Summary Of First Grade By Ron Kottege

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In the poem “First Grade” by Ron Koertge, the writer uses diction and symbolism to reveal his meaning: school can kill one’s imagination. “Until then”, or before the present, the author had creativity and believed that “every forest had wolves in it”. He extends on this idea by saying that he loves to “wear snowshoes all the time” and “talk to water”. Yet, when he enters first grade, he witnesses the woman with the “gray breath” assigning the students’ seats. He describes the teacher’s breath being gray to show that the teacher and the school lack liveliness and imagination. Moreover, these “little desks” confine him and limit his boundary. Additionally, the author points out that he has to “occupy” the desks for the “rest of his lives”. His