In "At Dusk," how does the shift that begins in line 21 affect the meaning of the poem? Use two

details from the poem to support your response.

Poem "At Dusk" by Natasha Trethewey

The meaning of the poem shifts and makes the poet think of what is happening at the moment and to know if there is someone whom the poet, too, can call.

Explanation:

"At Dusk" is a poem penned by Natasha Trethewey. The poem speaks about the independent choices that one makes regardless of the voices of 'owners' or 'parents'. The poet has used 'the cat' to symbolize the independence as cats are very independent animals and they chose their path to take.

From lines 1 to 20, the poet focuses on the sights and sounds that the neighbor is making to call her cat at home.

From line 21, there is a shift in the poem. The neighbor has gone given up calling her cat and went inside the house and left the speaker wondering what the neighbor must be doing while waiting for her cat to come.

"She's given up calling for now, let me

to imagine her inside the house waiting,

perhaps in a chair in front of the TV,

or walking around, doing small tasks; "

The second shift is that poet, too, wonders if there is someone to call home,

"let me to wonder that I too might lit

my voice, sure of someone out there".