How does the poem challenge authority — those who set standards for “literary merit” — and instead celebrate popular culture? What does Alvarez mean by “a literary border guard” (l. $19$), and how does this image also challenge authority?

What is the significance of the game of dominoes in this story? Why does Máximo “like dominoes, the way each piece [becomes] part of the next” (para. $91$)? Why do the men “argue” that dominoes was not invented by the Chinese but the Cubans? (You might want to inquire into the history of the game.)

What does Sammy’s description of the other A & P customers and A & P employees suggest about his attitude toward his work at the grocery store? Discuss how Sammy is simultaneously critical of the small-town world where he lives and a part of it. Is he being hypocritical?

What is Browning saying to her “sister” in lines $7–9$?

What conflicts or contradictions between being a writer and being a woman does Browning suggest in these two sonnets?

The poem contains references to the tools of both the carpenter’s and the sculptor’s craft. Does this specialized language enhance your response to the poem, or is it a distraction? Consider terms such as “plane” (l. $3$) and “gimlet” (l. $28$).

Why does the speaker assert that “Eng. Lit. . . . was the heart / of alien conquest” (ll. $31–34$)?

Where do you find evidence of irony in the poem?

The speaker alternates between first-person singular and plural. Who are “we” or “our” meant to include?

How is Arnold Friend characterized by the external descriptions Oates provides of his physical features and his clothes? What does his dialogue add? Is he a three-dimensional character or a stereotypical one? Examine the passage where Connie first sees him (para. $7$). Why is she drawn to Arnold Friend?

What words and images in this poem suggest speech, sound, and voice? What is Alvarez’s purpose in including so many? Why does she end the poem with the ellipsis dots?

What are the most striking differences between Máximo’s life as he remembers it when he and his family were in Cuba and the life we see in this story? Note especially those differences beyond his economic status, and consider the culture of the family and the sources of his identity.

How does Brooks’s use of monosyllabic words, alliteration, and internal rhyme contribute to your understanding of these “cool” young men?

Which country was the first to gain independence? Which was the last?