Somewhere in Africa, there is a tribe that does not celebrate when a child is born. They do not celebrate first knowing that the woman is pregnant. They celebrate when the woman first conceives of the idea to have a child. When she feels that she is ready to have a child, she takes a journey to a large tree, outside the village. She spends days alone there, in the quiet, listening to “hear” the song of her child. When the song “comes to her,” she returns to the village. She then teaches her husband the song. They sing the song when they conceive the child. Other members of the tribe learn the song. They sing it to the baby as the child is in its mother’s womb. They sing it when the baby is born. They sing it when the child is upset, hurt, and on special occasions.

What a powerful song that must be.

Imagine having a song that is all your own –

That everyone sings just for you.

Wow!

Music and songs have impact

They help us tell the stories of our lives.

We associate memories with song.

● What childhood songs do you remember?

● What song reminds you of a boyfriend/girlfriend or another special person?

● Any songs that remind you of a family vacation or event?

Songs can also evoke certain emotions.

What song comes to mind for:

● Sadness● Love● Excitement

Bottom line…

Songs and music are powerful

and can tell something about us.

Your assignment . . .

Slide 1Points to cover:● Title of the song you chose● Why you chose the song

Slide 2

For each of your Literary Devices, you must write a short paragraph that identifies the device and states how the device impacts the song.

“The River” by Garth Brooks

Why I chose “The River” I like Garth Brooks. I probably have a little crush on him, to tell the truth. He is an amazing performer and a pretty decent person (from what I know). I like many of his songs, but I chose “The River” because I love the inspirational message about dreams and what you need to do to reach them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6TLqpe1y4s

Literary Devices

Garth Brooks uses the simile “a dream is like a river/Ever changing as it flows” to illustrate how the long-term dreams or goals that people have become hard to reach at times because of “rough waters” and water “falls” (difficult obstacles) along the way, but we need to “stay between the shores,” or continue following “the river,” staying on course to reach our dreams.

The alliteration used in “Choose to chance the rapids/and dare to dance the tide” make the song itself flow, much like a river. It’s not only the sound that is repeated that does this, but also the meter, or number of syllables, six, per line.

Helpful sentence structure...

Writer Verb Technique Quotation Purpose Explain HOW

The lyricistThe song writer

The poet

usesutilizesselects

The... metaphorsimile

personificationallusion

alliterationconsonanceassonancehyperbole

onomatopoeiaoxymoronrepetition

rhyme

put quotehere using

quotationmarks

To... illustrate create a…

developcontrast show

emphasizehighlightrepresent

deepen our understanding of

answer thequestion in your own

words

An exceptional grade ...

Work Ethic Writing Reading Speaking

● Is completed on time

● Is neat in appearance and organization

● Has slides that are easy to read

● Has creative slides

● Is complete (all tasks done)

● Reflects student’s BEST work

● Has no spelling or grammar mistakes

● Has strong sentence format

● Correctly analyzes author’s use of literary devices

● Provides own commentary/

explanation

● Speaks clearly● Volume is

strong● Makes eye

contact to entire class

Questions????