Midnight
by Sara Holbrook
When it’s Sunday
and it’s midnight,
the weekend
put back in its chest,
5 the toys of recreation,
party times
and needed rest.
When I lie in wait
for Monday
10 to grab me by the ear,
throw me at the shower,
off to school
and when I hear
the train at midnight
15 from so many miles away . . .
when it’s Sunday . . .
and it’s midnight . . .
the train
in passing brays and boasts
20 it’s steel-track-straight,
on schedule,
arrival times to keep.
And I meander to its rhythm,
flopping like a fish.
25 Why can’t I get to sleep?
Why can’t I get to sleep?
1. How are the train and the speaker similar?
A: Like the train that has a schedule to keep, the speaker has an approaching responsibility.
B:Like the train that brays and boasts, the speaker acts in an overly proud manner.
C:Like the train that travels at midnight, the speaker prefers to work during the night.
D: Like the train that stays on a straight course, the speaker avoids change.
2. Which line from the poem best expresses the speaker's sense of dread?
A. Line 2: and its midnight,
B. Line 7: and needed rest.
C. Line 8: When I lie in wait
D. Line 15: from so many miles away ...
3. The metaphor in the first stanza is used to emphasize that the-
A. speaker behaves like a small child on the weekend
B.speaker's weekend of fun and relaxation is over
C. speaker uses the weekend to organize things
D. speaker's time is wasted during the weekend
4. The poet uses a simile in lines 23 and 24 to reveal that the speaker-
A. wants to be outside
B. cannot get comfortable
C. does not like fishing
D. might be having a dream
5. Dividing the poem into two stanzas allows the poet to-
A. compare the speaker's schedule with the train's schedule
B. ask questions to keep the reader guessing about what will happen
C. contrast the speaker's feelings about weekends and Mondays
D. incorporate reminders for the reader about where the action takes place
6. The train is important to the poem because it represents-
A. reflecting on the past
B. visiting distant places
C. following a planned routine
D. interrupting peaceful memories
7. The poet likely intends for the last two lines to express the speaker's-
A. regret over the experiences of the weekend
B. concern about doing well in school
C. fear of the arriving train
D. anxiety about the coming day
My answers:
1.?
2.B?
3.?
4.B?
5.C?
6.C?
7.A?
1. A (The train has to reach it's destination on time, and the speaker has to be at school on time - remember the speaker does not have to be a student. She can also be a teacher at a school.)
2. C. (Think of it in this manner: If you know that you MUST be at a certain place by a specific time, and you are waiting for someone to pick you up and take you there - but they are late - you are going to begin to worry about being late.)
3. B. (The reader can infer that the speaker's weekend and the fun that he had is over because he compares it to toys that have been put back into it's toy chest as a child would do when play-time is over.)
4. B. ( meander: twisting, turning, winding, and most of us know what a live fish out water looks like [flopping like a fish] flop: bounce around loosely)
5. A. (Both the speaker and the train have a schedule to keep: speaker- school on time; train-must reach destination on time)
6. C. (Train passes at midnight every Sunday and the speaker must get up and go to school on Monday mornings.)
7. D. (Anxiety=distress or uneasiness of mind caused by fear. The speaker feared that if he didn't get to sleep soon, he may not make it to school on time.)
Johnson, Lisha almost had them all correct and with good reasoning. Five was wrong though. The author of the poem couldn't really answer that question in a interview. However, if you say the second stanza starts at line 8 then answer C would be correct for question five.
1.A
2.C
3.B
4.B
5.C*Verified to be correct by the washington post.
6.C
7.D