Gratefulness

Introduction
Gratefulness by Joseph T Renaldi is a poem which conveys the messege that every individual has to be grateful to God for blessing him/her with organs like eyes, ears, lips, handa etc. The creator has also possessed us with a heart and a mind that give us the abitily to help others. The poet suggests that all the organs have to be put to good use and not abuse them.

Text of the poem
To access the text of the poem, click here

About the Author
Joseph T. Renaldi,educator,artist,novelist,and poet was born on February 20, 1931 and reared in the Western Coal Region of Pennsylvania.He witnessed many of the difficulties and hardships encountered by the people of the Coal Region.For many years he has resided in Frackville, Pennsylvania which is located in the Anthracite Coal Region of the state. He spent forty(40) years in the field of education and is now retired.Since his retirement, he has devoted much of his time to the visual arts such as writing, painting,and woodcrafts. His basic life resume consists of the following:Education-Windber High School,Windber,Pennsylvania, Western Maryland College, Westminster, Maryland. He served in the United States Air Force during the Korean War era as well as in Japan and the United States.He has been married to Doris Hawk for sixty two (62) years who is formerly from Littlestown, Pennsylvania.

Source: Click here

Meaning making
Pictures/ video clips are an interesting way of assisting students to comprehend a poem. A picture helps in creating a visual memory and can also help in understanding new words.

To listening to the audio recital of the poem, click here

Figures of speech
A figure of speech is the use of a word or words diverging from its usual meaning. It can also be a special repetition, arrangement or omission of words with literal meaning, or a phrase with a specialized meaning not based on the literal meaning of the words in it, as in idiom, metaphor, simile, hyperbole, or personification. Figures of speech often provide emphasis, freshness of expression, or clarity. However, clarity may also suffer from their use, as any figure of speech introduces an ambiguity between literal and figurative interpretation. A figure of speech is sometimes called a rhetorical figure or a locution. To know more click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Figure_of_speech

Assessment
Ask the learners to write a short paragraph using the hints given below.

Hints:


 * What 	is the poem about?
 * Which is the most striking image and why?