PASSING A TRUCK FULL OF CHICKENS

PASSING A TRUCK FULL OF CHICKENS
AT NIGHT ON HIGHWAY EIGHTY

What struck me first was their panic. 1) What kind of situation are these
chickens in?
Some were pulled by the wind from moving
to the ends of the stacked cages, 2) How is the one chicken responding to
some had their heads blown through the bars— its situation?

And could not get them in again. 3) Why does the speaker want to be that
Some hung there like that—dead— chicken?
their own feathers blowing, clotting

in their faces. Then
I saw the one that made me slow some -
I lingered there beside her for about 5 miles.

She had pushed her head through the space
between bars—to get a better view.
She had the look of a dog in the back

of a pickup, that eager look of a dog
who knows she's being taken along.
She craned her neck.

She looked around, watched me, then
strained to see over the car - strained
to see what happened beyond.

That is the chicken I want to be.

Paragraph Format

• Section 1: Topic Sentence Topic Sentence
Examples
• Section 2: Set the scene.
What situation are the •The speaker wants to
chickens in? be “that” chicken
because ….
• Section 3: Describe “that”
chicken •To the speaker, “that”
chicken symbolizes…

• Section 4: Describe and •The speaker of Jane
explain with evidence why Mead’s poem views
you think the speaker wants “that” chicken as a
to be “that” chicken. symbol of hope and
positive thought.

Focus Paragraph, Sample A

The chickens are going to die. One
chicken doesn’t care it likes the ride and
the driver wants to be like that chicken
because the driver doesn’t want to care
about dying.

IS THIS GOOD, OKAY, or UGLY?

Focus Paragraph, Sample B

The speaker wants to be that chicken because “that”
chicken is full of hope. Look at the other chickens. Some
are already dead the others will probably be dead soon.
That chicken doesn’t care. It “cranes” its neck to see.
The speaker wants to be like this because the chicken is
being positive. It’s not looking at the situation and saying
this stinks. It is enjoying the moment even though the
moment does actually kind of stink. And maybe the
speaker has had some stinky moments and doesn’t want
to focus on them anymore.

IS THIS GOOD, OKAY, or UGLY?

Focus Paragraph, Sample C

The speaker of Jane Mead’s poem views “that” chicken as
a symbol of hope and positive thought. Obviously, the
chickens in the poem are in trouble. Some are already dead.
Others might be dying soon. It seems inevitable. But one
chicken doesn’t seem to care about this. It strains to see
what’s beyond the highway. It’s like a dog “who knows she’s
being taken along” for a ride—an excited, curious, and
hopeful chicken. The speaker wants to be like this because
life is full of crummy, no good things—people getting hurt,
bullying, starvation, massive drought. But life is also full of
wonder and beauty and love. That’s why the chicken is
craning its neck. It’s focusing on the good things. It’s enjoying
the moment as best it can. It wants to see the good things the
world has to offer. The speaker wants to do the same. The
speaker wants to push beyond the depressing images life
throws his or her way—the dead chickens with their “clotting”
feathers”—and seek the best of what is out there.