Introduction, Theories of Time and Space Natasha Trethewey (b. 1966) has been a State Poet Laureate of Mississippi and a United States Poet Laureate, and has won a Pulitzer Prize.

Introduction, Theories of Time and Space Natasha Trethewey (b. 1966) has been a State Poet Laureate of Mississippi and a United States Poet Laureate, and has won a Pulitzer Prize. Her poems combine reflections about the the history of African Americans in Mississippi with her own experience growing up biracial in the South. Trethewey wrote “Theories of Time and Space” as the introduction to her book of poems Native Guard. That title refers to the Louisiana Native Guards, a group of black Union soldiers who watched over imprisoned Confederate soldiers on Ship Island, off the coast of Mississippi. Like other poems in the collection, “Theories of Time and Space” takes readers on a tour of the American South, while pondering how the passage of time makes everything different than what came before. Summary In this poem, the speaker alludes to the idea that the passing of time makes each moment in life unique. To exemplify this, she gives driving directions. The speaker instructs the reader to take a road until it reaches a dead end, where there is a port. From there, the reader should board a boat bound for an island, taking only the reader’s memory as luggage. Before boarding the boat, the reader’s picture will be taken. Upon returning, the photograph will be presented to the reader to illustrate how the trip changed them. Read You can get there from here, though there’s no going home. Everywhere you go will be somewhere you’ve never been. Try this: head south on Mississippi 49, one- by-one mile markers ticking off another minute of your life. Follow this to its natural conclusion —dead end at the coast, the pier at Gulfport where riggings of shrimp boats are loose stitches in a sky threatening rain. Cross over the man-made beach, 26 miles of sand dumped on the mangrove swamp—buried terrain of the past. Bring only what you must carry— tome of memory, its random blank pages. On the dock where you board the boat for Ship Island, someone will take your picture: the photograph—who you were— will be waiting when you return. Question 1 Instructions Read the question carefully and select the best answer. “Theories of Time and Space” is written in  tense, from a  point of view. Answer choices for the above question A. present; first-person B. present; second-person C. present; third-person limited D. present; third-person omniscient Question 2 Instructions Read the question carefully and select the best answer. What is most closely the definition of conclusion as it is used in the passage below (lines 7-11)? Follow this to its natural conclusion—dead end at the coast, the pier at Gulfport where riggings of shrimp boats are loose stitches in a sky threatening rain. Answer choices for the above question A. noun | a final decision or judgment B. noun | the end of a process C. noun | an opinion arrived at by argument or reasoning D. noun | the final paragraph of an essay Question 3 Instructions Read the question carefully and select the best answer. Which of the following selections best summarizes the speaker’s theory? Answer choices for the above question A. Taking photographs is a good way to remember the past. B. In order to learn about the world, it is necessary for a person to travel. C. The passage of time makes every one of life’s moments unique. D. It is important to let go of bad memories. Question 4 Instructions Read the question carefully and select the best answer. Which of the poem’s stanzas best proves the speaker’s theory? Answer choices for the above question A. “another minute of your life. Follow this / to its natural conclusion—dead end” B. “what you must carry—tome of memory, / its random blank pages. On the dock” C. “where you board the boat for Ship Island, someone will take your picture:” D. “the photograph—who you were— will be waiting when you return.” Question 5 Instructions Place the speaker’s instructions in the poem in their correct order: *Be changed by your visit to the island. *Drive south on MS 49. *Cross the manmade beach. *Get on the boat for Ship Island. FIRST SECOND THIRD FOURTH Write Question 1 Beginning in line 4, what does the speaker instruct the listener to do, and why? What point does this prove? Explain, citing evidence from the poem. Question 2 In lines 13-14, the listener passes the “buried / terrain of the past” on their way to Ship Island. What does this phrase refer to? Why is it important to the poem’s meaning? Question 3 What is Ship Island now? How can you infer this? Refer to specific evidence from the poem to support your answer. Question 4 In line 15, the speaker refers to a “tome of memory” that people carry with them. Based on context clues, what do you think the word tome means? Write your best definition of tome here and explain how you figured it out. Question 5 Read the following dictionary entry: conclusion con•clu•sion /kÉ™nˈkloÍžoZHÉ™n/ noun the end or finish of a process the summation of an argument in a text or essay a final decision or judgment Which definition most closely matches the meaning of conclusion as it is used in line 8? Write the correct definition of conclusion here and explain how you figured out the correct meaning. Question 6 “Everywhere you go will be somewhere / you’ve never been,” the speaker of the poem insists. What does this mean? How can this be true? In 250 words or more, explain why this line is central to the poem’s meaning and whether you agree with its overall logic. Cite examples from the entire poem to support your conclusions.