Question

Partner
People push past me,
People collect in front of me,
People call out from behind.
The clamor is all around me.
5 Girls hugging, guys fist bumping,
Welcoming each other back
To the first day of school.

I move through the commotion
Like a light breeze,
10 Disrupting nothing,
Barely being noticed.

image

I’m like the turtle
In the race with the rabbit.
Slowly moving forward.
15 Not looking in either direction.
Just proceeding quietly
Until the end of the day.
Going to classes, doing my work.
Not getting involved.

20 I spot Liam up ahead.
Last year, we were assigned
A science project together.
We got an A.
I keep walking.
25 “Hey partner!”

The phrase cuts through the din.
Did everyone hear it?
I stop. I smile. “Hi,” I respond.
Now we’re walking and talking,
30 Side by side down the hall.
We’re headed to our class.

Liam is animated and looking ahead.
He’s talking rockets and propulsion and height and speed,
He’s thinking science fair and he’s thinking winning,
35 He’s asking if I would be on his team!
We go into the room and sit.

“So, what do you think?” he asks.
“Sure,” I say. “Sounds great.”
Liam holds up his hand for a high five.
40 “Partner!” he says happily.
I high five him.
My last year of middle school just may be my best.

Why does the poet start the first three lines of the poem the same way?

A.
to allow the reader to visualize a large crowd

B.
to outline for the reader the setting of the poem

C.
to help the reader understand what is happening

D.
to show the reader the speaker does not know anyone

Answer 1

A.

The repeated opening word "People" (anaphora) emphasizes the crowd and bustle around the speaker, helping the reader picture many others moving and calling in the busy school hallway.