ENGLISH 9 – SECOND QUARTER

LESSON 2

Mother to Son
by Langston Hughes
Well, son, I‘ll tell you:
Life for me ain‘t been no crystal stair.
It‘s had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor—
Bare.
But all the time
I‘se been a-climbin‘ on,
And reachin‘ landin‘s,
And turnin‘ corners,
And sometimes goin‘ in the dark
Where there ain‘t been no light.
So boy, don‘t you turn back.
Don‘t you set down on the steps
‘Cause you finds it‘s kinder hard.
Don‘t you fall now—
For I‘se still goin‘, honey,
I‘se still climbin‘,
And life for me ain‘t been no crystal stair.

QUESTIONS TO ANSWER: Make your answer short as possible.

1. Who is the speaker/persona in the poem?

2. To what does the speaker compare her life with?
3. What does the mother tell her son?
4. What is the poem about?
5. What is the most interesting phrase in the poem? Why?
6. Which part makes you think of someone in true to life experience?
7. What do you think is the author‘s purpose in writing the poem?
8. Which part of the poem do you like best? Why?
9. What do you think might have motivated the mother to advise her son?
10. Is the message of the poem worthwhile?
11. How important is the poem‘s message in your life?
12. What have you learned from it?

ENGLISH 9 – SECOND QUARTER

LESSON 3
Psalm of Life
 by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Tell me not, in mournful numbers,

Life is but an empty dream!
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.

Life is real! Life is earnest!

And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,

Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day.

Art is long, and Time is fleeting,

And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.

In the world‘s broad field of battle,

In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!

Trust no Future, howe‘er pleasant!

Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act,— act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o‘erhead!

Lives of great men all remind us

We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;

Footprints, that perhaps another,

Sailing o‘er life‘s solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us, then, be up and doing,

With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.
A.
1. What according to the poem is our “destined end” or purpose?
2. Is the poem morally uplifting and sentimental? Prove your point.
 3. How can one be man according to Longfellow?
4. What conditions are suggested by the persona/speaker in order for anyone to become a man?

B.

Which of the line suggests: Line/s

1. People should continue to appreciate life on
earth as very important and real
2. A time to act is NOW, to make spiritual,
moral, and intellectual marks in
3. this world
4. People not to waste the short time that they
have
5. Act as heroes amidst the earth‘s strife

6. Work toward personal achievement

C. Look for words in the poem which are opposite in meaning to each of the following.

1. open
2. harmony
3. ridiculous
4. uncertain
5. built
6. cheerful
7. moves
8. insincere
9. loud
10. permanent

ENGLISH 9 – SECOND QUARTER

LESSON 4

Types of Context Clues

1. Definition – the word is defined directly and clearly in the sentence in which it
appears.

Example:
The arbitrator, the neutral person chosen to settle the dispute, arrived at her
decision.

2. Antonym (or contrast) – often signaled by the words whereas, unlike, or as

opposed to.

Examples:
Unlike Jamaal‘s room, which was immaculate, Jeffrey‘s room was very messy.
Whereas Melissa is quite lithe, her sister is clumsy and awkward.

3. Synonym – other words are used in the sentence with similar meanings.

Example:
The slender woman was so thin her clothes were too big on her.

4. Inference – word meanings are not directly described, but need to be inferred
from the context.

Example:
Walt‘s pugnacious behavior made his opponent back down.

4. Restatement – words are restated using easier language. Commas, dashes, or other punctuation can point
to a restatement clue, along with expressions such as that is, in other words, and or.

Example:
My father is a podiatrist, or foot doctor.
1. Mom was too busy to go to the store herself so she sent me to acquire what she needed for dinner.
2. Today was a completely abnormal school day because half of the kids were out sick.
3. The little girl’s giggles were an epidemic, and soon the entire group was laughing.
4. I thought I saw a man wandering through the snow, but he didn’t leave any tracks. I guess he was
just a figment of my imagination.
5. The doctor always admonishes Aunt Thelma to stop smoking.
6. The hall pelted the roof.
7. My knitting lessons were fruitless. I ended up accidentally knitting a sweater with three arms.
8. The author liked her privacy, so she wished to remain anonymous.
9. The sergeant bellowed orders to the new soldiers.
10. The mirror is so grimy you can’t see your own reflection.
ENGLISH 9 – SECOND QUARTER
LESSON 5
 If ─
By Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don‘t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don‘t give way to hating,
And yet don‘t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;

If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you‘ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‗Hold on!‘
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds‘ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that‘s in it,
And—which is more—you‘ll be a Man, my son!

