Question

not all of us get to be ghosts by leila chatti for doriane in december i watch movies about ghosts with a woman i call mama though she is not my mother, only a woman who is kind, this all i require. we take breaks to lean against each other on the porch, her sucking smoke from between her fingers, exhaling its swirling; each mouthful dissipating, becoming something like air. my breaths a less impressive phantom, fleeting silver in the cold light. standing there in our small shadows, we discuss the ways of the dead, their metaphysics, as if we were experts by osmosis, a certain knowledge absorbed. i say i think our ghosts become us, or at least reside in our dark like tenants we havent the heart to kick out. she says, though she hasnt figured it out yet, there are rules; not all of us get to be ghosts. i linger in the fringes of each others fading warmth counting our dead, considering our chances. given the choice, id like to be let go, after, like a balloon wafting toward heaven - but i dont say it, i cant allow my absence the words. instead i watch the tiny fire at her mouth, ash on her blouse like the first flakes of snow, then look out at the yard, the bare trees, the nights steady, soundless approach. read the poem, “not all of us get to be ghosts” by leila chatti. answer the questions that follow. 1. locate all of the instances of ghost - like imagery and diction. what is the writers general attitude toward these “ghosts”? does the attitude ever change/shift? 2. how would the poem change if the 1st sentence was removed? 3. how do the similes add to the overall meaning of the piece?

Explanation:

1. Ghost - like imagery includes watching movies about ghosts, the fading warmth of each other like ghosts, and the idea of being like a balloon wafting toward heaven. The writer seems to view ghosts as a symbol of the intangible and the fleeting. There isn't a clear - cut shift in attitude.
2. Removing the first sentence would change the opening context. It sets the scene of watching ghost movies, which influences the subsequent conversation about ghosts. Without it, the poem would start more abruptly and the connection to ghostly themes would be less immediate.
3. Similes such as "like a balloon wafting toward heaven" and "ash on her blouse like the first flakes of snow" add vividness. They help to convey emotions and ideas more powerfully, making the abstract concepts more tangible.

Answer:

1. Ghost - like imagery: watching movies about ghosts, fading warmth like ghosts, being like a balloon wafting toward heaven. Attitude: views ghosts as intangible and fleeting, no clear shift.
2. Would start more abruptly, less immediate connection to ghostly themes.
3. Add vividness, make abstract concepts more tangible.