We had some very interesting discussions last week regarding Delmore Schwartz‘s sonnet, “The Beautiful American Word, Sure.” Among the issues, we thought up as many synonyms for sure as possible: free from doubt, confident, certain, and positive were a few that we considered. But then I asked what made such a plain word “beautiful”? And why “American”? Wouldn’t the proper adjective be “English,” if we were talking about language? Or maybe Schwartz is saying something more about American culture here? I also defined sufficient for the students, then asked what grace means, as used in the poem’s final line, “In dark accidents the mind’s sufficient grace.” (Some synonyms for grace given were beauty, mercy, and kindness.) Finally, we spoke at length about the poet’s feminine personification of the word, sure; could he have been thinking about a particular person when he wrote this poem? By the end, we probably had more questions than answers, but it was quite the conversation!
The prompt this week was to write a poem about a favorite word (or words). Here you go!
Ms. Carlson
Room 316
Dragon
Arly D.
Dragons are cool
Rips paper with claws
Angry when Intruded
Good at flying
Only eats fish
Not a dangerous issue
Chubby Cheeks
Franklin H.
What does minks and beaver have?
How are chipmunk and hamsters the same?
What makes field mice look so cute?
The answer is chubby cheeks.
Candy
Mila M.
C, C, C,
an, an, an,
dy, dy, dy
is candy
from cupcakes to chocolate,
Sweet Tarts to Smarties,
it’s all around us.
Fun
Diego R.
Joyful and
having a good
time. A blast.
Boring sucks.
Doing nothing is terrible
happy enjoyable
everything is jolly.
Fun is so fun.
Sports
Jaden S.
My favorite word
Sports
Hockey, basketball, baseball, soccer
Favorite Word
Charlie Z.
Book is my favorite word.
Because I love books.
It is an interesting word
That I really like.
Out of all the words
My favorite word is book.
I have a great word.
Book!
Mr. Chau
Room 220
Original
Allen F.
Original is my most favorite word.
It represents the past in one chord.
That’s why I like O (Original = O)
it makes my life glow
and the word makes me feel like a knight
with a sword.
My Favorite Word Is Brittle
Deshawn J.
My favorite word is brittle because
I can hear the griddle also I remember
my momma calling me kiddo. Every
one used to tell me riddles that’s why my
favorite word is brittle.
My Most Awesome Word
Ariyonna M.
Oh there are so many words
to pick. Hey maybe I like every
single word in the world! Hey
I like every single word except
you know the curse word. Those
get me turned into The Hulk.
Love
Amaria M.
My favorite word is love I love this
word because it seems so meaningful
and it’s such a nice word Love
Love Love
Untitled
Erick P.
I do not have a favorite word.
Mean people call me a word.
Not hi not sign
I do not have a favorite word.
Not stool not cool or ghoul
I do not have a favorite.
Not brittle not skittle
I do not have a favorite word.
Untitled
Prathmesh P.
Shut up is a word you can love
It hurts feelings
It kills feelings
and breaks hearts
but at the end of the day,
I assure you that they will
SHUT UP!
My Word Is Park
Ta’Khara S.
Once there
was a girl named Park
because you can go out
to the park.
Money
Eriyonna S.
Money is green
money is stacks on deck
I love green
green is pretty
money is me
I love money it’s
like leaves.
Forever 21
Mia S.
I just love that store so much
and it’s so fun I love to
shop during the sun. Bling rings,
clothes oh what a joy.
No
Mekhi T.
I really like to say NO
unless it’s a choice I really
like.
Mr. Cox
Room 312
My Favorite Word in Arabic
Amina A.
Amina. It means Love in Arabic. Just
say it over, and over, and over again.
It feels like your tongue took a vacation.
Beautiful Words, White Sox
Joseph E.
The White Sox are so boss
They play all day for the fans,
The White Sox have to pay the cost
They have a White Sox mini-van.
My Favorite Word Austin
Austin F.
My favorite word Austin
But people call me Boston
One of my friends is James
I like to play games
Also I come in like a
wrecking ball!
Aback
Zoe G.
I like the word Aback, it is
weird
The Beautiful Word Swerve
Tailah J.
The beautiful word swerve
is like a car on a curve
it circles around
into the ground
but I love the word swerve.
The Beautiful American Word, Sleepy
Taylor K.
When I am sleepy
I get my teddy bear I
like to sleep all day long but I
can’t. I wish I could but
we got work so that’s
it.
Pop
McKenna M.
Pop the sad ending for a
bubble. Pop the cap that
has blown off a Coca-Cola.
Pop a button that has
fallen off a coat. Pop the
cartoons when they fall.
Pop my favorite
word of them
ALL.
BLAH
Gabrielle N.
Blah so many meanings.
Everywhere.
What
Michael W.
What, it gets me out of trouble.
It helps me get what I want,
what.
