“WHAT IF WE WERE ALONE?” Poem by William Stafford 1. Infer What phrase is repeated in the title and the questions in the first stanza? What does this repetition indicate about the poem’s speaker? 2. Interpret In line 5, why do you think a dash appears at the end of the third question? 3. Compare How does the poet suggest that both space and the earth itself are mysterious? 4. Draw Conclusions What do you think is the theme of “What If We Were Alone?” Why do you think so? 5. Notice & Note In the first stanza, you read some “words of the wiser” as spoken by Galileo. Whose “words” are described in the final stanza? What makes these “wise” words, too?