Reading Comprehension and Critical Thinking (Updated)

Read through the following poem. 

What do you get from reading the poem? 

• What is it about? 
• Is there a message? 
• Can one extend the meaning to correlate it to human behaviour?
• What is the use of imagery found in the poem?
• What is the use of selected words in the poem?

My Feathered Friend

I spied thee, my feathered friend,

Pecking furiously at thy perceived foe,

Thy hard beak pounding at thy reflected self;

It too had its head thrust to the mirrored pane

With its chocolate-hued wings spread from its dark body

And red-rimmed eyes staring, unblinking, unyielding;

Aye, thy foe, postured much like thyself, was ready for battle,

Returning peck for peck with like ferocity, like enmity.

In the next post, suggested responses to the above questions will be forwarded. Do take the time to come up with your own responses for answers can differ from individual to individual and there need not be a `correct' answer.

If you would like us to take a look at your responses, do send them to us at admin1@thepeartree.info



Guiding Questions:

My `feathered friend', with references to being `feathered', and with a `beak' and `wings' would naturally be a bird. 

• Thus, based on the other descriptions of the bird, what would be the colours that you would expect to see on the different parts of the bird's body. (An outline is given below for you to colour in the various hues adorning the bird.)

• What are effects of using words such as: 

`spied' instead of `saw'; `pounding' instead of `hitting'; `thrust' instead of `bent forward'; `postured' instead of `standing'

•  What is the feeling that the bird is experiencing? Why is it feeling that way?
• Is the feeling justified?
• Can the bird's reaction be extended to the human experience? Would some people react in a similar fashion?
• What lesson may we, as humans, derive from the bird's reaction?