ENGLISH 8:

AFRO-ASIAN
LITERATURE
Unit 1, Lesson 1-A: African Life Through Its Poetry
 • Was an American author and illustrator of children's
books

• Most notable works include The Village of Round and

Square Houses (a runner-up for the 1987 Caldecott
Medal for illustration, her work), and Ain't Nobody a
Stranger to Me

• The story The Village of Round and Square Houses was

inspired by her visit to Tos, a remote village at the foot of
Naka Mountain of Cameroon in Central Africa

• It is told in rhythmic storytelling from the viewpoint of a

little girl who grew up in Tos
Ann Grifalconi (September 22, • It is a long poem written as a rhythmical free verse.
1929 – February 19, 2020)
Comprehension Check:

1)Who is Mother Naka? What was she saying to the villagers?

2) What image do the fourth and fifth stanzas create in your

mind?

3) Who or what are the following?

• Tall gray things
• Round gray things
• Small gray stones
 A. The central underlying message, usually about
Match the elements of poetry with
life or human nature.
their respective meaning.
B. Reflects the author’s attitude toward the
subject and the characters; can be informal,
_____ 1. Theme friendly, intimate, playful, solemn or serious.

_____ 2. Rhythm C. Mental pictures created by words that

describe what we see hear, touch, taste, and
_____ 3. Rhyme smell.

D. Repetition of a sound in certain words

_____ 4. Tone
E. Created by the patterned of stressed and
_____ 5. Sensory Images unstressed syllables in a line or verse.