Graphic Organizer
Essay #1
Pine Point
Ninth Grade English
September 12, 2011
By Schyler
Subject: How “A Dream Deferred” by Langston Hughes relates to my life. How the song “For A Dancer” by Jackson Browne relates to my life, and how they relate to each other.
Bell Word: relate
Paragraph 1 (Opening)
Hook: have you ever wondered how a song, poem, and your life can all relate to each other.
CM: you can make any song and poem relate to your life, you just need to listen to the words.
CM: remember important moment in your life and you can probably make a line from a song or poem relate to your life and to each other.
Thesis (with bell word): The song “For A Dancer” and the poem “A Dream Deferred” relate to my life because I have dreams/ goals I want, but sometimes things get in the way.
Paragraph 2
TS: “For A Dancer” relates to my life and so does “A Dream Deferred” both relate to my life.
2 echoes: compare, connect
SD: I want to make the world team for jump rope
CM: my double dutch partners go to different schools
CM: hard to find time and commit
SD: “For A Dancer” compares to my life because of jump rope and trying to try out for the world team.
CM: in the lyrics “Keep a fire burning in your eye, pay attention to the open sky” means don’t give up on your dream, the possibilities are endless.
CM: For jump rope if we are meant to make the team we will, we will give it our best shot.
SD: “A Dream Deferred connects to my life because of the world team and if we don’t make it
CM: in the words “What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?” it
means to me what would happen, would we make it the next time or would the opportunity vanish.
CM: I believe the opportunity would still be there but we would just have to wait two years.
CL: This song and poem both relate to my life in an important way
Paragraph 3
TS: The song and poem both relate to each other
2 echoes: refer, link
SD: They both refer to each other about what is gone
CM: the song is about how you always thought something would be there but its not and the poem
talks about a dream that has to happen later
CM: They talk about what its like to know you can’t have what you want most
SD: They both talk about purpose
CM: the purpose of life
CM: purpose of your dream
SD: They link to each other because of sadness
CM: in the song you lose something you thought would always be there
CM: in the poem you have to wait on your dream
CL: This song and poem are very similar in different ways
Paragraph 4 (conclusion)
Hook: now you know how a different song, poem and life can all relate
Bell word: relate
CM: the song and poem are by two different people and can relate
CM: my life is different then both of them but still relates
Restate Thesis: things will always get in your way but you have to remember to always keep dreaming and
to never give up.
