Question

poetry
the voice of the voiceless
i am the voice of the voiceless;
through me the dumb shall speak;
till the deaf worlds ear be made to hear
the cry of the wordless weak.
from street, from cage, and from kennel,
from jungle and stall, the wail
of my tortured kin proclaims the sin
of the mighty against the frail.

(a)
from jungle and stall, the wail
of my tortured kin proclaims the sin
of the mighty against the frail.

part a: what is the meaning of the word wail as it is used in line 6? (l.7.4a)
a a cry of hope
b a shout of joy or happiness
c a shriek of laughter
d a cry of pain or anger

(b) which phrase from the poem best supports the meaning of wail in part a?
a of the mighty
b proclaims the sin
c of my tortured kin
d from jungle and stall

Explanation:

Part A

The poem "The Voice of the Voiceless" deals with giving a voice to the oppressed or suffering (like the "wordless weak", "tortured kin"). The word "wail" in the line "From jungle and stall, the wail" likely refers to a cry of pain or anger, but let's analyze the options. Option D is "A cry of pain or anger". The poem's context (speaking for the voiceless, the cry of the weak, tortured kin) aligns with a cry of pain/anger. Option A (hope) doesn't fit the somber tone. Option B (joy/happiness) is opposite. Option C (laughter shriek) is also opposite. So the meaning of "wail" is a cry of pain or anger.

In Part A, we determined "wail" means a cry of pain/anger. Now we need a phrase from the poem that supports this. Let's analyze the options:

• Option A: "Of the mighty" – doesn't relate to pain/anger.
• Option B: "Proclaims the sin" – about proclaiming sin, not a cry of pain.
• Option C: "Of my tortured kin" – "tortured kin" implies suffering, so their cry (wail) would be of pain/anger, supporting the meaning of "wail" as a cry of pain/anger.
• Option D: "From jungle and stall" – just a location, not a cry of pain.

So "Of my tortured kin" supports the meaning of "wail".

Answer:

D. A cry of pain or anger

Part B