Willow & Ginkgo

Willow & Ginkgo

Directions: Upon completion of reading the poem, “Willow and Ginkgo” by Eve Merriam, attempt to draw a picture of both a willow tree and a ginkgo tree. Afterwards, we will be re-reading the poem and taking the time to pick out the similes that Merriam uses in her poem to help describe the two types of plant life. Underline those similes in your copies of the poem. List the similes in the spaces provided, along with the two items being compared in each of the similes listed.

Part 1: Read the poem:

Willow and Ginkgo

By: Eve Merriam

The willow is like an etching,

Fine-lined against the sky.

The ginkgo is like a crude sketch,

Hardly worthy to be signed.

The willow’s music is like a soprano,

Delicate and thin.

The ginkgo’s line is like a chorus

With everyone joining in.

The willow is sleek as a velvet-nosed calf;

The ginkgo is leathery as an old bull.

The willow’s branches are like silken thread;

The ginkgo’s like stubby rough wool.

The willow is like a nymph with streaming hair;

Wherever it grows, there is green and gold and fair.

The willow dips into the water,

Protected and precious, like the king’s favorite daughter.

The ginkgo forces its way through gray concrete;

Like a city child, it grows up in the street.

Thrust against the metal sky,

Somehow it survives and even thrives.

My eyes feast upon the willow,

But my heart goes to the ginkgo.

Part 2: Attempt to Draw the Two Types of Trees:

Willow -

______

Ginkgo –

Part 3: On the Spaces Provided, List at Least Five (5) Similes that Merriam Uses,

and Also, the Two (2) Items Being Compared:

Simile #1: ______

Items Compared: ______

Simile #2: ______

Items Compared: ______

Simile #3: ______

Items Compared: ______

Simile #4: ______

Items Compared: ______

Simile #5: ______

Items Compared: ______

Part 4: Answer the Following Questions:

1. Name two items that Merriam compares a willow tree to: ______

2. Name two items that Merriam compares a ginkgo tree to: ______

3. Does the use of similes help to describe the two types of trees? ______Why? Or Why Not? ______

4. At the conclusion of the poem, Merriam states that her eyes are attracted to the willow, but her heart goes out to the ginkgo. Why does she feel this way? Give details from the text.______

______

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