Question

burning a book
william stafford • 1986
william stafford (1914-1993) was an american poet. in 1970, he was named consultant in poetry to the library of congress, a position now known as poet laureate. in this poem, the speaker describes book burning, a common method of censorship in which people set fire to books they object to on political, cultural, or religious grounds. in a 1991 interview, stafford once said that he wrote this poem after purposefully burning a book that he found \attractive, shallow, and misleading...\ \why should i keep it around?\ he thought.
as you read, identify the main idea of each stanza.
1
protecting each other, right in the center
a few pages glow a long time.
the cover goes first, then outer leaves
curling away, then spine and a scattering.
truth, brittle ₁ and faint, ₂ burns easily,
its fire as hot as the fire lies make—

5
flame doesnt care. you can usually find

question 1 of 2
what is the central image of the first stanza?
ⓐ a book refusing to burn
ⓑ a book burning by accident
ⓒ a book burning from its outermost layers inwards
ⓓ the differences between how truth and lies burn

Explanation:

The first stanza describes the process of a book burning, starting with the cover, then outer leaves, spine, etc. Option C ("a book burning from its outermost layers inwards") matches this description. Option A is incorrect as the stanza is about burning, not refusing. Option B is incorrect as it's a purposeful burning (from the poem's context of censorship, but the stanza's image is the physical burning process). Option D is incorrect as the stanza focuses on the book's burning layers, not truth vs. lies (that's later maybe).

Answer:

C. a book burning from its outermost layers inwards