“Luxury”

A poem by Nikki Giovanni

Found in Textbook on Page: 158

Found online @ http://crowyne-ivil.tripod.com/nikkiwks.html

Essential Questions: Do luxury items bring people true and lasting joy? What are life’s true luxuries?

Common Core Standards: RL.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text RL. 2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text

Directions: Read the poem in the close reading format below. Close reading and critical thinking questions.

I suppose living
in a materialistic society
luxury
to some would be having more than what you need
living in an electronic age seeing
the whole world by pushing a button
the nth degree might perhaps be
adequately represented by having
someone there to push
the buttons for you
I have thought if only
I could become rich and famous I would
live luxuriously in New York knowing
famous people eating
in expensive restaurants calling
long distance anytime I want
but you held me
one evening and now I know
the ultimate luxury
of your love / According to Giovanni, what is luxury to some people?
In your own words: What is the author saying in this stanza?
Where would the author live if she was rich? What luxuries would she like to experience?
What is the “ultimate luxury” in the author’s opinion?
What is the theme/lesson the author is making in this poem? What textual evidence do you have to help support you opinion?

Directions: Comparing Texts and Relating to the Real Word: Answer questions below. Be prepared to share with the class.

1.  (Synthesize) What is Giovanni’s attitude towards wealth? What is O. Henry’s attitude toward wealth? Use the chart below to discover what these author’s attitudes toward wealth might be. What are the similarities? Differences?

Author + Attitude toward wealth / Evidence from the text
Giovanni’s attitude may be…..
O. Henry’s attitude may be….

Similarities?

Differences?

2.  (Synthesize) If there was to be one theme that came from reading analyzing Luxury and “The Gift of the Magi”, what would it be? Explain your answer citing evidence from the texts.

3.  (Inferences) What would Della and Jim say about the poem, Luxury? Why do you think so? Why do you think so?

4.  (Connect) Think about the world we live in today. How materialistic do you think people are? Think about popular media and what the media tends to emphasize. As a country, are we materialistic or do Americans put more emphasis on non-materialistic things? What is your opinion? What evidence do you have to support your opinions?