Question

read the excerpt from
hobert\ in cane.
he is way down. down. mud, coming to his banty knees, almost hides them. soon people will be looking at him and calling him a strong man. no doubt he is for one who has had rickets. lets give it to him. lets call him great when the water shall have been all drawn off. lets build a monument and set it in the ooze where he goes down. a monument of hewn oak. ... lets open our throats, brother, and sing \deep river\ when he goes down.

brother, rhobert is sinking.
lets open our throats, brother,
lets sing deep river when he goes down.
which best describes toomers use of diction in this excerpt?
the phrase \open our throats\ shows that rhobert cannot speak.
the use of the word \oak\ implies that rhobert is large like a tree.
the phrase \for one who has had rickets\ suggests rhobert is not in fact strong.
the connotation of the word \monument\ emphasizes rhoberts greatness.

Explanation:

• The first option is incorrect: "open our throats" refers to singing, not that Rhobert cannot speak.
• The second option is incorrect: the oak monument is a sarcastic tribute, not a description of Rhobert's size.
• The third option is correct: the line "for one who has had rickets" undermines the earlier sarcastic praise of Rhobert as a "strong man," revealing he is not actually strong.
• The fourth option is incorrect: the "monument in the ooze" is sarcastic, not a sincere emphasis of his greatness.

Answer:

C. The phrase "for one who has had rickets" suggests Rhobert is not in fact strong.