- Explore how the words "I had no idea" help define the speaker and her perspective. How would the poem be different if it were in the present tense, or told from a different point of view?
- Look for clues that suggest the brother's feelings toward his family and sister, and his sister's feelings about him.
- Discuss how the speaker might look back upon the conversation with her brother. What did the sandwich mean to her brother? What does "This" mean to her, or us, by the end of the poem?
- Consider the sorts of things that get passed down in families. What is the significance of these things?
- What kind of "looking around" is the brother doing at the end of the poem?
- How does the three-part structure contribute to the poem? How would the effect of the poem be different if the order were changed; for example, what if the first part, which suggests the speaker's conclusions about her brother, came last? What if it started with dialogue?
- Consider the two-line stanzas in this poem. Why might Howe have chosen to use couplets as opposed to longer stanzas? What is the effect of the stand-alone last line? Give your students the poem as a block of prose and ask them to break it into lines and stanzas. How do theirs differ from the original, and what is the effect of those differences?
- Howe uses simple diction and very few literary devices in this poem. Are there phrases or lines that stand out as different, either because they are more "literary" or eloquent than what is around them? How does Howe use the rhythm and pacing of her lines to add meaning or beauty to the simple language in them?