问答题
Read the following poem and write a short essay based on the following questions in about 100 words.(8 points)Saturday at the Canal(1998)By Gary Soto(1952~)I was hoping to be happy by seventeen.School was a sharp check mark in the roll book,An obnoxious tuba playing at noon because our teamWas going to win at night. The teachers wereToo close to dying to understand. The hallwaysStank of poor grades and unwashed hair. Thus,A friend and I sat watching the water on Saturday,Neither of us talking much, just warming ourselvesBy hurling large rocks at the dusty groundAnd feeling awful because San Francisco was a postcardOn a bedroom wall. We wanted to go there,Hitchhike under the last migrating birdsAnd be with people who knew more than three chordsOn a guitar. We didn"t drink or smoke,But our hair was shoulder length, wild whenThe wind picked up and the shadows ofThis loneliness gripped loose dirt. By bus or car,By the sway of train over a long bridge,We wanted to get out. The years frozeAs we sat on the bank. Our eyes followed the water,White-tipped but dark underneath, racing out of town.Questions:A. What does the first line "I was hoping to be happy by seventeen" imply about the theme of the poem? How is the theme developed in this poem?B. The poem is marked with vivid imagery. Please pick out some dominant images/ motion/ activity and stillness/ stagnation and tell the meanings they each convey.C. What kind of reaction to life does this poem display? How universal is the schoolboy"s emotional experience?D. Meanwhile, considering the fact that the poet comes from a Mexican American working-culture background, how does the poem specifically relate to minority groups" experience in the United States?
【正确答案】正确答案：The first line implies that this poem is about dream of a better place, but it also implies that some dreams are unattainable. The poet creates a thematic landscape through the use of metaphor and vivid imagery. In the initial reflection of the speaker, high school is described as "a sharp check mark in the roll book". Here, the image of a sharp check mark captures the similarity of the speaker"s experience at school. Kids are not individuals, they are merely marks in a teachers" book, meaningless in the long run. Additionally, the boys dream of escape. But Soto writes San Francisco is just "a postcard on a bedroom wall". The postcard metaphor turns a city into a bit of paper and ink rather than an actual possibility for the speaker and his friend. These images develop a deeper message of the poem, the message related to unattainable dreams. The speaker and his friend are unsatisfied with their life, because they hurl "large rocks at the dusty ground". This image of a pointless activity captures the pointless, frustration thoughts the boys have. Another is that of "loose dirt". The loose dirt seems to suggest a poor foundation, a place where the inhabitants seem to lose the weak foundation in order to find new ground. The desire is unavailable. Consider the Mexican American working-culture background of the poet, we can sense the unsatisfying life of minority groups of the U. S. , who are expecting a better change, but the change seems always impossible.