We imagine the red light blinks not
for us, that there is some haphazard conspiracy
of the dog-tired self. The clock tick-tocks
its maddening loss-narrative &: you
don’t stop. The ten rules I thought would help me reach
lunchtime unscathed by this slowly crowding world
are not, as of now, working. For whom the blinking
red light? If not for us? Immediately
I’m calling for backup, whelmed over with lack
but this is already the end I’m staring at.
At last, the center comes to me & I am far flung!
Four petals fall from the winter-white rose.
I’ve had enough of this. I’ve had enough of this.
Grey sky, peril, bird-left are my feelings
when I stare out with my newly empty eyes
upon the now vacant fields of play,
my eyes once full of sunlight, the knowledge
of distance. If only there was a song about it.
If only someone had reached this point & kept going
to show me it was possible. Unutterable,
the phrase meant to end it all. Silent, I sign my name.
Nate Pritts
from his book Honorary Astronaut
Ghost Road Press 2008.
Used by permission of the poet.
LESSON PLANS
For an English Class
Lesson Plan for Nate Pritts’ “Instrument of Surrender”
by Laurie Williams
This poem is a great way to discuss the literary term allusion as well as quotes and context.
Ask students if they have ever heard the phrase “For whom the bell tolls.” Have the discussion explore the context the students know that phrase and what they believe is the meaning.
Write the full quote on the board from John Donne’s Meditation 17 (1623). “No man is an Iland, intire of it selfe; every man is a peece of the Continent, a part of the maine; if a Clod bee washed away by the Sea, Europe is the lesse, as well as if a Promontorie were, as well as if a Mannor of thy friends or of thine own were; any mans death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankinde; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee.”
If you prefer, you can use the modern translation of “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friends or of thine own were; any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.”
After discussing Donne’s word, have students read “Instrument of Surrender.” Have them point out the allusion to Donne and note the changes.
Then have students explicate Mr. Pritts’ poem. Who is the speaker? What happens in the poem? What is the poem about?
Because the opening line alludes to Donne, how does Donne temper the overall poem? What are the differences in the famous Donne quote and the overall meaning of “Instrument of Surrender”?
Have students choose a famous quote they know or choose a famous quote out of a hat and use that quote as a springboard for a poem.
As a further follow-up have students switch poems and track down the context of the original quote and see if the context of the quote is the same, of if knowing more about the allusion gives a deeper, richer meaning to the poem.
For a Middle or Upper School Class
Lesson Plan for Nate Pritts’ “Instrument of Surrender”
by Laurie Williams
This poem is a great way to begin a discussion on bullying or on being overwhelmed by situations. It would pair well with Robert Cormier’s The Chocolate War; Melville’s Bartleby the Scrivner, Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game, among others. Especially if you discuss those books in the terms of victim, bully, bystander, and hero. And the ambiguity of those distinctions.
Have students read the poem aloud and discuss what they think the situation in the poem is. What are the emotions of the speaker? What clues do they have to the emotion of the speaker? Ask students if they have ever had similar feelings. Have students explore their roles in the society around them. Ask students to share songs, images, lines, poems, novels, role models who help them push past their limitations.
After students have discussed the poem and themselves in relation to the poem, show them the allusion from the first line:
“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friends or of thine own were; any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” from John Donne’s Meditation 17 (1623).
How does the Donne quote change the meaning of the Pritt’s poem, if at all?
Have students write poems about their experiences with bullying, being overwhelmed, wanting someone to lead the way and prove that it is possible to succeed, overcome, etc.