Answers26-27 Ignite English 12 NG KY-English Language Arts 12Contemporary Poetry: Seamus Heaney’s “Digging”

Contemporary Poetry: Seamus Heaney’s “Digging” Answers

0 verified answers1 views
1
Free Preview

Read the excerpt from "Digging."Between my finger and my thumb The squat pen rests...

A
The assonance connects the thumb and finger to the act of farming.
B
The assonance adds emphasis to the speaker’s past as a farmer.
C
The assonance creates a pleasing and interesting sound.
D
The assonance emphasizes that the speaker is writing about his father.
2
Free Preview

Read the excerpt from "Digging."Between my finger and my thumb The squat pen rests; snug as a gun.Under my window, a clean rasping soundWhen the spade sinks into gravelly ground:My father, digging. I look downTill his straining rump among the flowerbedsBends low, comes up twenty years awayStooping in rhythm through potato drillsWhere he was digging.Read the haiku by Bashō. A crowhas settled on a bare branch— autumn evening.How does the structure of these poems differ?

A
“Digging” is a one-stanza poem with many lines, while Bashō's haiku has multiple stanzas with few lines.
B
“Digging” is a long poem with no sound devices, while Bashō's haiku is a short poem with many sound devices.
C
“Digging” has many stanzas of equal length, while Bashō's haiku has many stanzas of varying lengths.
D
“Digging” has multiple stanzas of varying length, while Bashō's haiku has only one stanza of three lines.
3

Read the excerpt from "Digging."Till his straining rump among the flowerbedsBends low, comes up twenty years awayStooping in rhythm through potato drillsWhere he was digging.

A
that the work in the flowerbeds is quick and easy
B
that the father is working very hard in the flowerbeds
C
that the father passed away 20 years ago
D
that the father finds the digging enjoyable
4

Read the excerpt from "Digging."The cold smell of potato mould, the squelch and slapOf soggy peat, the curt cuts of an edgeThrough living roots awaken in my head.

A
The alliteration makes the poem sound disjointed and choppy.
B
The alliteration disconnects the speaker from the earth.
C
The alliteration creates pleasing and interesting sounds.
D
The alliteration shows that the speaker is a poet.
5

Read the excerpt from "Digging."Till his straining rump among the flowerbedsBends low, comes up twenty years awayStooping in rhythm through potato drillsWhere he was digging.

A
It emphasizes that working in fields is difficult and strenuous.
B
It draws attention to the speaker’s connection to the field.
C
It suggests that the father does not want to plant new potatoes.
D
It reveals that potatoes were the main crop of Ireland.
6

Which lines from the poem "Digging” use assonance? Check all that apply.

A
The squat pen rests; snug as a gun.
B
When the spade sinks into gravelly ground:
C
Bends low, comes up twenty years away
D
By God, the old man could handle a spade.
E
Nicking and slicing neatly, heaving sods

Did you find these answers helpful?

Contemporary Poetry: Seamus Heaney’s “Digging”…