Question

Older cousins show me
how to shake the mule’s quijada,
to make the blunt teeth
rattle.

Guitars.
Drums.
Gourds.
Sticks.

A cow bell.
A washboard.
Pretty soon, we have
a whole orchestra.

How does the poet’s use of line length contribute to the imaginative tone of the excerpt?

It builds momentum by demonstrating how the speaker respects the “older cousins.”
It places an emphasis on the materials the speaker is using to construct the “orchestra.”
It signals time passing by showing how “pretty soon” the speaker is able to collect many items.
It characterizes the setting as absurd as the speaker is using a “washboard” to make sound.

Answer 1

It places an emphasis on the materials the speaker is using to construct the “orchestra.”

The very short, staccato lines isolate and highlight each object, creating a rhythmic list that draws attention to the items themselves and the imaginative act of assembling an orchestra from them.