"Carry" - Linda Hogan

Read lines 24–29 of “Carry.”

It says, come close, you who want to swallow me;
already I am part of you.
Come near. I will shape myself around you
so soft, so calm
I will carry you
down to a world you never knew or dreamed,

What does the personification of the water in these lines symbolize?

• Betrayal

• Comfort

• Irritation

• Nourishment

Read lines 15–20 of the poem “Carry.” Which quotation from “The Seventh Man” expresses the same sentiment?

• “We’re in the eye of the storm,” my father told me. “It’ll stay quiet like this for a while, maybe fifteen, twenty minutes, kind of like an intermission. Then the wind’ll come back the way it was before.” (paragraph 16)

• Almost in reconciliation, it seemed, the same waves that had washed up on the beach when I was a boy were now fondly washing my feet, soaking black my shoes and pant cuffs. (paragraph 62)

• All were waiting for the rest of his story. Outside, the wind had fallen, and nothing stirred. The seventh man brought his hand to his collar once again, as if in search for words. (paragraph 65)

• “They tell us that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself; but I don’t believe that,” he said. Then, a moment later, he added: “Oh, the fear is there, all right. . . .” (paragraph 66)

Which two ideas does the water most likely symbolize in both selections?

• Death

• Reflection

• Rebirth

• Regret

• Youth

Read paragraph 35 from “The Seventh Man” and lines 1–14 from “Carry.” Both selections develop a theme of a relationship between —

• child and parent

• fear and courage

• predator and prey

• regret and contentment

Which two phrases are shared themes of both selections?

• Facing fears

• Power of nature

• Guilt and shame

• Emotional Trauma

• Water and renewal