Read this excerpt from "The Piñata"

My mother sent me to his home every day in the summer to keep him company. "He has no one," she'd say, "since your nana passed."
He never said much to me. He only gave gruff instructions in broken English and a complaint here and there about how I didn't know Spanish. It was my second summer with him, and I could see why he was always alone.

Why is the narrator telling this tale?

to criticize his family's business practices
to describe his relationship with his grandfather
to illustrate the differences between two cultures
to explain a summer employment experience

Construct a written analysis of approximately 300−500 words about the poem “the cremation of sam mcgee.” your analysis should explain how the figurative language and literary devices contribute either to the meaning or to the narrative structure— plot, setting, characterization, and point of view—of the poem. your analysis should contain a thesis that is discussed throughout the essay. the essay should also contain textual evidence to support the analysis and a concluding paragraph. be sure to use correct punctuation, grammar, and spelling, and write using a formal style with precise vocabulary. use terms from the list provided below to construct your analysis. ballad—a type of narrative poem that tells a story, usually in the form of a folktale or legend stanza—a division of a poem that consists of two or more lines diction—the selection and use of words that influence the style and tone of the poem connotation—the emotional suggestion or implied meaning of a word that goes beyond its dictionary definition denotation—the actual or dictionary definition of a word rhythm—the recurrence of sound patterns created by a series of stressed and unstressed syllables meter—the pattern of beats within a line of poetry created by the rhythmic structure of stressed sounds rhyme scheme—a pattern of rhymes in poetry tone—the attitude of the poet toward the subject or readers, separate from mood or atmosphere mood—the overall or prevailing feeling that is created in a story or poem theme—the central idea of the story that reveals something about human life or behavior as you write your analysis, consider these questions: what is the function of rhyme in the poem? what would the poem be like if it did not rhyme? how do the rhyme and rhythm affect or enhance the meaning of the poem? how does the use of imagery and figurative language affect the poem? how is the subject matter and conflict affected by the structure of the poem? did i conclude my analysis clearly, supporting my analysis?

Which of these sentences exhibits proper usage? a. many doctors affiliated with university hospital expressed concern about the policy (moore 5). b. many doctors affiliated with university hospital expressed concern about the policy (moore 5). c. many doctors affiliated with university hospital expressed concern about the policy (moore 5). d. many doctors affiliated with university hospital expressed concern about the policy (moore 5).

Which two passages in this excerpt from the death of ivan illych does leo tolstoy use to suggest that ivan ilych feels like his life is slipping away from him? "what's the use? it makes no difference," he said to himself, staring with wide-open eyes into the darkness. "death. yes, death. and none of them knows or wishes to know it, and they have no pity for me. now they are playing." (he heard through the door the distant sound of a song and its accompaniment.) "it's all the same to them, but they will die too! fools! i first, and they later, but it will be the same for them. and now they are merry . . the beasts! " anger choked him and he was agonizingly, unbearably miserable. "it is impossible that all men have been doomed to suffer this awful horror! " he raised himself. "something must be wrong. i must calm myself—must think it all over from the beginning." and he again began thinking. "yes, the beginning of my illness: i knocked my side, but i was still quite well that day and the next. it hurt a little, then rather more. i saw the doctors, then followed despondency and anguish, more doctors, and i drew nearer to the abyss. my strength grew less and i kept coming nearer and nearer, and now i have wasted away and there is no light in my eyes.