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    Poets of Nature, Revelry, and Rhyme Nature, Revelry, and Rhyme    

Lesson 33: The Faithless Flowers

by Abbie Farwell Brown

Performer: SMG


I went this morning down to where the Johnny-Jump-Ups grow

Like naughty purple faces nodding in a row.

I stayed ‘most all the morning there –

I sat down on a stump and watched and watched them –

And they never gave a jump!



And Golden-Glow that stands up tall and yellow by the fence,

It doesn’t glow a single bit –

Its only just pretense-

I ran down after tea last night to watch them in the dark-

I had to light a match to see;

They didn’t give a spark!



And then the Bouncing Bets don’t bounce-

I tried them yesterday,

I picked a big bunch down in the meadow where they stay,

I took a piece of string I had and tied them in a ball,

And threw them down as hard has hard-

They never bounced at all!



And tiger-lilies may look fierce,

To meet the all alone,

All tall and black and yellowy and nodding like a stone

But they’re no more like tigers than dogwood’s a dog,

Or bulrushes are like a bull or toadwort like a frog!



I like the flowers very much – they’re pleasant as can be

For bunches on the table, and to pick and wear and see,

But still it doesn’t seem quite fair-

It does seem very queer

They don’t do what they’re named for –

Not at any time of year!

    Poets of Nature, Revelry, and Rhyme Nature, Revelry, and Rhyme    

Lesson 33: The Faithless Flowers

by Abbie Farwell Brown

Performer: SMG

Directions

Study the poem for one week.

Over the week:

  • Read or listen to the poem.
  • Review the synopsis.
  • Study the vocabulary words.
  • Read about the poet.
  • Complete the enrichment activities.
  • Discuss the review questions.

Synopsis

The narrator wonders why flowers don't live up to their names. Johnny-Jump-Ups don't jump. Golden-Glows don't glow. Bouncing Bets don’t bounce. Tiger-lilies aren't fierce like tigers. Dogwoods aren't like dogs. Bulrushes aren't like bulls. Toadworts aren't like frogs.

Vocabulary

Faithless: Disloyal or untrustworthy.
Pretense: A claim, especially a false or ambitious one.
Fierce: Having or displaying an intense or ferocious aggressiveness.
Bunch: A number of things, typically of the same kind, growing or fastened together.

Concepts

  1. Abbie Farwell Brown was born in 1871 in Boston, Massachusetts. See her picture below.
  2. Zoom in and find Brown's birth state of Massachusetts (MA) on the map of the continental United States.
  3. Brown founded her high school newspaper, 'The Jabberwock', which is one of the oldest newspapers in the United States.
  4. Brown also helped write 'On the Trail', the official song of the USA Girl Scouts.
  5. Brown died in 1927 at the age of 55 from cancer.

Enrichment

Activity 1: Recite the Title, the Poet's Name, and the Poem

  • Each day this week, recite aloud the title of the poem, the name of the poet, and the poem.

Activity 2: Study the Poem Picture

  • Study the poem picture, and describe how it relates to the poem.

Activity 3: Narrate the Poem

After reading or listening to the poem, narrate the poem events aloud using your own words.

Activity 4: Color the Poem   

  • Click the crayon above, and complete page 35 of 'Poetry Coloring Pages for Second Grade.'

Activity 5: Sketch the Poem

One day this week, examine the images below of the poem's flowers. Sketch or color each flower. Label each flower with its name.

  • Johnny-Jump-Ups
  • Golden-Glow
  • Bouncing Bets
  • Tiger-Lilies
  • Dogwood
  • Bulrushes

Review

Question 1

What is the title of the poem?
1 / 4

Answer 1

The title of the poem is 'The Faithless Flowers.'
1 / 4

Question 2

What is the name of the poet who wrote 'The Faithless Flowers?'
2 / 4

Answer 2

The name of the poet is Abbie Farwell Brown.
2 / 4

Question 3

What happens in the poem?
3 / 4

Answer 3

The narrator wonders why flowers don't live up to their names.
3 / 4

Question 4

Who are the characters in the poem?
4 / 4

Answer 4

The only character is the narrator.
4 / 4

  1. What is the title of the poem? The title of the poem is 'The Faithless Flowers.'
  2. What is the name of the poet who wrote 'The Faithless Flowers?' The name of the poet is Abbie Farwell Brown.
  3. What happens in the poem? The narrator wonders why flowers don't live up to their names.
  4. Who are the characters in the poem? The only character is the narrator.

References

  1. 'Abbie Farwell Brown.' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.

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