Mothers By: Nikki Giovanni

When the speaker wakes up in the night, her mother is… angry at her for wetting the bed sleeping in the chair sitting in the kitchen looking at the moon At the end of the poem, the speaker is now a mother and… teaches her son the poem she learned believes motherhood is unpleasant finally understands why children admire their mothers realizes how rewarding it is to be a mother 1. PART A: Which of the following identifies a theme of the poem? As children grow up, their views of their mothers evolve and change The most important lessons that children can learn come from mothers. As children grow up they will, without a doubt, grow apart from their mothers. Children only come to truly understand their mothers when they become parents themselves. PART B: Which section from the text best supports the answer to Part A? “the last time i was home / to see my mother we kissed / exchanged pleasantries” (Lines 1-3) “i remember the first time / i consciously saw her / we were living in a three room (Lines 7-10) “mommy always sat in the dark / i don’t know how i knew that but she did” (Lines 11-12) “her hair was three-quarters her height / which made me a strong believer in the samson myth” (Lines 22-23) PART A: How does the speaker’s view of her mother change as she grows older? When she is a child she views her mother as an almost mystical being, but when she is an adult she views her more realistically. When she is a child she views her mother as average, but when she is an adult she views her as a larger-than-life figure. When she is a child she views her mother with a sense of jealousy, but when she is an adult she views her with admiration and respect. When she is a child she views her mother negatively, but when she is an adult she views her with more understanding. PART B: Which TWO details from the text best support the answer to Part A? “the last time i was home / to see my mother we kissed / exchanged pleasantries / and unpleasantries” (Lines 1-4) “i remember the first time / i consciously saw her / we were living in a three room” (Lines 7-9) “mommy always sat in the dark / i don’t know how i knew that but she did” (Lines 11-12) “i’m sure i just hung there by the door / i remember thinking: what a beautiful lady” (Lines 25-26) “i taught it to my son / who recited it for her” (Lines 36-37) “we must learn / to bear the pleasures / as we have borne the pains” (Lines 38-40) How does the author’s inclusion of the poem within the poem (Lines 32-35) develop the theme of the text?