A. Find out which word in the poem is clearly described by each of the following definitions.

1. It means “misfortune” or “bad luck”.

2. In other words, they are your “enemies” or “opponents”.
3. It means “stack” or “bundle‖”
4. They are called “pretenders” or “fakes”.
5. They are also called the “playing cards”.
6. It means “strength”.
7. This means “to bowl” or “to bend”.
8. It is a “trick or set up” or “deception”.
9. This calls for “good quality” or “morally good”.
10. In other words, these are your “achievements, accomplishments” or “success”.

B. REFLECTIONS
1. What have you learned from the poem?
 2. What approach to life do you think the poet intended to show and share in the poem?
3. What new and special way does the poem give you of enhancing yourself that can be celebrated?
4. How will it help you to become a better person?
ENGLISH 9 – SECOND QUARTER
LESSON 6
Read the following poems.
Auld Lang Syne Lyrics
English Version
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and old lang syne ?
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
And surely you‘ll buy your pint cup!
and surely I‘ll buy mine !
And we'll take a cup o‘ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
We two have run about the slopes,
and picked the daisies fine ;
But we‘ve wandered many a weary foot,
since auld lang syne.
We two have paddled in the stream,
from morning sun till dine ;
But seas between us broad have roared
since auld lang syne.
And there‘s a hand my trusty friend!
And give us a hand o‘ thine !
And we‘ll take a right good-will draught,
for auld lang syne.
I Think Continually Of Those Who Were Truly Great
by Stephen Spender
I think continually of those who were truly great.
Who, from the womb, remembered the soul's history
Through corridors of light where the hours are suns
Endless and singing. Whose lovely ambition
Was that their lips, still touched with fire,
Should tell of the Spirit clothed from head to foot in song.
And who hoarded from the Spring branches
The desires falling across their bodies like blossoms.
What is precious is never to forget
The essential delight of the blood drawn from ageless
springs
Breaking through rocks in worlds before our earth.
Never to deny its pleasure in the morning simple light
Nor its grave evening demand for love.
Never to allow gradually the traffic to smother
With noise and fog the flowering of the spirit.
Near the snow, near the sun, in the highest fields
See how these names are fêted by the waving grass
And by the streamers of white cloud
And whispers of wind in the listening sky.
The names of those who in their lives fought for life
Who wore at their hearts the fire's center.
Born of the sun they traveled a short while towards the
sun,
And left the vivid air signed with their honor
 A. Reading Text 1:
1. When ―Auld Lang Syne‖ is usually sung?
2. Who is being referred to in the song?
3. What makes the persona‘s friends unforgettable?
4. What experiences have they gone through?
5. Do Filipinos love to sing this song during a New Year‘s celebration?

B. Reading Text 2:
1. What distinct quality of those who are great does the persona mention in
the first stanza?
2. Based on the 2nd stanza, what should not be forgotten?
3. What is the legacy of those who are great?
ENGLISH 9 – SECOND QUARTER
LESSON 7 A. Read this infographic excerpt and pay attention to the
highlighted words.

Questions to Answer:

1. What elements are used in the infographic?

2. Is knowledge easily understood when represented in an

infographic? Why?

3. Take note of the word ―later‖. What does it signify as used

in the sentence?

4. Observe how the phrase, in the White House, is used in the

infographic. How does the phrase signify?

Information graphics or infographics are graphic visual

representations of information, data or knowledge intended
to present information quickly and clearly.

A well-designed infographic can help you simplify a

complicated subject or turn an otherwise boring subject into
a captivating experience.

B. Choose a Filipino whom you

consider great
and feature him/her in an
infographic.