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What can you infer about the speaker’s feelings toward her father? Why doesn’t she try to intervene in the conflict between her parents? Cite evidence from the text to support your answer.
the speaker understands how hard it was for her father to take a job in the city.
What do the poem’s title and subtitle mean? How do these ideas relate to the theme of the poem?
The title refers to the lack of recognition the father receives. “Without ceremony” could mean that he never experienced important cultural rites of passage.
1. What is the main theme of the poem? A. The father’s success in adapting to modern life B. The tension between tradition and modernization C. The importance of hard work in the city D. The loss of family communication
B. The tension between tradition and modernization
2. What do the buffalo symbolize in the poem? A. Wealth and prosperity B. Hard labor and survival C. Cultural heritage and spiritual identity D. The father’s weakness
C. Cultural heritage and spiritual identity
3. The line “No one sang his buffalo song” suggests that— A. The father forgot his culture. B. The family didn’t enjoy music. C. Traditional ceremonies were lost in modern life. D. He was happy in the city.
C. Traditional ceremonies were lost in modern life.
4. The simile “I heard his buffalo grunts like a snore” implies— A. The father still dreams of his old identity. B. He works too much and sleeps often. C. The city is noisy at night. D. He has lost all memory of the past.
A. The father still dreams of his old identity.
5. “The aerial on his old car waving like a bowstring” is an example of— A. Metaphor B. Simile C. Personification D. Hyperbole
B. Simile
Look back at the repeated references to buffalo in the poem. Why might the poet bring up this image again and again? What theme might the references to buffalo develop?
The symbolism of the buffalo is easy to recognize because it is often associated with a time in the history of the Plains Indians when they were free to live.
6. What two settings are contrasted in the poem? A. Desert and ocean B. Plains and city C. School and home D. Past and future
B. Plains and city
7. What emotion does the poem mainly express? A. Anger and defiance B. Joy and freedom C. Nostalgia and quiet sorrow D. Pride and ambition
C. Nostalgia and quiet sorrow
8. The line “I remember the animal tracks of his car” is an example of— A. Imagery and metaphor B. Hyperbole C. Irony D. Personification
metaphore
9. What does the mother’s command, “Get rid of them,” symbolize? A. A wish for a new car B. A rejection of old traditions C. Fear of animals D. Desire for peace
B. A rejection of old traditions
10. Which line best captures the father’s hidden strength and pride? A. “He worked in the stockyards.” B. “No one sang his buffalo song.” C. “I heard his buffalo grunts like a snore.” D. “The aerial on his old car waving like a bowstring.”
D. “The aerial on his old car waving like a bowstring.”
