The railway train
emily dickinson, 1896

i like to see it lap the miles,
and lick the valleys up,
and stop to feed itself at tanks;
and then, prodigious, step

around a pile of mountains,
and, supercilious, peer
in shanties by the sides of roads;
and then a quarry pare

to fit its sides, and crawl between,
complaining all the while
in horrid, hooting stanza;
then chase itself down hill

and neigh like boanerges1;
then, punctual as a star,
stop—docile and omnipotent—
at its own stable door.

1the name of a thoroughbred race horse famous in north america in the late 19th century

which of the following describes a theme in this poem that was also important during the late 19th century?

change is destructive to nature.
modern machines bring many changes.
nature can be found in everything.
simplicity is the best way of life.

Lesson 10: crossing borders: unit test “borders” 1.what does the mother’s refusal to state her nationality as canadian or american signify? a)that she resents governmental interference with her life b)that she identifies with neither country c)that she comes from somewhere else d)that she is stubborn and proud 4.the author’s chosen visual images,sensory details, and dialogue all convey a particular feeling in “delfino ii: diez in the desert.” thus feeling is known as: a)tone b)mood c)pathos 5.compare and contrast the poem “mexicans begin jogging” and the story “delfino ii: diez in the desert.” a)both are written about similar themes (immigration), but the story has a more serious mood than the poem b)both focus on mexican immigrants, but the story has a lighter tone than the poem. c)both main characters are afraid: diez is afraid of being caught smuggling people over the border, and soto is afraid of being caught working illegally. d)the tone in both selections is similar, but the subject matter differs slightly. 15. the tone of the poem “ka’ba” versus the tone of the poem “harlem ii” might be described as a)grateful vs ungrateful b)certain vs doubtful c) hurtful vs defeated d)safe vs dangerous