Fences

1. In line 3, the poet mentions the "Suitcase full of dollars" mainly to convey-

• the reason why the visitors have traveled so far to come to the island
• the high cost of the hotel the visitors are staying at 
• the sharp contrast between the people who live near the beach and the visitors
• the reason why the visitors to the hotels are very happy to be on vacation

2. Which lines best indicate that the tourists have little lasting effect on local life?

• Every morning my brother makes/the cool beach new for them,
• With a wooden board he smooths/away all the footprints
• I peek through the cactus fence/and watch the women rub oil/sweeter than honey into their arms and legs
• while their children jump waves/or sip drinks from long straws/coconut white, mango yellow

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

3. In lines 8-13, the speaker expresses a feeling of-

• hope, because the tourists are having such a good time on the beach
• uncertainty, because he does not know if he will be allowed to join the tourists 
• anger, because he resents how the tourists take over the beaches that belong to his people 
• wonder, because the tourists' lives are so much different from his own life

4. Because the poem is written from the speaker's point of view, the reader is better able to understand-

• how a child would react to this situation
• why tourism can destroy a native economy
• what the fences in the title represent
• why the mother reacts as she does at the end

5. Read line 17 from the poem. "My mother roared like the ocean,"
The poet uses a simile in this line to show that the mother is-

• as loud and powerful as the ocean
• terrified that her daughter will go where she does not belong
• angry that her daughter is being too friendly to foreigners
• eager to be heard over the sound of the waves

6. The repetition of the words "It's their beach, it's their beach" suggest that the mother-

• understands the wide gulf between local residents and the tourists
• wants the tourists to be able to enjoy the beach by themselves
• is afraid that her daughter will drown because she cannot swim
• believes that the beach is private property