1. HSC Poems

Question 1

Front

Answer 1

Back

Question 2

What is the primary theme of ‘Mother’ by Vuong Pham?

Answer 2

The sacrifices made by the poet’s mother and the impact of assimilation.

Question 3

How does the poem’s free-verse structure contribute to its meaning?

Answer 3

It reflects the natural flow of memories and storytelling between mother and son.

Question 4

What symbolic act frames the narrative of the poem?

Answer 4

The persona plucking his mother’s grey hairs.

Question 5

What do the mother’s grey hairs represent in the poem?

Answer 5

Her age, experiences, and the burdens of her trauma.

Question 6

Quote: ‘using a sewing machine for less than $5 an hour / to afford rice, pork, Asian vegetables / and help pay for my tuition’

Answer 6

Technique: Accumulation; Idea: Cultural heritage and the value of education.

Question 7

Quote: ‘I picture her driving a yellow scooter … the soothing aromas of pho and lychee tea… crescendo of rickshaws’

Answer 7

Techniques: Visual, Aural, Olfactory Imagery; Idea: Connection to cultural heritage and loss of home.

Question 8

How does the poet view storytelling in the context of cultural heritage?

Answer 8

As a means to mend the connection to ancestral roots and understand his mother’s past.

Question 9

What is the significance of the reference to Wordsworth in the poem?

Answer 9

It shows the power of language and literature in bridging cultural gaps.

Question 10

Quote: ‘praying that I may speak an unbroken English tongue / and never be confined / to the labours of factories’

Answer 10

Techniques: Religious imagery, Visual imagery; Idea: Aspirations for assimilation and the importance of language.

Question 11

What is the main focus of ‘New Accents’ by Ouyang Yu?

Answer 11

The struggles and frustrations of Chinese immigrants with language barriers.

Question 12

How does Ouyang Yu use irony in the poem?

Answer 12

By highlighting mispronunciations that reflect deeper feelings of ‘anguish’ associated with assimilation.

Question 13

What does the mispronunciation of ‘English’ as ‘Anguish’ signify?

Answer 13

The pain and difficulty experienced by immigrants in adapting to a new language.

Question 14

Quote: ‘What a wonderful Anguish that I’ve spent all these years / Labouring on, with myself, with my students’

Answer 14

Techniques: Pun, Anaphora, Accumulation; Idea: Relationship with language and collective immigrant experience.

Question 15

How does the poem critique Australian multiculturalism?

Answer 15

By exposing the superficial acceptance and underlying challenges faced by immigrants.

Question 16

What personal experience does Yu share at the end of the poem?

Answer 16

He lost his place in a Master’s program due to his difficulty with English.

Question 17

Quote: ‘They lost a genius in me / with their English / And my Anguish’

Answer 17

Techniques: Rhyme, Pun, Juxtaposition; Idea: The cultural position of language and missed opportunities.

Question 18

What central symbol is used in ‘Translucent Jade’ and what does it represent?

Answer 18

A jade necklace symbolizing cultural heritage and identity.

Question 19

How does the poet feel upon rediscovering the jade gift?

Answer 19

She feels like ‘an imposter,’ highlighting her disconnection from her culture.

Question 20

What themes are explored in ‘Translucent Jade’?

Answer 20

Cultural identity, disconnection, and the complexity of hybrid identities.

Question 21

Quote: ‘It was a little strange, / as if from a world I hadn’t inhabited but had heard stories about’

Answer 21

Technique: Simile; Idea: Cultural disconnection and unfamiliarity.

Question 22

What is the effect of the rhetorical questions at the end of the poem?

Answer 22

They emphasize her uncertainty about belonging and the relationship with her heritage.

Question 23

Quote: ‘Does this begin to become me, / do I to it belong?’

Answer 23

Technique: Rhetorical questions; Idea: Exploration of identity and cultural engagement.

Question 24

What is the primary theme of ‘Home’ by Miriam Wei Wei Lo?

Answer 24

The concept of home as tied to identity, memory, and cultural displacement.

Question 25

How does the poem define ‘home’?

Answer 25

As a state of mind rather than just a physical place.

Question 26

What challenges are highlighted in the poem regarding cultural integration?

Answer 26

The constant need to explain oneself and navigate between cultures.

Question 27

Quote: ‘Home is where your mother’s thighs shape a hearth for you to lie in.’

Answer 27

Technique: Imagery; Idea: Comfort and security associated with maternal connection.

Question 28

What cultural instrument is central to ‘Circular Breathing’?

Answer 28

The didgeridoo.

Question 29

How does the poem explore cultural intersection?

Answer 29

By depicting the experience of hearing the didgeridoo in a foreign place, symbolizing shared experiences.

Question 30

What is ‘circular breathing’ a metaphor for in the poem?

Answer 30

Cultural survival, adaptation, and the continuous flow of life.

Question 31

Quote: ‘You are not alone on this canal.’

Answer 31

Idea: Shared experiences among migrants and travelers.

Question 32

Quote: ‘The didgeridoo player at Circular Quay.’

Answer 32

Idea: Bridging cultures and honoring indigenous traditions.