I Sit and Look Out

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1860

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1. irony

2. A. Every sentence except for the last one begins with I + a verb, such as “I sit,” “I hear,” and “I see.”

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3. C. The speaker makes a general statement about “all sorrows” and “all / oppression” to begin the poem (lines 1-2), then narrows his focus to specific individuals. This pattern repeats itself starting in line 9 when the speaker returns to a general assessment, then narrows his focus to specific groups of people.

4. C. Alliteration is the repetition of beginning sounds in consecutive words.