DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Answer and upload the answers to SIS on Wednesday, Feb.

15, for 20 points.

1. What pronouns does the poet use throughout the text? What is the impact of using these
pronouns on the overall message of the poem? Point to specific examples from the poem to
support your answer.

The most common pronouns which the poet uses are, us, I, we, and our. These
pronouns are used to emphasize on the shared American experience that everyone
is going through, even though we come from different backgrounds we are all in
this one nation. “All of us as vital as the one light we move through…”This
example shows how “us” unites the nation and shows how they all share.

2. What American values does the poet emphasize in this poem? What poetic techniques does
the poet use to emphasize these values? Cite evidence from the text to support your response.

The poet emphasizes on the unity of the United States of America and how there
is a variety of people and work. To show these themes Blanco uses figurative
language to get closer to the audience, "My face, your face, millions of faces in
mornings mirrors…” this shows that American are unified.

3. The poet begins many stanzas with the word “One.” Why do you think he does this? How
does this choice reflect the message of the poem? Cite evidence from the text to support your
answer.

I think he does that a lot because he wants to show the idea of America being
“one country” and that everyone is unified. “One sun”, “One ground”, and “One
sky”. Is a good example because it connects the whole idea.

4. Throughout the poem we find many references to labor and work. Identify these lines and
phrases. What kind of work does the speaker in the poem honor and respect? What are these
lines saying about America and Americans?

The following quote shoes how the poet finds working hard honorable, he makes
many references on how no matter who does it its still honorable and should be
 respected . “On our way to clean tables, read ledgers, or save lives----- to teach
geometry, or ring up groceries as my mother did for twenty years, so I could write
this poem.”

5. This poem was first read on Martin Luther King’s Birthday celebration in Washington.
Explain the allusion entailed in “the ‘I have a dream’ we keep dreaming”?

He says this because he wants to show how many peoples dreams may eventually
come true, but when we get it people want more and aren’t satisfied and create
bigger dreams. This traces back to martin luther king because he wanted blakcs to
have rights and this eventually showed that peoples dreams may come true.

6. Use context clues to determine the meaning of the word teeming as it is used in “One
Today.” Write your definition of teeming here, along with any words or phrases from the text
that helped you arrive at its meaning.

Teeming could refer to something overflowing or being full, depends on the

context. In the passage it says “teeming across highways alongside us.”

7. Watch the video of Mr. Blanco reading “One Today” at the top of this post, and then read the
poem underlining what you think are its most important words. Explain why you think these
particular words and images are important to the poem’s meaning.

The most frequently used words is like my, your, our, and us because it makes
one feel like a part of what he speaks, that’s why he also uses the word “one”, that
is said to show how special it actually is.

8. What is the meaning of the word prejudice as it is used in the text? Write your best definition
here, along with a brief explanation of how you arrived at its meaning.

I think he uses the word prejudice is that one is happy with the languages that we
speak. Prejudice is the disliking of something for no good reason, many people
have that feeling so he mentions it because one has to go through life with it.

9. Identify lines in the poem that reflect the occasion for which the poem was written. How do
the lines you have chosen suggest issues surrounding the inauguration of a president?
 In lines similar to lines 1-6 of paragraph 8, it is stated that occasionally we may
feel, and as a result, we forget about the other elements of life and fail to enjoy.
Polarograph 9 has three lines. It is expressing how when we return home, we find
that solace and are reminded of the good things life has to offer.

10. Read the poem again selecting a line or phrase that struck you as luminous or beguiling.
Write for five minutes about what the line caused you to think. Turn to a partner or small
group, read the poem aloud once more, and discuss the selected lines. Explain the line in
your own words that caught your attention, and why.
I appreciated how he highlighted all the commonplace things we observe on a
typical weekday. what everyone notices but nobody actually pays attention to If
we don't see them, we may sense that they are unique. Things that can jog our
memories of significant occasions or situations in our lives.