SUBSTANCE: The assignment as a whole should demonstrate a good understanding of the literary elements in the poem—both what they are and what they mean—especially by accurately using the vocabulary we have learned. Its two paragraphs should offer clear, reasonable descriptions and a reasonable interpretation of the poem, consistent with the evidence of the poem itself. It must be original work: your ideas, expressed in your own words. LENGTH: Each answer should be a single well-organized paragraph of 250-300 words (+ / – 25 words is acceptable). Edit your answers carefully so that you make the best use possible of your limited word count. The assignment as a whole will be two paragraphs and total 500-600 words. FORMAT: • Put your full name and B00 number at the top of the first page and give your assignment a useful title. • Use a standard 12 point font that is easy to read (such as Times New Roman or Arial). • Double-space the entire assignment. • Put the title of the poem and all direct quotations from it in quotation marks. • For this assignment, a Works Cited is not required.
Answer preview
This can be deduced from the speaker’s sentiments that when she arrives back home, she will listen to hear if her father was playing the fiddle, something that brought him joy but went away after she was born and, thus, the speaker never had a chance to experience these happy memories with her father. Throughout the poem, the speaker recounts how her father’s ailment, alcohol drinking, anger, and bitterness adversely affect their relationship. The fact that the speaker never had a good relationship with her father forces her to imagine what such a relationship would look like, and she hopes that she will form such a bond when the speaker returns home. This is evident in the 5th stanza, where the speaker states,” I will place myself beside him. / The child in me will not budge / from this photograph, / will not leave my father’s house / unless my father as he was/comes with me”, she remains loyal to her father (35-40).
