It was in an empty lot Ringed by elms and fir and honeysuckle.
Bill Corson was pitching in his buckskin jacket,
Chuck Keller, fat even as a boy, was on first,
His t-shirt riding up over his gut,
Ron O'Neill, Jim, Dennis, were talking it up
In the field, a blue sky above them
Tipped with cirrus.

And there I was,
Just off the plane and plopped in the middle
Of Williamsport, Pa. and a neighborhood game,
Unnatural and without any moves,
My notions of baseball and America
Growing fuzzier each time I whiffed.

So it was not impossible that I,
Banished to the outfield and daydreaming
Of water, or a hotel in the mountains,
Would suddenly find myself in the path
Of a ball stung by Joe Barone.
I watched it closing in
Clean and untouched, transfixed
By its easy arc before it hit
My forehead with a thud.

I fell back,
Dazed, clutching my brow,
Groaning, "Oh my shin, oh my shin,"
And everybody peeled away from me
And dropped from laughter, and there we were,
All of us writhing on the ground for one reason
Or another.

Someone said "shin" again,
There was a wild stamping of hands on the ground,
A kicking of feet, and the fit
Of laughter overtook me too,
And that was important, as important
As Joe Barone asking me how I was
Through his tears, picking me up
And dusting me off with hands like swatters, And though my head felt heavy,
I played on till dusk
Missing flies and pop-ups and grounders
And calling out in desperation things like
"Yours" and "take it," but doing all right,
Tugging at my cap in just the right way,
Crouching low, my feet set,
"Hum baby" sweetly on my lips.

—"How I Learned English,"
Gregory Djanikian

Write a short paragraph in which you evaluate what makes the poem effective and give your opinion of the poem overall.

Asap : ) read the passage about the life of clara barton and the table below it. clara barton was born on december 25, 1821, in oxford, massachusetts. as a child, clara was very shy. she first found her calling while caring for her brother after he fell from a rafter in their barn. despite the fact that most teachers were still men at the time, clara became a teacher at the age of 15, as well as one of the first women to work for the federal government at the us patent office. in 1881, clara opened the first chapter of the american red cross in the united states and served as its first president. the american red cross is a relief organization that offers assistance to victims of such disasters as the 1889 johnstown flood and the 1900 galveston flood. she served as president for 23 years before resigning amidst claims that money was being mishandled internally. the civil war was a bloody war fought between the years 1861–1865. during the war, clara sought to the soldiers in any way she could. she collected needed supplies and distributed them to the union army. these supplies included items such as food, bedding, and clothing. however, clara was not content to sit on the sidelines; she often risked her own life to care for soldiers wounded in battle. for these deeds, she was nicknamed the "angel of the battlefield.” when the war ended in 1865, clara worked for the war department in various ways. in the table, what information best fits under the heading "what i learned about her accomplishments”? a. clara barton was born in 1821 in oxford, massachusetts, and was very shy as a young child. b. clara barton worked as both a teacher and for the federal government in the us patent office. c. clara barton cared for wounded soldiers during the civil war and started the first american red cross chapter in the united states. d. clara barton was president of the american red cross during the 1889 johnstown flood and the 1900 galveston flood.