Anthems
An Anthem is a piece of writing or song that highlights and celebrates the qualities and characteristics of a particular group. Think of the national anthem for the United States. It touches on our values (freedom, bravery, liberty) as Americans, and how Americans are willing to fight for those values (bombs bursting in air… our flag was still there).
Our first writing piece will be an anthem piece, in which you identify yourself and celebrate your identity as a member of a group. Examples of anthems: Anthem Long Islander Teenager and Anthem Stop n Shop employee and
Here are some quick writes to help brainstorm
1. On Saturday, Sachem East celebrated its homecoming. We celebrate what it means to be Sachem. What does it mean to be part of Sachem?
2. How do you identify yourself? Are you an athlete, brother, sister, son, daughter, an employee somewhere, video gamer, a die-hard fan of someone or something? At the very least, all of you are teenagers on Long Island, New York, and the United States. Try to list as many of your identities as you can.
3. Pick a few of your identities and write down what it means to be that identity.
Skill: Sensory Imagery
Sensory Imagery: descriptive language that uses any of the five sense (sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch).
Our five senses are how we experience the world. Without them, how would we know what is going on around us? How would we even know anything is going on around us at all?
Describe the input your five senses are receiving to help your reader understand what it was like to experience what you are writing about.
Think about the identity you are choosing to write about in your anthem. What do your five senses receive while you are a part of that identity? Example: If you are an athlete, what do you smell, taste, feel, hear, see? Write your answer in your notebook.
