The author uses vivid language and imagery to help readers picture a scene. Reread lines 9-15 and identify the sense or senses Yang's description appeals to. What is the effect of her description?
In lines 17-22, Yang uses an allusion, a reference to a famous person, place, event, or literary work. What allusion is used in these lines? What does this suggest about how Yang feels about herself?
To what does the author compare herself in the metaphor in lines 124-131? Explain what the comparison shows about Yang's shifting feelings at this time in her life.
The author says that writing "cooled my head: like water over a small burn in the pit of my mind." What does this simile explain about why Yang became a writer?
Reread lines 359-384 to review imagery the author uses to describe the onset of her illness. What idea or feeling does "I could feel the cold settling in" convey?