Ami Nunez-Silverstein

Ms. Landa

H. English 9, P7

October 25, 2021

The Poet X Pages 66-92 Questions

1. How does Caridad respond to Xiomara’s feelings toward Aman? What do you think

Caridad means when she says: “C: Sometimes I think I’m the only one / trying to protect

you from yourself”?

Caridad tells Xiomara that he shouldn’t feel that way about a person she isn’t

married to. When Caridad says “Sometimes I think I’m the only one / trying to protect

you from yourself”, Caridad is saying that she thinks that she is the only person trying to

help Xiomara make good decisions.

2. What connection can be made between the two quotes below? Explain in detail.

a. “This secret hope we (Xiomara and Twin) share, / that we are both good

enough / for each other and maybe the world, too” (23).

b. “I once heard a rumor / that goldfish have an evolutionary gene / where they’ll

only develop as big as the tank they’re put into” (74).

 These two quotes are both about Xiomara and Twin, and how good they

are. The first quote talks about how they both secretly hope that they are good

enough for each other and the world. The second quote is Xiomara wonderin is

she and Xavier would grow better with the absence of the other. It seems that she

feels as if she is holding Xavier back, and the way the first quote is phrased

implies that they think they aren’t good enough. Both of these quotes are about

how they wish to be good enough, yet believe they aren’t.

3. Why do you think Xiomara feels like the video Ms. Galiano plays for the class “felt

more like a gift”? Explain.

I think the video felt more like a gift for Xiomara because it showed that other

people were thinking and doing a similar thing to what she was doing. It showed that

other people had similar thoughts. IT showed Xiomara that poetry is something that can

get applause. I think to Xiomara, it was like a gift because it showed her that her writing

wasn’t weird, but something that could get applause.

4. What are some of Xiomara’s reservations or concerns about joining the Spoken Word

Poetry Club? Explain why you think Xiomara has these concerns.

Xiomara has a couple of concerns about joining the Spoken Word Poetry Club.

One, she doesn't believe she could perform in front of an audience. Second and more

importantly, she doesn’t think she would be able to join anyway because she has

confirmation class during the time when the poetry club meets. I think Xiomara is
concerned about performing in front of an audience because she is a fairly quiet and

reserved person, and doesn’t believe she could do it. She is worried about confirmation

class, because Mami forced Xiomara to attend mass every single day over not eating a

single communion wafer.

5. “And even that young I learned music can become a bridge between you and a total

stranger” (83). Considering The Poet X, how does literature or poetry, like music,

“become a bridge” for people? Explain.

As Xiomara mentioned when watching the poetry video in class, literature and

poetry can show people that they are not alone. It can inspire people to do new things.

Literature and poetry can also connect people in the same way anything can. People often

create connections with others based on sports, literature, or poetry that they both like,

bringing them together.