Developing your comprehension skills 3
Natasha Thomas-Francis, Contributor

Hello all. I trust that you have been having a productive week thus far. How did you do on the responses to the poetry exercises? Here are the answers below:

a) Briefly explain what the poem is about.

The poem is about an elderly parent who is returning home from a visit with his/her daughter, but is afraid of the loneliness to which he/she is returning. (Did you realise that the poem itself does not indicate whether or not the parent is male or female - I know most of you would have assumed that the parent was a woman though!).

b) Why is the journey seen as "terrifying"? (line 4)

The journey is "terrifying" because the old person is faced with the prospect of going back to a lonely home.

c) What is the "look" (line 9) in the person's eyes?

The look is one of loneliness or emptiness or sadness or despair.

d) Why does the person have to learn the "daily habit of being alone ... all over again" (lines 6-7)?

There has been a long break away from the old life and the elderly one will have to readjust to the loneliness.

e) What does the word "relief" (line 15) suggest about the relative's attitude to the old person's visit?

This word "relief" suggests that the relative wanted her parent to leave; possibly the parent was a burden.

f) What does the poet suggest by his use of "... duty letters" (line 18)?

The term "duty letters" suggests that letters were sent out of obligation.

g) Identify one simile and one metaphor in the poem, and explain the use of the figure of speech.

An example of simile is "Words push like passengers", suggesting that the words exchanged between the parent and child were forced.

An example of a metaphor is "familiar contours" referring to lines on the elderly parent's face. "Contours" suggests that there were many lines, depicting the old age of the person.

The answers to the multiple choice exercise are:

1. A

2. A

3. D

4.C

Now I want you to read the first part of a narrative prose passage. I will give you the second part of it in next week's lesson. Pay attention to the writer's techniques: how does he develop his characters, the setting? What language does he use to develop the mood (feelings) in the passage? What makes the passage exciting?

Ryder was a marksman, and with the slide in the automatic position the weapon was capable of firing a number of shots in rapid succession. But he did not want to kill Morro, so he switched the weapon to single shot and squeezed the trigger.

The bullet hit Morro's left shoulder. He didn't shriek or cry out. He just grunted and kept on dragging Hillary, his hostage to the elevator. The gate was open. He thrust Hillary in and was disappearing himself when the second bullet struck him in the thigh and this time, he did cry out. Any ordinary man with a smashed femur either passes into unconsciousness or waits for an ambulance to come. After the initial impact of a serious wound, there is no great pain, just a numbed shock; the pain comes later. But Morro, the religious fanatic, as the world now knew, was no ordinary man; the elevator gate closed and the sound of its whining descent was proof enough that Morro still had the awareness to find the descent button.

Ryder reached the blanked faced shaft and stopped. For a second, two, three, all he could think of was Morro making his way towards the red button which would trigger off the explosion of the nuclear bombs. Then he remembered what the master plan of the building had said - Stairs ...

Do have a wonderful day and remember that CXC is just a blink away!

Natasha Thomas-Francis teaches at Glenmuir High School. Send questions and comments to kerry-ann.hepburn@gleanerjm.com