Brave+Seventh+Grade+Viking+Warrior

by [|Taylor Mali]
 * Tony Steinberg: Brave Seventh Grade Viking Warrior**

//Have you ever seen a Viking ship made out of popsicle sticks// //And balsa wood? With tiny coils of brown thread for ropes,// //Sixteen oars made out of chopsticks, and a red and yellow sailmade from a baby's footie pajamas?//

//I have.//

//He died with his sword in his hand and so went straight to heaven.//

//The Vikings sometimes buried their bravest warriors in ships.// //Or set them adrift and on fire, a floating island of flames.The soul of the brave warrior rising slowly with the smoke.// //To understand life in Scandinavia in the Middle Ages,// //You must understand the Viking ship.//

//So here is the assignment:// //The class must build me a miniature Viking ship.// //You have a month. And you must all work together.// //Like warriors.//

//These projects are what I'm known for as a teacher.// //Like the Egyptian Pyramid Project.// //Have you ever seen a family of four standing around a card table after dinner,// //each one holding one triangular side of a miniature pyramid until the glue dried?// //I haven't either, but Mrs. Steinberg said it took 90 minutes,// //and even with the little brother on one side saying,// //"//This is dumb! This is a stupid pyramid, Tony! You're going to fail this project. If I get Mr. Mali next year, my pyramid is going to be much better than this!" //And Tony on the other side saying,// "Shut up! Shut up! You little %#@! No, no, no, no, no, no, no! Keep holding your side or I swear I'll kill you after the glue dries!" //It was the best family time they'd spent together since Christmas.//

//He died with his sword in his hand and so went straight to heaven, which the Vikings called Valhalla.// //"//Mr. Mali, if that's true, that you would go straight to Valhallaif you died with your sword in your hand, then if you were an old Viking and you were about to die of old age, could you keep your sword right by your bed so if you felt like you were going to die you could reach out and grab it?" //I don't know if their gods would fall for that,// //but it sounds like a good idea to me.//

//Tony was out for a month before we heard what was wrong.// //And the 12 boys left whispered the name of the disease// //as if you could catch it from saying it too loud.//

//We'd been warned. The Middle School Head had come to class// //And said Tony was coming to school on Friday.// //But he's had a rough time.The medication he's taking has made all his hair fall out,// //and he's a little shy about it.// //So don't stare, don't point, don't laugh.//

//I always said I liked teaching in a private school// //Because I could talk about God// //And not be breaking the law.// //And for an Episcopalian kid who only went to church// //On Christmas and Easter, I sure talked about God a lot.// //In history of course, that's easy,// //Even the Egyptian Pyramid Project is essentially a spiritual exercise.// //But how can you study geometry and not believe in a God?// //A God of perfect points and planes,// //Surrounded by angels and angles of all different degrees.// //Such a God wouldn't give cancer to a seventh grade boy.// //Wouldn't make his hair fall out from the chemo.// //Totally bald in a jacket and tie on Friday morning.// //And I don't mean Tony. Not one single boy in my class had hair;// //the other 12 had shaved their heads in solidarity.// //Have you ever seen 13 bald-headed seventh grade boys,// //all pointing at each other, all staring, all laughing?//

//I have.//

//It's a beautiful sight. And almost as striking as 12 boys// //six weeks later, now with crew cuts on a Saturday morning,// //outside the synagogue with heads bowed,// //holding hands and standing in a circle// //around the smoldering remains of a miniature Viking ship,// //the soul of the brave warrior// //rising slowly with the smoke.//

media type="youtube" key="_hFW7Ls3v6k" height="315" width="420" __**Analysis**__ As a reader, I initially had absolutely no idea what the point of this poem even was. Was he bragging about his teaching abilities? Maybe. Sharing his disbelief for those who aren't religious? Perhaps. Upon re-reading and watching this poem about 14 times, I think I get it. He was proud of his studens; Tony Steinberg has made an impression on him. He was the viking. When Tony died of cancer, at his funeral the boys in his class had cremated him as the vikings have to their bravest warriors. A little grade-seven boy had unified a classroom and astounded the teacher. Mr. Mali's strange projects brought everyone together, and with this viking project was everyone able to really see what little Tony Steinberg was; they recognized a hero.

I chose this poem because I didn't get it at first. A lot of Mali's poems are very literal, and this one was literal, too. However, though literal, it made you really listen and read through carefully to understand the symbolism. Sure, I could have chosen "The the Impotence of Proofreading" or "On Girls Lending Pens", but what's to analyze?

//"He died with his sword in his hand and so went straight to heaven."// This is a __metapho__rical __allusion__. When a brave Viking died with their sword in hand, they would go straught to heaven. Tony was the "brave viking", and Mali believed it was for that reason that Tony went to heaven.
 * __Poetic Devices__**

"//Like warriors."// This is a __simile__, because he compares the students to warriors using "like".

There are few poetic devices in this poem.

__**Key Words**__

__Viking Warrior:__ I believe this is a key word because Tony, the little boy who Mali wrote about, was a warrior in the eyes of everyone around. Had Mali just said "student" or "boy", the unanimous feeling of respect towards Tony would not be expressed.