Question

in \incident,\ what is the speaker remembering?
the ku klux klan burning a cross on the lawn
a hurricane striking the neighborhood
neighbors gathering to celebrate christmas eve
a very bad dream the speaker once had
question 4
after telling the story, why does the speaker in \incident\ say
othing really happened\?
the men put out the fire; the house was not in danger from the fire.
the men looked at the cross and left; they did not cause any damage.
the men did not physically hurt anyone; they burned the cross and went away.
the men were having a celebration; they did not mean to frighten anyone.

Explanation:

In the poem "Incident", the speaker is remembering a traumatic event related to racial hatred. The Ku Klux Klan is a white supremacist group. Burning a cross is a symbol of their intimidation. For the second question, while the physical damage might seem minimal (no one was physically hurt in a direct - violent way like assault), the psychological and symbolic impact is huge. Saying "nothing really happened" is a form of downplaying the event, but the act of burning the cross is a violent act of intimidation.

Answer:

Explanation Format