Digging

Q2.


a) Soil
b) finding valuables in the ground
c) Treasure hunt
d) memories of the past
e) worms
f) digging a hole for a deceased person to rest in peace


Q4.

The repition of 'Between my finger and my Thumb,the squat pen rests' - repition works well in the poem.

The fact that brings the poem to a whole new level as there is a hidden meaning which needs to be interpretated.
Q5.

Run-on-lines:

My father, digging, I look down (2nd stanza, last line)
Till his straining rump among the flowerbeds (3rd stanza, first line)

Similes:

snug as a gun


Alliteration:

spade sinks
gravelly ground
curt cuts

Onomatopoeia:

Rasping
Sloppily
Slicing
Squelch
Slap
Soggy

Symbolism:

Living roots --> Thoughts
Pen --> Writer


Q6.

Digging

Spade
Gravelly ground
Potato drills
Heaving sods
Soggy peat


Q8.


The author knows that he does not have the accquired skill to be a farmer but believe that he have a better career as a writer. Working with the land has always been a tradition in the family. He has broken this chain but is determined to be successful in the path that he chooses.
Q9.


a) Poet
b) Everyone
c) Sincere
d) Sincere
e) run-on-lines makes you want to read the poem on and on.
f) Makes it easier to read


Q10.

I appreciate the poem as it was written well. It tell the story of the author's family. The poem emphasizes on what farming was all about and therefore makes us feel frustrated due to the fact that the author did not have the skills to follow his father's footsteps. The one thing that I liked about this poem was that it makes us read again and again. It keeps our mind thinking on what the poem is about,how does the pen relate to this poem and why they emphasized on farming etc.