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2055 3. Do you think the poem is about collective grief, given the occasion it was meant to honor, or Roxane Gayis it about something else? Explain. 4. Would you consider this to be a poem protesting gun violence, or does it have a broader message? How effective is it at either level? QUESTIONS Analyzing Language, Style, and Structure 5. Vocabulary in Context. What is the meaning of the word %u201cfoundry,%u201d which appears in lines 5 and 6? How does the poem develop its meaning to suggest rebirth? 6. Who is the speaker of %u201cHeal the Cracks in the Bell of the World%u201d? What do the repeated imperatives in the poem %u2014 listen, melt, heal %u2014 suggest about the speaker%u2019s persona? 7. What do the italicized lines have in common? What is the effect of them throughout the poem? 8. How does Espada personify bells throughout the poem? How does this figurative language reinforce an overarching theme or message? 9. Read the poem aloud and/or listen to Mart%u00edn Espada read it using an online recording. You may notice that it sounds a bit like a bell tolling. How does Espada achieve that effect? It will be helpful to look at repetition, rhythm, and even some internal rhymes. QUESTIONS Topics for Composing 10. Argument. Write an essay in which you take a stand on the extent to which the arts %u2014 music, poetry, painting, sculpture %u2014 can change the world. 11. Analysis. Former U.S. poet laureate Richard Blanco wrote about %u201cHeal the Cracks in the Bell of the World, %u201cLike all great poems, this poem explores nuances and multiple meanings. In this context, bells evoke exultation, celebration %u2014 they mark thresholds in time, change, a new dawn (e.g. weddings), freedom (the Liberty Bell).%u201d What do bells bring to your mind? How does the poem%u2019s use of the image of bells span several different meanings? Choose one or two of the multiple meanings and analyze their connection to the poem%u2019s function as an occasional poem (which is a poem written to document or comment on a particular event). 12. Argument. In %u201cHeal the Cracks in the Bell of the World,%u201d Espada speaks figuratively when he proposes we %u201cmelt the bullets into bells.%u201d To move from the abstract to the concrete, write an essay in which you propose practical solutions to the problem of gun violence. QUESTIONS QUESTIONS Gabriel Olsen/FilmMagic/Getty Imagesfrom Bad Feminist: Take Two Roxane Gay Roxane Gay (b. 1974) is a Haitian American writer born in Omaha, Nebraska, whose works often explore issues of feminism, race, and sexuality. She has a BA from Vermont College of Norwich University, an MA from University of Nebraska%u2013Lincoln, and a PhD from Michigan Technological University. In addition to writing numerous works of fiction and nonfiction, Gay was one of the first Black women to be a lead writer for Marvel Comics when she worked on the World of Wakanda comic book series. She is a contributing opinions writer at the New York Times . Copyright %u00a9 Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. Distributed by Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. For review purposes only. Not for redistribution.