Part 1

Reading Check

1. Dave (Poem 1)

2. He doesn’t realize that the trees are bare because it is winter. (Poem 3)

3. He sees his homeland of Sudan in the cow’s eyes. (Poem 5)

4. Nyatal, his aunt (Poem 6)

5. Six scars on the forehead (Poem 7)

Short Answer

1. While driving, Kek tells Dave he wants to see a cow in a field by the road. At first, Dave does not want to stop; but eventually says “what the heck” before turning the vehicle around to go back to the cow. Therefore, Kek associates the word “heck” with a desired outcome, even though he doesn’t explicitly know what “heck” means. (Poem 4)

2. Kek learns that he must lock the door to his home; he learns how to use a light switch; he learns what, precisely, a thermostat does. Compared to his life in Africa, these lessons are vastly different. (Poem 8)

3. Living with his aunt and cousin causes Kek to feel confusion and sadness. They remind him of his immediate family that he has lost: They remind him of his mother, who is currently missing; his brother (Lual) and father (Dak), who both passed away in a raid on their village in Sudan.