Answer:
Examining and Responding to the Texts:
1. Trees by Joyce Kilmer is more descriptive as it describes a tree that symbolizes a lovely poem and Trees by Antonio Carpio is more argumentative as it questions the law of planting a tree.
2. Although both poems mentioned God, I personally think the line "But only God can make a tree" is the one that compares man's creation with God's creation. Joyce Kilmer's Trees symbolizes poems as trees, and at the second to the last line, it says, "Poems are made by fools like me" which symbolizes man's creation. God's creation, however, is symbolized in "But only God can make a tree".
3. The lines "Why let the loggers roam at will // Denuding every virgin hill // Then let the burden on us fall? // Where is the justice of it all?" indicate that the environmental issue that is being tackled is illegal logging or deforestation.
4. He justified it by giving a reason why illegal logging and deforestation are a result of injustice, that the burden is on those who plant it and not on those who destroy it.
5. Joyce Kilmer's Trees sounds like an appreciation so it seems like the poet is grateful for how God is able to make a tree. Antonio Carpio's Trees sounds the opposite of grateful for the people who *illegally* kill trees. The two last lines after "Poems are made by fools like me" greatly explain this. Kilmer wrote, "But only God can make a tree" while Carpio wrote, "But greater fools made this decree!".
Noting and Appreciating Literary Craftmanship
1. The tree in Kilmer's poem is compared to a lovely poem. This is an example of a simile.
2. a. Kilmer's word choice of the poem is fuller of adjectives to describe the tree and more positive, while Carpio's word choice of the poem is more negative (like shall not, neither, don't, etc.) and much more intense. When it comes to syntax, Kilmer places emphasis on the tree while Carpio places emphasis on not planting it.
2. b. Kilmer's poem conveys a mood that is light-hearted and free-spirited, while Carpio's poem conveys a mood that is of the opposite, which is kind of gloomy while questioning.
2. c. Yes, both poems' word choices are appropriate. Since Kilmer's poem is lighter, lighter words with positive connotations are used such as sweet, rain, snow, leafy, etc. and on the other hand, Carpio's poem is heavier and heavier words with negative connotations (and denotations) are used such as slave, rob, burden, hell, etc.
:)
