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Shaquita Greene
Dr. Marva Stewart
English Literature
November 16, 2010
Close Reading
Hanging Fire
This poem is about an African American fourteen year old girl who is going through the
compressions of the society and lack of direction from her mother, which is interpreted from the
multiple use of “…momma's in the bedroom with the door closed,”(pg. 843) after the each
stanza in the poem. “Hanging Fire” contains informal diction and it has a serious tone to help
express the feelings of frustration the young girl is facing. The diction in this poem helps set the
tone especially when she says "nobody even stops to think about my side of it," and how her
skin has "betrayed," (pg. 843) her. The title itself has a very substantial meaning. “Hanging Fire”
can also be said to be a delay and in this poem, the young girl seems to be facing a delay in
age. It seems as if she wants to get everything done because she may be feeling like it is taking
too long for things to happen. She stresses this frustration by saying things like, “...suppose I die
before graduation…” (pg. 843). The young girl seems to have so many issues that she has to
deal with like she is in the world on her own. She doesn’t know what she will wear, her room is
too small, no one is around, and in spite of everything that is going on her mother still isn’t there.
The character is very theatrical and self-conscious about the way she looks, “…ashy knees…”
(pg. 843). The moral of this poem is that every young person goes through things when they are
going through puberty. Lorde tapped into a young person’s mind and express the many feelings
that teens think about life, the thoughts of others, and even the things around them. Most teens
have to learn how to take care of themselves because no one else will.
Critical Thinking
1. What can a person gain from this poem?
2. How can the poem’s title relate to its meaning?
3. Do you believe that the character was being overly dramatic? How do you feel about
the way Lorde address the thoughts of a teenage mind?
Sympathy
In the poem, “Sympathy”, the author explains his grief of being trapped in the world
without a true opportunity to be free. Many may say that this poem expresses African
American views on racism, slavery, and bondage from being able to live life without a
care in this world but the thought of living peacefully seems obscure and impossible. The
author compares himself to an entrapped or “caged bird” that has to watch all of these
wonderful things go on around him that he cannot be a part of. “I know why the caged
bird sings, ah me, When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,--When he beats his
bars and he would be free…” (pg.840) No matter how hard the bird beats his wings on
the cage he still has no hope of being released into a more delightful setting to join any
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festivities that seem pleasing. “The sun is bright, the wind is blowing”(pg.840) is perfect
example of brilliant imagery and callous emotion. Also, in the story Dunbar seems to
sympathize with the bird even though the bird seems to be facing the same situation that
he is facing. It also explains that Dunbar is being imprisoned by society.
Critical Thinking
1. What are the poem's rhyme scheme and metrics?
2. Why the poem is called "Sympathy"?
3. What by implication may cause the poet to identify with a caged bird?
My Last Duchess
Browning’s poem was filled with killing, clandestine, conspiracy, and indirect allusion. He speaks
about the death of his wife and achieves a sense of irony in his dramatic monologue. The
character is arranging a marriage with a young girl and has invited a nobleman over to help him
with the arrangement. The duke stops at a painting of his previous wife and he begins to
reminisce on the times with her. In the meantime, he makes many remarks that hint that he may
have killed his wife but he does not openly confess that he has killed her. “when her behavior
escalated, “[he] gave commands; / Then all smiles stopped together.” (pg.850) He also tells the
nobleman that his wife devoted her attention to others the same way she devoted attention to
him, showing signs of jealousy. The character reveals himself as blunt and ambiguous. His view
of a wife is that her sole purpose of being his wife is to please him. He also made references as
if he knew his wife was cheating. “She thanked men,—good! but thanked, Somehow—I know
not how—as if she ranked, My gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name, with anybody’s
gift.”(pg.851) As the poem comes to closing he replace the curtain back in front of the portrait
and continues pointing out other artworks in the home.
Critical Thinking
1. Do you believe the character murdered his wife? How and why?
2. Do you believe that the duke was extremely jealous of his wife?
3. Do you think that the character (the duke) will receive his new wife’s hand in marriage?