Lesson 4: Red, White, and Whole, Part 1: “Give and Take” and “Girls Just Want to Have Fun”

Think-Pair-Share

When you hear expressions like bloodline, blood is thicker than water, cold-blooded, or blood brother, what do they suggest to you? Is the word blood used literally in those examples or symbolically?

Directions: Partner A, share one word or phrase, and describe the idea underlying it. Partner B, listen for whether the word or phrase is about family, loyalty, or character. Then switch.

• Bloodline

• Blood is thicker than water

• Cold-blooded

• Blood brother

Language Study

Read the following excerpts from the first and third stanza of “Give and Take” (p. 2).

“I am Reha,

born in a pool of my mother’s blood,

proper, prim, obediently alive

as she lies close to death.”

“To stay for me,

she forfeits all future children,

not just on her behalf

but Daddy’s as well.”

A phrase is a group of words that adds meaning but does not have a full subject and verb, and a clause has a subject and a verb. When we figure out what each part is doing, we can understand why this poem feels so intense even in very few words.

Analyzing Phrases and Clauses for Meaning

• In the sentence beginning “I am Reha,” which chunk is a phrase, and what job does it do?

• In the sentence beginning “To stay for me,” how does the opening phrase shape the meaning of the whole sentence?

Part A: Blood as a Repeated Symbol in “Give and Take”

Think-Pair-Write-Share

Directions: As you read “Give and Take,” use the 3-Column Chart to track one literal detail about blood, what that detail symbolizes, and how the poem’s structure makes the idea stronger. In your discussion and writing, use the words sacrifice and forfeit.

• In the opening of “Give and Take,” how does LaRocca place life and danger side by side?

• What does blood symbolize in this poem beyond its literal meaning?

• How does the line beginning “To stay for me” change the way we understand the mother’s choice?

Part B: Holding Joy and Obligation Across Two Poems

Think-Pair-Share

Directions: Now read “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” with your partner (p. 3). As you talk, think about how reading this poem after “Give and Take” changes the way you understand Reha’s: everyday desires, freedom, and sense of what she owes her family.

Comparing Poem Order and Contrast

When we analyze a work made up of many poems, such as this one, we can analyze each poem individually. But we don't only look at what each poem means by itself. We also think about why the poems are in a particular order and how each poem contributes to our understanding of a larger idea.

Placing the poems in a particular order, with a "lighter" poem following one full of "heavy" ideas, helps create a tension that adds depth and meaning.

• In “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” what does Reha seem to want for herself?

• How does reading “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” after “Give and Take” deepen the idea of blood as a symbol?

• What does the contrast between these two poem titles help reveal about Reha’s identity?

Quick Write

Directions: In your Quick Write, explain how Rajani LaRocca uses structure in “Give and Take” or “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” or the pairing of the two poems to show that blood can symbolize both love and obligation. Use at least two specific details from the poem(s). If you’d like, use the optional sentence starter:

A structure move that matters in these poems is __________ because __________.

• How does the structure of one poem or the order of the two poems help develop the meaning of blood in Reha’s life?