Question

In “At Dusk,” what do the speaker’s thoughts reveal about her ideas concerning home? Use two details from the poem to support your response.

Answer 1

Answer:

In her poem, Natasha Trethewey´s description of home shows that, despite being usually a comfortable place, it can take away the possibility of exploring new and more interesting places.

Explanation:

This idea arises from the image of a cat choosing whether to go back home or not. Staying outside is described as a “luminous possibility—all that would keep her away from home".

Then, Trethewey states that her observation of the cat led her to wonder if she could be able to get someone to come back to her home, questioning if her voice would be "enough to call someone home".