I read a poem at school, but I really do not understand it at all (and i'm really stuck). I have a few questions dealing with the poem that I need some help with. Any help would be greatly appreciated. The poem is called "The 1st" by Lucille Clifton:
Poem:
What I remember about that day
is boxes stacked across the walk
and couch springs curling through the air
and drawers and tables balanced on the curb
and us, hollering,
leaping up and around
happy to have playground;
nothing about the emptied rooms
nothing about the emptied family
Questions:
1. What are some details in the poem that tell you what is happening to the family
2. List words used by the narrator to describe himself or herself and the other children (lines 5-7). Explain the emotional effect of these descriptive words
3. a) Explain how the last two lines change the emotional feeling of the poem
b) Explain why the mood of the children is in contrast with that of the ending of the poem
4. Explain how the connection of "emptied rooms" (line 8) is different from the connotation of "emptied family" (line 9)
Poem:
What I remember about that day
is boxes stacked across the walk
and couch springs curling through the air
and drawers and tables balanced on the curb
and us, hollering,
leaping up and around
happy to have playground;
nothing about the emptied rooms
nothing about the emptied family
Questions:
1. What are some details in the poem that tell you what is happening to the family
2. List words used by the narrator to describe himself or herself and the other children (lines 5-7). Explain the emotional effect of these descriptive words
3. a) Explain how the last two lines change the emotional feeling of the poem
b) Explain why the mood of the children is in contrast with that of the ending of the poem
4. Explain how the connection of "emptied rooms" (line 8) is different from the connotation of "emptied family" (line 9)