Themes, symbols, and motifs come alive when you use a storyboard. In this activity, students will identify themes and symbols from the poem, and support their choices with details from the text.
As a classroom activity, students can track the rich thematic and symbolic writing Alice Walker uses in her poetry. In the example storyboard above, the creator has focused on the following themes in the poem.
The poem focuses on the women of the narrator’s mother’s generation who made sacrifices and broke down barriers, much like warriors, in order to make sure that their children had a chance to receive an education. The imagery Walker uses is very militant, including comparing women to “headragged generals” leading armies across “mined fields”.
The ultimate goal of these women warriors is to ensure that the children would receive an education. Education leads to more opportunities. In looking at Walker’s own biographical information, her mother was a maid and her father was a sharecropper. Both of her parents didn’t make much money, which didn’t allow them many opportunities; however, their parents refused to make their children work in the fields and drop out of school to help work. To them, they hoped for a better life for their children, spurred on by their chance at a good education.
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Student Instructions
Create a storyboard that identifies recurring themes in “Women”. Illustrate instances of each theme and write a short description below each cell.
Invite students to share their personal connections or reactions to the poem's themes. This encourages deeper engagement and helps students see the relevance of literature in their own lives.
Organize students into small groups and assign each group a symbol from the poem to analyze. Group discussions foster collaboration and allow students to build on each other's ideas.
Demonstrate how to annotate the poem by underlining powerful imagery and noting figurative language. Modeling helps students learn how to unpack challenging texts independently.
Encourage students to create their own drawings or collages representing a central theme from the poem. Visual expression can make abstract themes more concrete and memorable.
Ask students to jot down one recurring motif and its significance before leaving class. Quick exit tickets help you gauge comprehension and reinforce learning.
The main themes in "Women" by Alice Walker include the strength and sacrifices of women, particularly from the narrator’s mother’s generation, and a mother’s hope for her children’s education. The poem uses powerful military imagery to highlight women's resilience and determination to create better opportunities for their children.
Alice Walker uses symbolism like "headragged generals" and "mined fields" to portray women as warriors. These symbols emphasize the battles women faced and their leadership in securing education and breaking barriers for the next generation.
Education is depicted as the ultimate goal for the women in the poem. They endure hardships and make sacrifices so their children can have better opportunities, highlighting the transformative power of education in breaking cycles of poverty and limitation.
Teachers can use storyboards where students identify and illustrate themes, symbols, and motifs from the poem. This helps students visualize key concepts and support their ideas with textual evidence, making lessons interactive and memorable.
The women are from the narrator’s mother’s generation, often mothers who fought for their children's education. They are compared to generals to highlight their leadership, courage, and sacrifice in overcoming obstacles for the sake of future generations.