Spring FInal Flashcards
Why does Woodson use italics in the poem “Second Daughter’s Second Day on Earth”?
to describe her birth in her own words
Which quotation best shows the relationship between Jacqueline’s mother and her grandmother Grace?
- “Speaking softly with her mother-in-law, Grace,
missing / her own mama back home.”
- “They are home to each other, Grace / to my
mother is as familiar / as the Greenville air.”
“They are home to each other, Grace / to my
mother is as familiar / as the Greenville air.”
How does the poem “Journey” develop ideas that appear in the previous poem, “Each Winter” ?
both reveal how her parents feel about life in the south
By the end of Part 1, what is Woodson communicating about the concept of “home”?
home can equal comfort, but also conflict
In “hope,” Jacqueline says of her brother:
“And when his body isn’t betraying him, Ohio does.” (64)
What is the most likely interpretation of these lines?
he is sick and his father is absent
In “the right way to speak,” why doesn’t Jacqueline’s mother want her children to say “ma’am [to] anyone”?
she doesn’t want them to be obedient to whites
Reread the following lines from the poem “hair night” on page 84:
“My sister’s voice / wafts over the kitchen, past the smell of hair and oil and flame / settles / like a hand on my shoulder and holds me there.”
What is the figurative meaning of these lines? What is her sister’s voice doing in these lines?
Odella’s voice helps her to ignore the confusion around her
In “grown folks’ stories,” what do the italicized lines represent?
she hears the stories and turns them into her own
Explain why Daddy Gunnar didn’t go to the Kingdom Hall with the family?
he works hard and treats people well and God knows that
Reread the following lines from “the letter” (133):
“I will be five one day and the Nicholtown school / is a mystery / I’m just about to solve.”
What does this metaphor reveal about Woodson’s viewpoint?
she wants the experiences she’s looking forward to in Greenville
Reread the following lines from “one morning, late winter” (134):
“This I can do — find him another place to be / when this world is choking him.”
What does this illustrate about Woodson viewed stories?
she in comforted by stories in hard times
In the poem “caroline but we call her aunt kay, some memories,” how do the stanzas that begin with “Aunt Kay… ” contribute to the meaning of the poem (149-150)?
they show the role she played in life in NY
What does “brooklyn rain” (165-166) suggest about how Woodson was adjusting to her new home?
she doesn’t feel the same sense of belonging
What role did Uncle Robert play in Woodson’s life?
he brought excitement
Which of the following best expresses Woodson’s attitude in “eve and the snake” (179-180)?
confused about why women cannot give sermons
In the poem “chemistry,” Woodson describes her brother Hope’s fascination with science (186-187). What similarity between Hope and Woodson does this poem illustrate?
they both have interests that allow them to escape reality
What does the structure of the poem “tomboy” reveal about Woodson (211)?
Woodson’s interests contrast from Dell’s
In the poem “stevie and me,” what impact did the book Stevie have on Woodson (227-228)?
she realizes she has a story worth telling
Reread this line from the poem “hope onstage” (232):
“He is dressed / as a shepherd, his voice / soft and low, more sure than any sound I’ve ever heard /
come out of him.”
In these lines, how does the word “sure” develop Hope’s character?
it shows he was confident
In “what everybody knows,” how did Georgiana react to desegregation in Greenville (237-238)?
she still obeys the former laws to stay out of trouble
Reread the following lines from the poem “new girl”:
“Those days / the world feels as gray and cold as it really is / and it’s hard / not to believe the new girl isn’t más mejor than me. / Hard not to believe / my days as Maria’s best friend forever and ever amen / are counted” (254).
How does the repetition of the phrase “hard not to believe” contribute to the tone of the poem?
she questions whether she lost her friend
In “curses,” Woodson compares her friends’ cursing to her own attempts:
“our friends laugh then spew curses / at us like bullets, bend their lips over the words / like they were born speaking them… But we can’t. / Even when we try / the words get caught inside our throats, as though / our mother / is standing there waiting, daring them to reach the air” (258).
What do these lines suggest about the effect Mama’s rules had on Woodson’s use of language?
she feels awkward saying certain words
How did Woodson’s conversation with Dell in “too good” (269) change her perception of herself as a writer?
more confident as a writer
What idea does Woodson develop by placing the poems “fate & faith & reasons,” “what if…?,” and “bushwick history lesson” together (293-298)?
the past plays a role in our destiny
In “maybe mecca” (306), what does Mecca represent to Woodson?
a place in the future where they are all treated equally
Based on “how to listen #10” (310), what does Woodson’s writing do for her?
helps her think things through
Reread the following lines from “second daughter’s second day on earth” on pages 4-5:
“I do not yet know who I’ll be… I do not know if these hands will be / Rosa’s / or Ruby’s / gently gloved / and fiercely folded / calmly in a lap, / on a desk, / around a book, ready / to change the world… “
How do these lines connect to the ending of the memoir?
she wants to fight for a better future
Reread “say it loud.” What does Woodson mean when she writes, “Everyone knows where they belong here. / It’s not Greenville // but it’s not diamond sidewalks either” (305)?
living in NY is not as perfect as they expected it to be
In the poem, “every wish, one dream”, what list does Jaqueline decide to create?
make wishes and important writing moments
Throughout the book, for what purpose does Jaqueline use italics?
to represent when someone is speaking
Who do the “ghosts” refer to in the poem “The Ghosts of the Nelsonville House”?
relatives who lived there as children
What is Woodson’s most likely reason for including several poems about her father’s side of the family?
to show her pride for her family’s strength and excellence
In the poem “greenville, South Carolina, 1963,” what caused Woodson’s mother to whisper “We’re as good as anybody”?
she still has dignity despite racial issues in the South
By the end of Part 1, what is Woodson communicating about the concept of “home”?
home is where family allows yourself to be yourself
How does Jacqueline’s grandmother feel about the “daywork” she does?
she is proud to support her family, but wants better for her grandchildren
What do the poems “the reader,” “the beginning,” and “hope” suggest about Jacqueline and her siblings’ relationship with reading?
reading offers she and her siblings an escape from the sense of possibility
