Question

Direction: Read the poem and answer the TWO questions that follow.
The slow person you left behind when, finally,
you mastered the world, and scaled the heights you now command,
where is he while you
walked around the shaved lawn in your plus fours,
organizing with an electric clipboard
your big push to tomorrow?
Oh, I have come across him, yes, I have, more than once,
coaxing his battered grocery cart down the freeway meridian,
Others see in you sundry mythic types distinguished
not just in themselves but by the stories
we put in with beginnings, ends, surprises:
the baby Oedipus on the hillside with his broken feet
or the dog whose barking saves the grandmother
flailing in the millpond beyond the weir,
dragged down by her woolen skirt.
He doesn’t see you as a story, though.
He feels you as his atmosphere. When your sun shines,
he chorteles. When your barometric pressure drops
and the thunder heads gather,
he huddles under the overpass and writes me long letters with
the study little pencil he steals from the public library.
He asks me to look out for you.
Which of the following statements BEST interprets the lines “He doesn’t see you as a story, though/He feels you as his atmosphere”?

• A. You are larger than life
• B. You are not a narrative of the past
• C. You are haunted by your past
• D. You are an extension of the past
• E. Your present subsumes your past

Answer 1

Answer: (E)

To interpret the lines “He doesn’t see you as a story, though/He feels you as his atmosphere,” we must understand the context of the poem and the metaphorical language used by the poet.

• The poem contrasts two personas: the successful, present self (“you”) and the slower, perhaps less accomplished, past self (“he”) that was left behind.
• The phrase “He doesn’t see you as a story, though/He feels you as his atmosphere” suggests that the past self doesn't view the current self as a separate entity with a distinct past and future narrative. Instead, the present self is seen as an all-encompassing atmosphere.
• The term "atmosphere" implies something that surrounds and envelops, suggesting that the present self's accomplishments, characteristics, and circumstances dominate and overshadow any previous identity or narrative of self.
• Thus, the line “Your present subsumes your past” best captures this interpretation. Here, 'subsumes' means that the present self not only encompasses but also overrides or absorbs the identity and experiences of the past self.

Therefore, the correct interpretation and choice is: Your present subsumes your past.

Answer 2

The provided lines from the poem “He doesn’t see you as a story, though/He feels you as his atmosphere” discuss a nuanced relationship between two states of existence. The speaker contrasts narrative and atmospheric presence, emphasizing that one’s current state envelops and affects another persistently. Understanding each part of the lines is crucial for interpreting their meaning:

1. “He doesn’t see you as a story,”: This suggests that the past or a historical narrative is not the focus of this perspective. Story implies a sequential, past-oriented view.
2. “He feels you as his atmosphere”: The word “atmosphere” indicates an enveloping, omnipresent influence, suggesting immediacy and current impact rather than a distant, structured narrative.

Considering the options:

You are larger than life

• : Implies a grandiose presence but not specifically about the relationship with the past.

You are not a narrative of the past

• : While partially addressing the idea, it misses the emphasis on current influence.

You are haunted by your past

• : Suggests a lingering presence of the past, contrary to the focus on present atmosphere.

You are an extension of the past

• : Implies continuity but not necessarily encompassing the immediate and pervasive present.

Your present subsumes your past

• : This best captures the idea of being in the atmosphere—the present influence that overrides any past narrative. “Subsumes” perfectly describes the concept where current existence becomes all-encompassing, enveloping past events.

Therefore, the statement that BEST interprets the lines is “Your present subsumes your past.”