Ellis Island Essay

597 Words3 Pages
Coming to America Before Reading 1. Brainstorm a list of characteristics or traits you believe are part of the American Dream. Write your list here: 2. Quickwrite: Select one trait from your list and write about that trait. “Ellis Island” 3. Read the poem “Ellis Island.” Underline the dreams and disappointments of the people as they are expressed in the poem. Discuss the underlined passages with the class. 4. Brainstorm about the dreams, hopes, and backgrounds of your ancestors. Biographical Sketch 5. Before reading the poem “Europe and America” complete a brief biography for yourself. On separate paper, write the following information regarding you and your family (past and present). Include information you know or can get from asking your family. • Place of birth for you, for your parents and/or grandparents • Places lived – you, your parents, and/or grandparents • Schools attended – you, your parents, grandparents • Significant adults or people in your life • Dreams of your parents and/or dreams for yourself • Challenges of your parents and/or challenges for yourself “Europe and America” 6. Read the poem. Highlight images in the poem that show the contrast between the experiences of the father and son. Write a few sentences below summarizing the similarities and differences of their experiences. Ellis Island By Joseph Bruchac Beyond the red brick of Ellis Island where the two Slovak children who became my grandparents waited the long days of quarantine, after leaving the sickness, the old Empires of Europe, a Circle Line ship slips easily on its way to the island of the tall woman, green as dreams of forests and meadows waiting for those who’d worked a thousand years yet never owned their own.
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