What Is Red?

Red is a s__________________
Blazing and bright.

Red is feeling b__________________

With all your might.

Red is a s____________________
Spot on your nose.

Sometimes red
Is a red red r_____________.

Red squiggles out

When you c________ your hand.

Red is a b_________________
And the s_____________ of a band.

Red is h____________________
You get inside
When you're e___________________
And want to hide.

Fire-c__________________,

fire-e___________________
Fire-f__________________ red -

And when you're a________________

Red runs through your head.

Red is an I_____________________,

A Valentine h__________________.
The trimmings on
A c__________________ cart.

Red is a l_______________________

Red is a s_____________________
Red is a s_____________________
That says: "Watch out!"

Red is a great big

R__________________ ball.

Red is the g___________________

Colour of all.
Red is a s_______________________,
No doubt about it -
But can you imagine
Living without it?

Mary O'Neill
The Poet: Mary O'Neill
Mary O'Neill was born in New York City, in 1908. However, she was raised in Ohio, where she wrote
and directed plays for her younger brothers and sisters. Upon graduating from the University of Michigan,
she became an advertising copywriter before becoming a freelance writer. After the death of her husband,
John, she joined the Peace Corps in 1970 and taught journalism and writing for several years in Ghana and
Costa Rica.
Her poem What is Red? is part of a collection of poems in her book, Hailstones and Halibut Bones:
Adventures in Color. The book was first published in 1961 and printed in several languages. Since then, it
has become a modern children's classic.
O'Neill died of heart failure on 2 January 1990 in New York City at the age of 82.

Summary of Poem
The poem consists of only one stanza with 36 lines.
The poem follows the abcb rhyme scheme. For example, the following words rhyme:
- bright and might (lines 2 and 4)
- nose and rose (lines 6 and 8)
- hand and band (lines 10 and 12)
- inside and hide (lines 14 and 16)
- red and head (lines 18 and 20)
The lines are short and that adds to the fast pace and rhythmic quality of the poem.
As indicated in the title, the poem is about the colour red and the things that people associate the colour
with.
The poem provides examples of ordinary objects to feelings of courage, embarrassment and anger.
Since the poem has only one stanza, let's look at the poem according to lines:
Lines 1-12 In lines 1 - 12, the persona lists a number of things that are red in
Red is a sunset colour such as the sunset, sunburnt skin, a rose, blood from a cut
Blazing and bright. and a brick. Aside from that, the colour red is also associated
Red is feeling brave with bravery and strength, as well as loud, powerful sounds like a
With all your might. band.
Red is a sunburn
Spot on your nose.
Sometimes red Is a red red rose.
Red squiggles out
When you cut your hand.
Red is a brick
And the sound of a band.
Lines 13-24 In lines 13 - 24, the persona goes on to associate the colour red
Red is hotness with feelings such as embarrassment, love (Valentine heart) and
You get inside anger. Red is also the colour of things such as fire, firecracker,
When you're embarrassed fire engine, and the decoration on a circus cart. The persona
And want to hide. mentions Red Indian, which means the native Americans,
Fire-cracker, fire-engine referring to the colour of their skintone.
Fire-flicker red
And when you're angry
Red runs through your head.
Red is an Indian,
A Valentine heart.
The trimmings on
A circus cart.
Lines 25-36 In lines 25 - 36, the persona continues to list things that are red in
Red is a lipstick colour such as a lipstick and a rubber ball. The persona further
Red is a shout associates red as the colour of caution and warning (Watch out!).
Red is a signal Among all the colours, the persona believes that red is the most
That says: "Watch out!'" prominent colour and as such it is almost like a show-off.
Red is a great big However, the persona cannot imagine living without the colour
Rubber ball. red.
Red is the giantest
Colour of all.
Red is a show-off,
No doubt about it
But can you imagine
Living without it?
Tone and Mood
The tone of the poem is descriptive.
The mood is fun and humorous.

