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Skinny Tomboy Poetry Analysis

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Skinny Tomboy Poetry Analysis

Read the original poem, “The Climbing Kid,” below. Then solve each clue using details from the poem. For text evidence, quote a short phrase or line and explain what it shows.

The Climbing Kid

1.I was all elbows, knees, and speed, up the old oak, past the leaves. My scraped-up palms wore streaks of brown; I raced the rain back into town. They said, “Sit still. Keep your shirt clean. Try quiet games; be neat, be seen.” But puddles flashed like silver glass, and I was gone before they’d pass. Years later, I still hear that call— the wind, the branches, the rain’s soft fall. I choose my path, though it may bend; the fearless kid is still my friend.

2.Which statement best expresses a central message of the poem?

People should always follow others’ expectations.
Memories of childhood can help us stay true to ourselves.
Growing up means giving up everything we enjoyed as children.
Being neat is more important than having adventures.

3.The phrase “puddles flashed like silver glass” compares puddles to silver glass using “like.” What literary device is this?

Simile
Metaphor
Personification
Alliteration

4.Which detail most clearly helps readers picture the speaker’s energetic childhood?

“the fearless kid is still my friend”
“I raced the rain back into town”
“Years later”
“They said”

5.What is the speaker’s tone toward the child they used to be? Choose a word or phrase and support your choice with one detail from the poem.

6.Find one example of sensory imagery. Quote it and tell which sense it appeals to.

7.In the second stanza, what do the instructions “Sit still” and “Keep your shirt clean” suggest about what other people expect from the speaker?

8.The poem has three stanzas. What changes between the first two stanzas and the final stanza?

It shifts from childhood memories to the speaker’s adult reflection.
It shifts from a rainy setting to a snowy setting.
It changes from a happy story to a frightening one.
It introduces a new speaker who dislikes climbing.

9.Explain what “I choose my path, though it may bend” means in this poem. Use another detail from the poem to support your explanation.

10.How does the final line, “the fearless kid is still my friend,” help develop the poem’s message?

11.Write a brief two- or three-sentence response: What does the poem suggest about identity and growing up? Include one quoted detail as evidence and explain how it supports your idea.