Reading Comprehension Success in 20 Minutes a Day, 3rd Edition

14.
Which of the following best describes the tone of
this poem?
a.
warm, caring
b.
hot, angry
c.
cold, formal
The words of this poem—especially “sir,” “fact,”
and “sense of obligation”—are cold, formal words that
reflect the way the universe feels about man: indiffer-
ent. There is no sense of intimacy, no relationship, no
warmth in these words. The poet’s diction and style
help to reveal the theme of the poem.
S u m m a r y
Reading poetry wasn’t so bad after all, was it? If you are
an active reader who is sensitive to the language used by
the poet, you can use the clues the poet gives you to
help you enjoy the pictures and emotions created
through words and understand the poem’s theme. And
if you can do this for poems, you can certainly do it for
stories, novels, and plays as well.
–
F I N D I N G M E A N I N G I N L I T E R AT U R E
–
1 4 1

---

–
F I N D I N G M E A N I N G I N L I T E R AT U R E
–
1 4 2
■
Read a poem on your own today. See if you can read between the lines to determine its theme.
■
Read a short story today. Apply the techniques you used to determine the theme in a poem to deter-
mine the theme of the story.
Skill Building until Next Time

---

Y
ou’re almost at the end of this book. If you’ve been doing a lesson every weekday, you’ve spent almost
a month building your reading skills. Congratulations! This lesson uses a longer passage than the ones
you’ve read so far to give you a chance to practice all the skills you’ve learned. Here’s a quick review
of what you’ve learned since the last review lesson:
■