Themes

1 Appreciation of our surroundings

The poem lists things around us that are red in colour. Some are obvious things such as the colour of
blood and the fire engine. Others are more subtle, such as the colour of sunset and sunburn. This prompts
us to take a moment to actually observe and appreciate our surroundings and all the wonderful colours in
the world. The last two lines of the poem, But can you imagine/Living without it? reiterates how important
colours are in our lives.

2 Emotions and feelings

The poet associates certain emotions with the colour red such as courage, anger, embarrassment, and
caution. All these are quite strong emotions and this conveys what a powerful colour red is. It also reminds
us of a variety of emotions that we feel in our daily lives which resembles a spectrum of colours.

Moral Values

1 We must be observant and appreciative of our surroundings.

The poet simply wants us to appreciate and be more observant of our surroundings. This is evident in the
way she lists all the things that are red in colour, some of which we may have overlooked.

2 Every human being will feel a variety of emotions.

The poem mentions a variety of human emotions such as courage, love, anger and embarrassment which
are common emotions felt by every human being.

Literary Devices_
The language and style of the poem is simple and straightforward. There is a playful and childlike use of
language in the poem. For example, the poet uses the word 'giantest', which is an inaccurate superlative,
but it would be something a child learning the language would say.

Metaphor
A metaphor is a comparison between two things or objects that may be different at a glance but upon
closer look have some similar characteristics between them.
The poem is filled with metaphors, all in association with the colour red. For example:
- Red is a sunset
- Red is hotness
- Red is a shout
- Red is a signal
Personification
Personification means giving human characteristics to inanimate objects in order make a description more
vivid.
For example:
- Red squiggles out
- Red runs through your head
- Red...says "Watch out!"
- Red is a show-off

Imagery
Imagery is the use of words that enable the reader to visualise or 'hear' an object, a person or a scene.
The words used by the poet are vivid and rich. The reader is able to connect with the visuals, sounds and
feelings that the poet conveys in the poem.
For example, the reader can easily imagine all the things described that are red in colour:

The reader is also able to 'hear' the sound of a band, a shout and a word of warning.
The poet uses strong imagery to convey feelings too, such as:
Red is hotness And when you're angry
You get inside Red runs through your head.
When you're embarrassed And want to hide.

Alliteration
Alliteration is the use of words that have the same beginning sound. This gives the poem a rhythmic
quality.
For example:
- Blazing and bright
- Red red rose
- Fire-cracker,/ire-engine,/ire-/licker red
Exercise 1
List ten things red in colour that are mentioned in the poem in the circle map below.

Exercise 2
Answer the questions below by filling in the blacks with the words from the table below.

bleeds think Danger! loud without sun child angry

attention Appreciation feel human things embarrassment types emotions
imagine Courage setting discomfort bright Anger powerful red

1 What is the first two lines in the poem about?

It is about the _______________________ sun.

2 What has caused a nose to turn red?

The hot ______________.

3 What happens when you cut your hand?

It __________________.
4 What do you think the line Red runs through your head means?
It means when one is _________________ one cannot _______________ straight.

5 Why is red the sound of a band?

The colour red is _____________ and _________________ like the sound of a band.

6 Why do you think the poet says Red is a signal that says: Watch out!?
The colour red is _______________ and usually used for "____________________" signs.

7 Why would one feel hotness inside when one is feeling embarrassed?
There is feeling of _____________________ inside when one feels embarrassed.

8 Which two lines tell you red is an important colour?

The lines, "But can you________________, living _________________ it?"

9 Who is the persona of the poem?

The persona is most likely a young ______________________.

10 Name two emotions mentioned in the poem.

(a) _________________________
(b) __________________________

11 Name an important theme of the poem. Give an evidence to support the theme.
Theme: ________________________ of our surroundings
Evidence: The poem lists ________________ around us that are in ______________ colour
which tells us that we should pay __________________ to our surroundings.

12 Name one moral value that you have learned from the poem. Give an evidence to support your
response.
Moral value: Every ____________ being will feel a variety of_____________________.
Evidence: The poem talks about the many ______________ of emotions a human being would
_______________ such as anger, ____________________ and courage.