1. Discuss the parts of the song where you feel Joni Mitchell is expressing a desire to return to California, the place she calls home.
2. Have you ever been homesick? 3. Have you ever missed a place or a person? 4. Have you looked forward to being welcomed home?
Understand 1. How does Joni Mitchell feel about California?
2. How do you know that Joni Mitchell is excited about the prospect of returning to California?
3. Find two examples of poetic techniques in this song.
4. Based on the song lyrics, which of the following images best matches your impression of California? Give one reason for your choice.
Explore
1. Write about the importance of the underlined parts of the song. What is the signifi cance of these lines?
2. Do you agree that poems and songs share similarities? Suggest at least two similarities that they share.
Create
1. (a) Choose a song that you love and write down your favourite lyrics. Examine these lyrics carefully and highlight the parts that: use poetic devices
express feelings
include well-chosen words or phrases tell a story.
(b) Read the lyrics of your song to your class as though it were a poem. See if your classmates can guess which song you have chosen. After they have guessed, you may like to play a recording of the song or sing your own version.
