Question

The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B. Part A Read the lines from "In the Longhouse, Oneida Museum" below, and then answer the question that follows.

House of five fires, they take you for a tomb, but I know better. When desolation comes, I hide your ridgepole in my spine...


Which of the following sentences best expresses the meaning of the figurative language in these lines?

One day, Native Americans will once again use longhouses; the poet hopes to be alive to see that day finally arrive.

After a devastating fire, the longhouse burned to the ground; the poet will remember that night for the rest of her life.

Some say that the longhouse is a dead thing of the past; the poet says its spirit lives inside her as a source of strength
.
Now that longhouses are a part of history, people are forgetting them; the poet hopes to keep its spirit alive.

Answer 1

The poet sees the longhouse not as an old relic but as a living spirit within her that provides strength and resilience. The correct answer is option 3.

Step-by-step explanation:

The figurative language in the lines from "In the Longhouse, Oneida Museum" suggests that while some see the longhouse as an artifact of the past, the poet personally feels its legacy and strength as part of her being. The spirit of the longhouse continues to live within her, acting as a source of resilience and identity. The lines metaphorically indicate that the spirit of the longhouse is not dead but is instead internalized and carried on by individuals like the poet, contrary to the belief that it's a mere relic or 'tomb'.