The first classmate who raised her hand commented that she really liked the how the narrator “withdr[ew] from the blood”. A few other students agreed. Another classmate said that he liked how the narrator having to kill a “demon” indicates that something is weighing this character down emotionally. The same classmate also liked how I repeated “pay is still less than the sum” because the line enforces that the main character’s suffering is not complete despite the poem ending. Another classmate said that she really liked how the line “with each wet step I grow lighter” utilized figurative imagery to show that the character is freeing herself from the burden of life’s troubles. One student made an interesting comment about how the phrase “sirens shriek” caused her to continuously hear ringing as the rest …show more content…
However, someone else questioned whether the poem was about the narrator “killing someone” or the narrator“killing themselves” due to the line about “killing a demon”. Most of the class seemed to agree with the “killing themselves” interpretation, but one student argued that the narrator “forcing [herself] to look ahead” implies that the character did not commit suicide. Another classmate agreed and pointed out that the narrator “tapping [her] feet against the asphalt” does not indicate suicide either. Ms. North commented that this line should be changed to better fit the dreary tone. However, another student interpreted the “tapping” as happening before the narrator commits suicide. Another classmate commented that she liked how the first line seemed to have a completely different meaning when rereading the poem, since it illustrates how killing one’s own inner demons is a cycle. One student also felt disconnected at “with each glance your shadow grows darker”, since the poem is not clear about what this character is glancing at or where this dialogue is coming