses on the ocean's importance over the sky and land,
setting the sea as the primary setting.
O C It establishes the ocean as the primary focus and antagonist of
the survivors.
OD It establishes the ocean as ugly and gray, as opposed to
beautiful and blue.

“tell me o swan, your ancient tale” by kabir “the swan” by rilke “spanish dancer” by rilke “your laughter” by pablo neruda “birthplace” by shaffarzadeh “it’s this way” by nazim hikmet “counting small-boned bodies” by robert bly choose two poems that you would like to write about. analyze each poem. study the perspective, or point of view, of the speaker in each of the two poems that you select for this assignment. consider these questions: who is the speaker in each of these poems? what is the speaker’s tone? is there a conflict? is there a message? what does each of the poems have in common? what is different about each of the poems? which literary devices are used in the poems? are these literary devices found in both of the poems? what does the speaker hope to achieve in each of the poems? how are these achievements/goals been met? directions: using the two poems of your choosing, write a clear, concise, two hundred and fifty word essay that compares and contrasts the two poems. make sure you include at least two of the following to support your thesis: tone, point of view, literary devices, and meter.