1. This poem has a strong voice running through it. How would you describe the speaker’s mood?

I would say the poet wanted to show the world his view on something with a deeper meaning but needed the metaphors and hint of nature to make readers view his thoughts in the wider spectrum he was hoping for. his mood was filled with awe – struck and just marveling the stuff around him. The poet finished with a sense of a entrancement towards the reveal of the meaning of society being an issue.

2. Look at some of the more unexpected things the speaker in the poem finds beautiful, like leaves in the gutter or salt stains on shoes. Why are these details more interesting than a more obvious example of beauty, like flowers, would be?

he took a different turn to the word beautiful. the obvious similes would be something grand and colorful like flowers but that’s not what the writer was going for. leaves in the gutter can be a simile and symbol in itself. a symbol for wind or a breeze? maybe fall or spring. something beautiful. salt stains on shoes means that a winter snow fall could have been in place the night before. the way it can catch our world into a white blur of beauty. so I believe the poet was trying to give us a bigger thought then just a flower.

3. What is the effect of the poet’s use of similes that offer more than one comparison of an image, such as “the sky, lit up like a question or / an applause meter” or “raindrops / like jewels or glass or those bright beads / girls put between the letters of the / bracelets that spell out their beautiful names”? How does this technique add to the overall feeling of the poem?

he keeps making similes about things that naturally don’t have a sense of beauty to it. I believe that is because he isn’t exactly talking about beauty. rather he is making a poem about his insight on society. the feeling makes you question what he’s trying to say. why would he use these examples? because we as a society arent perfect just like these similes.

4. What actually happens in this poem? What do you know about the speaker’s life?