Wichita Mourning
David Matherne

Pipe organs—dusty and tarnished—

Bellowed the ancient song,
As movers carried the pews
For one last time.

Frozen branches—heavy with ice arms— 5
Couldn’t perform their dance,
As workmen shuffled inside
The worn-out floors.

Sally Richards—broken and mourning—
Watched while her father left, 10
As painters brought in their cans
For the first time.

Stained-glass windows—buckled and broken—
Surveyed commotion’s cause
As commerce won in the end 15
Yet one more time.

Reverend Richards—feeble and finished—
Cried as his exit was lost
On Christians who worshiped the dime;
A change of the times. 20

Read the passage on the left to answer the following questions:
1)
Sally Richards—broken and mourning—
Watched while her father left
Which dictionary definition of broken BEST applies to its use in lines 9 and 10 from the poem?
A) at rest
B) defeated
C) shattered
D) no longer working
2)
Imagine you are presenting this poem and need a visual aid to accompany your presentation. The visual aid should relate to the theme of the poem, the loss and destruction of this beautiful church.

Which visual aid would be MOST appropriate?
A) a road map of Wichita
B) pictures showing the businesses and stores of Wichita
C) a list of workers needed for the renovation of the building
D) original floorplans and pictures of the church
3)
To present the theme that change and progress are often painful, the poet uses
A) repetition of words to symbolize pain.
B) characters that express their feelings.
C) sensory images to create a feeling of loss.
D) rhyming words to create a rhythm of sadness.
4)
Which word BEST completes the analogy?

Sally Richards:Reverend Richards :: watched:
A) carried
B) left
C) lost
D) stayed
5)
This text might be identified as a memoir if
A) it employed the multi-level usage of a literary symbol.
B) it told one person's emotional memory of a church's destruction.
C) it had more extensive use of rhyme, imagery, and figurative language.
D) it had more regular stanzas and used the same line lengths throughout.

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