Question

PART A: Which statement best describes the theme of this poem?

Answer 1

Answer:

Part A: The statement which best describes the theme of the poem is:

C. Tragedy occurs both on the grand, collective scale and on the smaller, individual scale.

Part B: The quote which best supports the answer to Part A is:

B. "It solved by itself a math problem / that multiplied the one death by millions / to equal homeland." (Lines 37 - 39)

Explanation:

I found this question online; it refers to the poem "Bag of Bones" by Dunya Mikhail.

The poem's theme concerns the death of many as well as the death of one. One death will bring an impact with it - in the poem, it is the mother who lost her son. When a mass grave was dug up, she was able to find his remains, which brought back the memories of when he was alive as well as the feeling of loss and injustice - his death was the result of a dictatorship.

However, many more mothers are still there, at the grave, looking for their children. That one mother's tragedy is the same tragedy of many others. What the dictator has done is ruin several individual lives which, when put together, results in a collective tragedy for millions.