Sugar Cane

Writing Workshop

Workshop Title: Control

Step 1

Read the following to your students: Before we read the poem, here’s some historical context:

• “Sugar cane was a crucial crop in the Caribbean during the colonial period, driving the economy of the region. Its cultivation was closely linked to the transatlantic slave trade, as enslaved Africans were forced to labor on sugar plantations under harsh conditions. The wealth generated from sugar production primarily benefited European colonizers, while the enslaved workers endured immense suffering. This historical context is key to understanding the broader cultural and social significance of sugar cane in Caribbean literature.”

Step 2

Read “Sugar Cane” by Grace Nichols. As you’re reading, ask your students to try to determine the ways in which Nichols is able to use the metaphor of “sugar cane” to bring attention to its historical and cultural significance.

Step 3

Tell your students to talk about the poem. In what ways did the metaphor work? How was it used throughout the piece?

Step 4

Say, “Think of an issue that you want to bring attention to. It doesn’t need to be too heavy, but just think of a “thing” that you’d like to explore or bring attention to. Take a few minutes to brainstorm. After you’re done brainstorming, use the following site to choose the object you’re doing to use as a metaphor in your piece. You must use the first object that is chosen for you.”

Step 5

Ask your students to compose a poem similar in style to “Sugar Cane” in which they use a controlling, extended metaphor (that was randomly assigned to them) to bring attention to an issue, cause, problem, etc.

Step 6

When the students are done, have them share their responses with one another.

The full presentation may be found HERE.

Analytical Lesson

Area of Focus: Figurative Language

Step 1

If your students are not familiar with the concept of “figurative language,” go over the introductory lesson with them.

Step 2

Start class by simply reading the following poem to your students, “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes.

Step 3

When you’re done reading, ask your students to identify the controlling metaphor of the piece. Then ask them how it functions in the text. Why a staircase? What different elements of this staircase reflect the mother’s life? How? Have your students extract as much meaning out of the metaphor as possible.

Step 4

Have your students open the following document and read the introduction to them. This introduction will provide them with important historical context for the poem.

Step 5

Now read the poem with them. As you’re reading, ask your students to not only pay attention to the historical and cultural connections they can make, but also to identify the controlling metaphor of the piece and how it functions in the text.

Step 6

When you’re done reading, briefly discuss the text. What is the controlling metaphor? And how did its implementation work to contribute to the meaning of the work as a whole?

Step 7

After your discussion, read the directions with them and walk them through the example provided in the document. In this assignment, your students are going to explore the controlling metaphor of the poem and extend their understanding of it with the use of Google Gemini. When you’ve gone over the directions, give your students time to work.

Step 8

When you’re students are done, ask them to share their insights with the rest of the class. What elements of the metaphor did they look into? What did Google Gemini say? And how did they extend their learning? Discuss.

Step 9

If time permits, share the exemplar essay with them.