Due Mon. Jan. 10

PART ONE—RESEARCH

It is imperative that you complete some research before delving into Brand’s poetry.  Please use the links below or other resources (like encyclopedias) in the library to read up on the following topics:

§        Grenada

§        the political situation in Grenada in 1983

§        key people (like Maurice Bishop)

§        the U.S.’s involvement and interests regarding Grenada

While you do not have to turn in any information on this research (part one), I recommend taking notes on each bulleted topic listed above so you’ll have them for reference when reading Brand’s poetry.

Try the sites listed below or do a search on-line to find information.

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/gj.html

http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grenada

http://www.thegrenadarevolutiononline.com/

http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/43/209.html

http://www.awigp.com/default.asp?numcat=bishop

http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/43/208.html

PART TWO—READ & THINK

Read the attached poem, “October 19^th, 1983” by Dionne Brand.  Look up words you don’t know.  Apply the information you found out about Grenada, etc. in Part One to the poem.  You may write answers to the following questions on a separate sheet of paper or directly on the poem itself.

§        What event is Brand is writing about? 

§        What is Brand’s opinion of what has happened? 

§        What is the mood of this poem?  How do you know? 

PART THREE—RESEARCH and more READ & THINK

1.  Also please research the following key terms:  colonialism and post-colonialism

2.  Write up definitions that you understand in your own words for each of those words.

3.  Re-read and color-mark 3 major patterns and identify 1 major technique (that is not a pattern) in “October 19^th, 1983.”  Then explain what lines 30 to 40 in the poem are really talking about.