Questions for "The Memory of Elena"

1. Who is speaking in the poem? Whose story is the narrator telling?
2. Write a sentence or two summing up what happens in each stanza.
3. The visual imagery of the poem is deliberately shocking. Which images do you see most clearly? How do they link past and present events?
4. Find three images of sound in the poem and three instances of silence. Why does the speaker emphasize silence?
5. What details of Elena's identity and her experiences in Buenos Aires are spelled out in Bill Moyers's interview with Forche? (the interview is a little long for me to post, but if it is necessary, I will) Do you need to know these details in order to understand the poem? Would you have preferred the poem to include all the details Forche gives in the interview? Why or why not?