by Claude McKay
Far down, down through the city’s great, gaunt gut
The gray train rushing bears the weary wind;
In the packed cars the fans the crowd’s breath cut,
Leaving the sick and heavy air behind.
And pale-cheeked children seek the upper door
To give their summer jackets to the breeze;
Their laugh is swallowed in the deafening roar
Of captive wind that moans for fields and seas;
Seas cooling warm where native schooners drift
Through sleepy waters, while gulls wheel and sweep,
Waiting for windy waves the keels to lift
Lightly among the islands of the deep;
Islands of lofty palm trees blooming white
That lend their perfume to the tropic sea,
Where fields lie idle in the dew-drenched night,
And the Trades float above them fresh and free.
"Subway Wind" from Harlem Shadows: The Poems of Claude McKay by Claude McKay
Question
Use the poem “Subway Wind” by Claude McKay to answer the question.
Which statement provides an analysis of the ambiguity in the poem?
(1 point)
Responses
Either the children or the speaker could be going to the upper part of the subway.
Either the children or the speaker could be going to the upper part of the subway.
Both the subway train and the wind are moving through the tunnels.
Both the subway train and the wind are moving through the tunnels.
Either the wind or the speaker could long for tropical islands.
Either the wind or the speaker could long for tropical islands.
Both the speaker and the schooner could be traveling to the tropics.
1 answer
The statement that provides an analysis of the ambiguity in the poem is:
Either the wind or the speaker could long for tropical islands.
This option highlights the dual longing expressed in the poem, suggesting that both the speaker and the wind share a desire for the freedom and beauty found in tropical settings, which adds depth to the interpretation of the poem.
