Question

Story name: my mother pieced quilts

The speaker describes both herself and the quilts as “sewn hard and taut to withstand the thrashings of / twenty-five years” in lines 53 to 54. Using context clues in these lines and the entire stanza, infer the meaning of taut as it is used in this description. Write the meaning in your own words and explain how you figured it out.

Answer 1

[AI-generated answer — Bot GPT 3.5]

In this context, "taut" means that the quilts are tightly stitched and pulled tightly to withstand the wear and tear of being used for twenty-five years. The speaker describes themselves and the quilts as "sewn hard and taut," implying that they have been stitched with great strength and tightness, making them durable and able to endure rough use.