The following version of this poem was used to create this guide: Dove, Rita. “Fifth Grade Autobiography.” Poetry Foundation, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/51664/fifth-grade-autobiography.

Note that all parenthetical citations within the guide refer the lines of the poem from which the quotations are taken.

"Fifth Grade Autobiography” is a free-verse retrospective poem by American former poet laureate Rita Dove, originally published in 1989. It is told from the perspective of a fifth-grade child looking back at a memory from when they were four years old. Through the lens of a photograph, the speaker reminisces about a family outing with their older brother and grandparents. The speaker’s grandfather is no longer with them, but the photograph offers a way to remember and honor him.