Question

Read the following stanza from Audre Lorde's poem "Hanging Fire" and answer the question.

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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 morning
and momma's in the bedroom
with the door closed.
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What of the following is a symbol for separation and disconnection?
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her knees
the closed door
the morning
the secret

Answer 1

the closed door would be the symbol for separation because it is keeping her and the mother apart.

Answer 2

Answer: B) The closed door.

Step-by-step explanation: A symbol is an object or action that means something more than its literal meaning. In the given stanza from Audre Lorde's poem "Hanging Fire" we can see the use of the symbol of a closed door to convey the separation and disconnection that exists between the speaker and her mother ("what if I die before morning and momma's in the bedroom with the door closed").