Question

Accounting Nights too warm for TV we’re flung outdoors to the porch, citronella candles scenting the space between us, our faces aglow in gold light. She crowds the card table 5 with coin banks, an abacus, five and ten dollar rolling paper, our tidy ledger. I count, line the coins in neat rows, the abacus clicking out our worth, 10 how much we can save, stack up against the seasons - winter coming, her tightly braided hair turning white; her hands quick, filing the paper casings like homemade sausage. 15 There’s money in the bank downtown, but this we’ll keep at home buried in jars beneath the house, the crawl space filing up, packed solid as any foundation. 20 Natasha Trethewey (b. 1966) What are the connotations of the word “worth” in the phrase “the abacus clicking out our worth” (10)? How is the speaker discussing something more than financial worth? Why do the speaker and her mother keep money “buried in jars beneath the house” (18) when, as she says, they have money in a downtown bank? Is there an emotional or psychological reason for hoarding the coins at home? What connotations are implied in the closing word “foundation” (20)?

Answer 1

1. The Connotations of the word "worth" are a) financial value and b) assets.

• The speaker uses the abacus with her mother to analyze and summarize their financial worth.  Before the advent of calculators, the abacus served as a tool for counting financial figures.

2. The speaker discusses something more than financial worth when she stated that their worth was being counted or evaluated with an abacus to show that one should always account for their possessions, whether the possessions are financial or not.

• Periodically, the speaker and her mother needed to determine their preparedness for the coming winter season.  During the winter, they would not have the opportunity to venture outside their closed doors to get things for the sustenance of life.

• So taking account before the rain days is important in life, though it may sound tedious and mundane.

3. The speaker and her mother have to keep money "buried" in jars for safe-keeping.  Accountants are known for using professional techniques to safeguard the assets of their entities.

4. There is always an emotional or psychological reason for hoarding coins at home.  Keeping some cash within easy reach had always been more prudent than having every coin kept in the bank.

The experience of winter gloriously teaches that ready cash must be available at home and not always in the bank.  This practice is gradually becoming outdated with the advent of online banking and bank cards.

5. The closing word "foundation" in Accounting by Natasha Trethewey shows that money is important in a home, just as the foundation is to a building.

• Money keeps the home together.  Time spent together doing some "accounting" is the cement of the home. A building on a strong foundation stands the test of the weather.

Thus, the art of accounting has remained a long-time practice connected with the determination of financial worth and value.

Read more about Natasha Trethewey's poems at brainly.com/question/22202201