Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- What is the effect of having the speaker be so mysterious in the poem? How would the poem change if it told us more about the guy?
- What is the effect of the conversational tone of the poem? How does it help or hurt the poet in getting across the story?
- Do you think the speaker loves the grandmother? How can you tell? If not, what is his attitude toward her?
- What might the grandmother's last words (in this poem, anyway) say about her attitude toward life? Why are those words so important to this poem (they're named in the title, after all)?
- How does the poet's constant use of enjambment affect your understanding of the poem? Why do you think he chooses to break the lines where he does?
- Compare and contrast this poem to another by Williams, like "The Red Wheelbarrow," "This is Just to Say," or "The Widow's Lament in Springtime." What similarities and differences do you see in the poet's style, language, and choice of theme?
- Compare and contrast this poem to another about a family member who's died like "my father moved through dooms of love" by E.E. Cummings. How do the poets deal similarly and differently with the death of a relative?