Gorilla Poem Group Analysis

Directions:  Read the following excerpt which describes some of the problems that the gorilla is facing in the wild:

            “…the mountain gorilla was being pushed out of its habitat by human population growth.  This was a land where animals were valued mostly as food or skins.  Poachers were trapping the creatures, often killing an entire group to capture one baby.  They killed them for trophies.  Gorilla heads made unusual hat racks.  The hands could be used for ashtrays…”

Now read the following poem, “Willie B’s Eyes” aloud in your group, then answer the following questions together about its meaning.

Willie B’s Eyes

By H. Dieter Steklis

1                     Luminous, bold, your soul behold

2                     Gentle, yet strong, if they could but speak in your tongue

3                     They would tell of a time not so long ago

4                     When gorilla and man were neither friend nor foe

5                     Both content to sip from nature’s cup

6                     A not so distant reflection of a common stock

7                     And they would speak of a sadness that befell their king

8                     When nature’s trust was betrayed and rivers ran red

9                     A kinship was broken, turned to bondage instead

10                 But gaze deeper within those sentient, are they tear-filled eyes?

11                 And turn not away, lest yourself you recognize.

Part I: Vocabulary

To fully understand a poem, you must understand all of its words.  Using a dictionary, define the following words from the poem.

luminous (line 1)

kinship (line 9)

bondage (line 9)

sentient (line 10)

lest (line 11)

A word of your choice (any line)

Part II: Comprehension

On your own paper, answer the following questions about the meaning of the poem.

1) Who is Willie B?

2) With your group, reread lines 3 through 6, discuss their overall meaning, then write the meaning in your own words.

3) Explain in line 7 what you think is the “sadness that befell their king”

4) In line 8, what is the meaning of “nature’s trust?”

5) In line 8, why is it that the “rivers ran red?” 

6) In line 10, why might the gorilla’s eyes be “tear filled?”

7) How is the meaning of the word “sentient” important to the meaning of line 10?

Part III: Extend your Thinking:

The Poet’s Message

In two sentences or more, explain in your own words the overall message of the poem.  What is the poet trying to say?

Part IV: Creative Writing:

A Conversation with Willie B.

The poem suggests that if Willie could speak, he would have something to say to us.  If you could have a conversation with this gorilla, what would you say and what would be Willie’s response?

Write a fictional conversation with Willie B. discussing some or all of the following topics.

-          peacefully sharing the planet

-          the meaning of the poem

-          our similarities and differences

-          what the future holds for all of us

-          what we can do to make up for the past

(Listen to your teacher for guidelines on specific length and content.)