You are here
Line 29
He reminds his friends that the old woman is someone’s mother.
This sentence changes how the woman is seen. She is no longer just an unknown old person; she is someone loved and important to another family.
Empathy through human connection.
Reflective and compassionate.
The reader feels closeness to the woman.
“know” rhymes with “slow” in the next line.
View Answer
Answer: It reminds us that the old woman is not merely a stranger. She is a loved family member whose well-being matters to someone, just as our own family members matter to us.
View Answer
Answer: This sentence changes how the woman is seen. She is no longer just an unknown old person; she is someone loved and important to another family. It turns an anonymous stranger into a person with relationships and dignity. The line also develops the idea of Empathy through human connection .
Line 30
He says that her age, poverty and slowness do not make her less worthy of care.
The list collects the very qualities that made others overlook her and turns them into reasons for greater compassion.
Dignity despite age or poverty.
Compassionate.
The reader feels respect and concern.
“slow” completes the rhyme with “know”.
View Answer
Answer: The list gathers her difficulties—old age, poverty and slow movement—into one clear picture. It shows why she needs care without suggesting that she deserves less respect.
View Answer
Answer: The list collects the very qualities that made others overlook her and turns them into reasons for greater compassion. The list gathers her difficulties together and makes her need clear. The line also develops the idea of Dignity despite age or poverty .
View Answer
Answer: Calling her “somebody’s mother” gives the anonymous woman a personal relationship and dignity. The reader is asked to think of her as someone loved, not merely as an old stranger.
View Answer
Answer: The boy asks his friends to see the old woman as a loved family member, not just a stranger.
View Answer
Answer: Stanza 15 is important because it develops the boy’s empathy as he connects the stranger with his own mother. The boy asks his friends to see the old woman as a loved family member, not just a stranger. This helps the poem move naturally towards its larger message of empathy, kindness and seeing the human value in another person.
