31 pages 1 hour read

Linda Pastan

To a Daughter Leaving Home

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1998

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Literary Device Answers

1. B.

2. D. Enjambment is the continuation of a sentence or thought past the end of a line of poetry. “To a Daughter Leaving Home” is one long sentence with few pauses. The unexpected line breaks create a sense of immediacy and mirror the mother’s breathlessness and the daughter’s unsteadiness.

3. B. The speaker directly addresses the poem to their daughter.

4. C. A simile is a comparison using the words “like” or “as.”

5. Short answer: There are several acceptable answers, including the “o” sounds in “wobbled,” “on,” and “round” (Lines 5-6), the “a” sounds in “crash” and “catch” (Lines 13-14), or the “a” sounds in “laughter” and “flapping” (Lines 19-21).

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