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"The 1st" and "in Just-"

Last updated over 1 year ago

9 questions

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6

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Question 1

1.

The first of the month is generally the day when rent is due when you are renting a home or apartment. What details in the poem tell you what is happening to the family? (Name 3.)

Question 2

2.

a. What words does the speaker use to describe herself and the other children in lines 5-7? b. What does this reveal about the age of the children? c. What is the mood of the poem so far?

Question 3

3.

How do the words in the last two lines change the emotional feeling of the poem?

Question 4

4.

The literal or denotative meaning of emptied is "to remove all contents". What connotative meaning is suggested in the last two lines of the poem when the word "emptied" is used?

Question 5

5.

From the point of view of a young child, why might the word be "mud-luscious" and "puddle-wonderful" at this time of year?

Question 6

6.

The word wee means "very small or little" and is often used in children's stories. What other meanings might wee be used for in this poem?

Question 7

7.

The sound of the balloonman's whistle is first heard in line 5. Notice the space between the words whistles, far, and wee. a. What happens to the space between these words in lines 12-13? b. In lines 21-24? c. What do you think is happening to the sound of the whistile?

Question 8

8.

The balloonman is described as "goat-footed." As explained in the note to line 20 (and Greek mythology), Pan was believed to have the legs of a goat. He was fond of music and dancing, playing his musical pipe, and is often associated with the season of spring. a. What qualities does the balloonman posses that is associated with Pan?

Question 9

9.

What other examples of peotic license have you found in Cummings' poem?