Question

meeting miss rosie

theres no way this older woman can be the miss rosie of cliftons poem. why not? what specific information from the poem convinces you?

Explanation:

Analyze the prompt and image

The prompt asks why the smiling, well-dressed older woman in the photograph cannot be the "Miss Rosie" described in Lucille Clifton's poem "Miss Rosie." It asks for specific textual evidence from the poem.

Contrast the image with the poem

The photograph shows a happy, healthy, neatly dressed, and smiling older woman. In contrast, Lucille Clifton's poem "Miss Rosie" describes a woman who has fallen on extremely hard times, living in poverty and decay on the streets.

Identify specific sensory imagery from the poem

Using Sensory Imagery from the poem, we find descriptions of Miss Rosie's physical state and surroundings:

• She is described as "sitting deep in garbage."
• She is wrapped in "old garbage bags."
• Her feet are described as "dirty... wrapped in rags."
• She is called a "wet brown bag of a woman."

Formulate the explanation

The woman in the photo is clean, smiling, and surrounded by warmth, whereas the poem's Miss Rosie is a tragic figure of homelessness and physical neglect.

Answer:

The older woman in the photograph cannot be the Miss Rosie from Lucille Clifton's poem because of the stark contrast in their physical appearance and living conditions.

While the woman in the photo is clean, neatly dressed, smiling, and healthy, the poem describes Miss Rosie through vivid, tragic details of homelessness and decay:

• Living in garbage: The poem states she is "sitting deep in garbage" and wrapped in "old garbage bags."
• Physical neglect: Her feet are described as "dirty" and "wrapped in rags."
• Tragic appearance: The speaker refers to her as a "wet brown bag of a woman" who has been destroyed by time and circumstance.