Exploring the Text

1. Natasha Trethewey subtitles her poem “After Winslow Homer” and begins it with an epigraph quoting a Civil War soldier’s letter to his father. How do these two introductory elements inform your reading of the poem?

   Question

   ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=

   Exploring the Text: - Natasha Trethewey subtitles her poem “After Winslow Homer” and begins it with an epigraph quoting a Civil War soldier’s letter to his father. How do these two introductory elements inform your reading of the poem?
2. Read the first sentence aloud, noting the line breaks as the poet indicates. What emotions are evoked? What tone do the first four lines establish?

   Question

   ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=

   Exploring the Text: - Read the first sentence aloud, noting the line breaks as the poet indicates. What emotions are evoked? What tone do the first four lines establish?
3. What biblical images and associations does Trethewey include in the poem? What is the effect of references to “the trinity” (l. 10) or the simile “like scripture on the field’s open page” (l. 13)?

   Question

   ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=

   Exploring the Text: - What biblical images and associations does Trethewey include in the poem? What is the effect of references to “the trinity” (l. 10) or the simile “like scripture on the field’s open page” (l. 13)?
4. What is the “language of bounty” (l. 12)? Consider the actual reference that the appositive structure indicates as well as the metaphoric meaning.

   Question

   ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=

   Exploring the Text: - What is the “language of bounty” (l. 12)? Consider the actual reference that the appositive structure indicates as well as the metaphoric meaning.
5. The “distant field” of the last three lines introduces a scene that happens outside the frame of the painting. What is that scene? Were you surprised by this turn in the poem? Why or why not? Reread the poem and consider the ways that Trethewey might be preparing the reader for the final stanza.

   Question

   ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=

   Exploring the Text: - The “distant field” of the last three lines introduces a scene that happens outside the frame of the painting. What is that scene? Were you surprised by this turn in the poem? Why or why not? Reread the poem and consider the ways that Trethewey might be preparing the reader for the final stanza.