Question

Read the poem below and answer the question that follows.

“Hanging Fire”
by Audre Lorde

I am fourteen
and my skin has betrayed me
the boy I cannot live without
still sucks his thumb
in secret
how come my knees are
always so ashy
what if I die
before the morning comes
and momma’s in the bedroom
with the door closed.

I have to learn how to dance
in time for the next party
my room is too small for me
suppose I die before graduation
they will sing sad melodies
but finally
tell the truth about me
There is nothing I want to do
and too much
that has to be done
and momma’s in the bedroom
with the door closed.

Nobody even stops to think
about my side of it
I should have been on Math Team
my marks were better than his
why do I have to be
the one
wearing braces
I have nothing to wear tomorrow
will I live long enough
to grow up
and momma’s in the bedroom
with the door closed.

Source: Lorde, Audre. “Hanging Fire.” The Black Unicorn: Poems. New York: Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press, 1978. El Camino College. Web. 06 June 2011.



Which poetic techniques are illustrated in the opening lines “I am fourteen/and my skin has betrayed me/the boy I cannot live without/still sucks his thumb/in secret”?

alliteration and metaphor
allusion and alliteration
apostrophe and simile
personification and enjambment

Answer 1

personification and enjambment

Answer 2

Which poetic techniques are illustrated in the opening lines “I am fourteen and my skin has betrayed me/the boy I cannot live without/still sucks his thumb/in secret”?

• The correct answer is personification and enjambment. It is personification because in “my skin has betrayed me” the skin has human properties, the writer uses the word betray to explain the aging process of the person described in the text. This means that this person feels trapped in his or her body. In addition, the writer uses enjambment, this is that the poet moves from one line to the other without a terminating punctuation for giving a flow of thought so that readers continue reading without stopping. The enjambment is in lines from 3 to 5 of the opening lines.