Imagery
What material is the speaker compared to at the very start of the poem?
Ivory
Who is the speaker of this poem? What is her situation?
She is a woman who wants no physical contact, using emotional and physical detachment as protection.
What is the central survival strategy the speaker uses throughout the poem?
Pretending
What literary device is used in 'Cold, I was, like snow, like ivory'?
Simile
What are the exact last three words of the poem?
'All an act'
What does the speaker say about her eyes when he touches them?
Her marbled eyes were thumbed
How does the speaker describe his hands?
Clammy
How does the speaker resist him without physically fighting back?
She becomes a statue (emotionally and physically)
What is the tone of the very short sentences and fragments throughout the poem?
Controlled tone
What does 'all an act' retroactively do to the warmth the speaker showed?
It reveals her passion was entirely performed
What sound does the speaker hear instead of his voice?
She heard the sea
What does the phrase "talked white black" suggest about him?
Twisted reality or lied
What does the speaker's willingness to "change tack" suggest about her independence?
It shows she is calculating and in control (she chooses when and how to act.)
Identify the literary device in 'My heart was ice, was glass'.
Metaphor
Does 'all an act' refer only to the warmth, or also to the coldness earlier?
The entire poem is both cold and hot, which is a performance of survival.
What physical transformation happens to the speaker near the end of the poem?
Grew warm, like candle wax
How does the speaker describe his voice when he speaks all night?
Gravel, hoarse
What does the poem suggest about the relationship between performance and survival?
That pretending can be a deliberate act of self-preservation.
What is the effect of ending the poem on a new line with 'all an act'?
Dramatic revea
Why might the poet place the twist at the very end rather than revealing it earlier?
To connect with the emotions as we read the poem
Name two types of gifts he brings her in the poem.
Polished pebbles, little bells, pearls, necklaces, and rings are all mentioned.
What does the speaker call the gifts he brings her?
Girly things
How does the poem explore the theme of power?
It questions who really holds power (the one who acts, or the one who believes the performance.)
What does the word 'shtum' mean?
It means silent or quiet.
What emotion does the reader most likely feel upon reading 'all an act' for the first time?
Shock, admiration, sadness, or relief