SOCIAL STUDIES POETRY

Lewis, J. Patrick.  When THUNDER Comes:   Poems for Civil Rights Leaders.  San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2013.
ISBN: 978-1-4521-0119-4

Poetic Elements:  Lewis succinctly equips his poems with an array of poetic elements scattered throughout.   In the poem “The Activist” which refers to Coretta Scott King, the poem reads “Night birds fell dumb in the tree” which is an example of using hyperbole.  Personification and onomatopoeia are also used in the same poem, “Her silent shadow roared.”  The poem “The Captive” written in regards to Mitsuye Endo, shares the use of metaphor, “They put me in a hateful house—Internment camp—and I, a mouse.”  Ellison Onizuka, a Japanese American astronaut, was written about in the poem “The Astronaut” which models the use of simile, “He soared around the Earth as in his dreams.”  The poem “The Statesman” modeled after Nelson Mandela demonstrates the use of rhyme, “Five years before the actual event. At Robben Island Prison, his descent.”  Imagery abounds in “The Journalist” written in regards to Helen Zia, when the poem begins, “I am a woman with a foreign face—Apple-pie American (born Chinese).”  Sensory images and personification are also strong in the poem “Freedom Summer” written about James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner when it mentions “With the odor of pee running down my pant leg.”  Assonance is unintentionally used with the phrase, “When she lost the man to the Ku Klux Klan,” in the poem “The Activist” referring to Martin Luther King, Jr.  With such a collective use of poetic language, Lewis has used fresh and imaginative ideas and allowed us to feel each poem.

Appeal:  The poems are like miniature narrative stories that are capable of provoking deep thoughts.  The format of using short stanzas makes them easy to read.  Kids having an interest in history would be drawn to reading this book.  Those less serious about life and what they read might shy away instinctually, but with the encouragement to read it, one could be swayed.  Many of the people written about in this book have helped in the efforts of making America such a great place to live and as U.S. Citizens we should be cognizant of what’s happened in the past.  These poems will definitely enrich a child’s insight, knowledge, and vocabulary.  Presenting these “old wounds” in poetry format will presumably stimulate all audiences.      

Overall Quality:  Written in picture book format, these poems can be read by elementary students.  However, a basis for understanding the information at hand would be better understood by a minimum age of middle school students.  All of the poems highlight Civil Rights Leaders from around the world: six poems with women and the other 9 with men.  The spacing and font used are similar with each poem which sits across from the accompanying illustration on the 2-page layouts.  A few poem illustrations do surround the poem.  This picture poem book is well organized.  The illustrations are rendered in oil, acrylic, and watercolor and were created by five artists:  Jim Burke, R. Gregory Christie, Tonya Engel, John Parra, and Meil So. Although created by various hands, the illustrations blend nicely from one poem to the next and there is no disconnect of feeling in the transfer from one illustrator to the next.  Lewis has done an outstanding job writing the poems in this book.  He is capable of writing poetry in various styles and tones and I would have to say that I enjoy reading his “serious” toned books of poetry a lot more than his “humorous” books. Now, if you asked a kid their opinion, they would probably say just the opposite!   

The Poets:  J. Patrick Lewis, Children’s Poet Laureate for 2011-2013, is the sole writer for this collection of poems.  It is an anthology written about various civil rights leaders. Lewis is a notable poet who has received many awards including The National Council of Teachers of English Excellence in Poetry Award. He has authored more than 75 books and some of his poetry is included in other collective poetry books.

Layout:  This book was just published in 2013 by Lewis.  His poems tell about various Civil Rights Leaders and include some that have passed away and some that are still alive.  Currency of time is important to note with Civil Rights Leaders still living and how they continue to lead their lives.  The book is compiled with 15 poems highlighting a total of 17 people that are considered to be Civil Rights Leaders all around the world.  It is a 32-page picture book that does not have a table of contents or any kind of index.  Lewis includes a preface he has written to get the reader ready for the poems.  Each of the poems stands alone on a single page and consists of several stanzas, with most similar in length. They are expressed in an expository way.  In the back of the book, back ground information is included about each poem and Lewis includes his resources for where he obtained his knowledge and information.  A concise biography of J. Patrick Lewis is written on the inside of the back cover.

Spotlight Poem:  Sharing this book with a US History class when they are studying about the Civil Rights Movement would be very impacting.  Although not all of the poems tell of an American, it would be perfectly fine to share about civil struggles that have occurred outside of the United States, too.  I would share this book in eBook format so that I could display the poem and its illustration on a big screen for all of the students to see.  Depending on the number of days dedicated to teaching this part of the US History curriculum, I would share 1-2 poems a day and include the follow up paragraphs that pertain to the poems to explain the scenario at hand more succinctly.

“The First” by J. Patrick Lewis

I run down

the line, eight feet,

nine…and feint to feel

the rush between the third

baseman’s brush back and home.

Whitey Ford stares through me, a sneak thief

playing on his disbelief, a phantom blackbird hopping

on and off

the dare, flinching,

inching along the ledge

to legend.  I time the windup,

my pistons primed to shovel under

Yogi’s glove.  Yankee Stadium is stunned!

But you can hear the cheering all the way from Harlem.

Written about:

Jackie Robinson, First African American baseball player in the modern era 1919-1972