Question

casey at the bat2nd baseand now the leather-covered sphere came hurtling through the air,and casey stood a-watching it in haughty grandeur there.close by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped—\that aint my style,\ said casey. \strike one!\ the umpire said.from the benches, black with people, there went up a muffled roar,like the beating of the storm-waves on a stern and distant shore;\kill him! kill the umpire!\ shouted someone on the stand;and its likely theyd have killed him had not casey raised his hand.with a smile of christian charity great caseys visage shone;he stilled the rising tumult; he bade the game go on;he signaled to the pitcher, and once more the dun sphere flew;but casey still ignored it and the umpire said, \strike two!\fraud!\ cried the maddened thousands, and echo answered \fraud!\but one scornful look from casey and the audience was awed.they saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain,and they knew that casey wouldnt let that ball go by again.the sneer is gone from caseys lip, his teeth are clenched in hate,he pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate.and now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go,and now the air is shattered by the force of caseys blow.oh, somewhere in this favoured land the sun is shining bright,the band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light;and somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout,but there is no joy in mudville—mighty casey has struck out.which lines contribute the rising action of this poem?line 15line 17line 18how does caseys actions contribute to the development of the plot?highlight text evidence that support this answer. then, use the best text evidence in the box below.

Explanation:

1. For the first question: Rising action builds tension toward the climax. Line 15 shows the crowd's fury and Casey's shift to seriousness, ramping up stakes. Line 17 describes Casey's intense physical reaction, heightening tension. Line 18 depicts the pitcher throwing and Casey swinging, the peak of rising action before the climax.
2. For the second question: Casey's actions drive the plot's arc. His overconfidence (letting first two strikes pass) builds tension. His calming the crowd delays conflict, while his final swing and strike-out deliver the tragic, plot-resolving twist. Key evidence: "That ain't my style," said Casey. "Strike one!"; He stilled the rising tumult; he bade the game go on; But there is no joy in Mudville—mighty Casey has struck out.

Answer:

1. Lines contributing to rising action:

• Line 15: They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain, And they knew that Casey wouldn't let that ball go by again.
• Line 17: He pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate.
• Line 18: And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go, And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey's blow.

1. Casey's actions advance the plot by:

• Building tension through his overconfident choice to ignore the first two strikes, making the crowd and reader anticipate his at-bat.
• Defusing crowd chaos to keep the game going, prolonging the narrative toward its climax.
• Delivering the tragic resolution when he strikes out, ending the game and the poem on a deflating, memorable twist.

Key text evidence: "That ain't my style," said Casey. "Strike one!"; He stilled the rising tumult; he bade the game go on; But there is no joy in Mudville—mighty Casey has struck out.