Page 3 "Ragged Sonnet"

Sports in Poetry


In Lesson 1, you studied sports in poetry.  In this last lesson of the unit, you will read another sports poem.


During a football game, the first Native American football player in North America, defensive cornerback Jim Thorpe, chose to stand back and watch the beauty of the team's play rather than intercept the ball.

  • Was there a poetic and scientific element in Jim Thorpe's decision to watch the quality of pass and compare it to a parabola? 

  • How would Jim's coach and teammates view his decision to act as an individual and not part of a team to win the game? 






Read "Ragged Sonnet #64" by Leonard Nathan on page 28 of SightLines 8. 



  Please contact your teacher if you have questions.