CommonLit | Years After the Funeral - Seneca Valley School District

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Years After the Funeral

By Mikala Rempe

2015

Mikala Rempe is a poet originally from Nebraska, but is now based in D.C. Her work often centers around

American regionalism, the Midwest, and the feminine relationship to trauma. In this poem, a speaker

describes an individual¡¯s struggle with schizophrenia, a mental disorder characterized by a withdrawal from

reality. As you read, take notes on what each example of Marsha¡¯s schizophrenia contributes to the poem.

[1]

[5]

[10]

[15]

[20]

[25]

1

There is a consensus.

Marsha was a schizophrenic. And everything fell

just into place. The nights of one hand

fighting the other. Said she knew Lucifer

and how he slept in the fingertips of her left

hand.

That¡¯s why she needed the knife.

And the day they finally got color

TV in ¡¯63. And Marsha wailed

pushing the knobs all the way back

down to black and white again.

Said the color was so loud. Knew

"Albany Carousel Workshop" by Pat Kight is licensed under CC BYthat if she didn¡¯t, the crimson

NC-ND 2.0.

house fire on the nightly news would

envelop the living room. Swallow

the paisley love-seat in one gulp.

We mistook it for aging, like the evening

we sat, table for seven, at Julio¡¯s

and she told us the blue corn chips

tasted purple on her tongue. My mother

says Marsha died of stubbornness.

Refused to wear her oxygen tubes to bed

2

adamant that this was how he was poisoning her

again. And now, today, I am always seven years old

playing with the dusty toy carousel at Marsha¡¯s

3

estate sale. Thinking about the horses and how they spend their whole lives

moving up and down, but never

leave this place.

¡°Years After the Funeral¡± from American Literary Magazine by Mikala Rempe. Copyright ? 2015 by Mikala Rempe, reprinted with permission

of author and American Literary Magazine (). All rights reserved.

1.

2.

3.

Consensus (noun): general agreement

Adamant (adjective): refusing to be persuaded or to change one¡¯s mind

a sale to dispose the majority of the materials owned by a person

1

Text-Dependent Questions

Directions: For the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in complete sentences.

1.

PART A: Which of the following identifies the theme of the poem?

A.

B.

C.

D.

2.

C.

D.

3.

[RL.1]

¡°Marsha was a schizophrenic. And everything fell / just into place.¡± (Lines 2-3)

¡°We mistook it for aging, like the evening / we sat, table for seven, at Julio¡¯s¡±

(Lines 16-17)

¡°My mother / says Marsha died of stubbornness.¡± (Lines 19-20)

¡°And now, today, I am always seven years old / playing with the dusty toy

carousel at Marsha¡¯s¡± (Lines 23-24)

What does the carousel represent to the speaker?

A.

B.

C.

D.

4.

It can be difficult for a person to move past a tragedy.

Understanding what caused a tragedy can help people accept it.

Material things can help remind people of those they have lost.

People are often embarrassed to ask for support when they are struggling.

PART B: Which detail from the text best supports the answer to Part A?

A.

B.

[RL.2]

[RL.3]

how young she was when Marsha fell ill and died

how trapped Marsha felt in her mental illness

how she is continuing to relive Marsha¡¯s decline and death

how little they knew about Marsha¡¯s experiences

How does the structure of the poem contribute to the author¡¯s development of

Marsha¡¯s illness?

[RL.5]

2

Discussion Questions

Directions: Brainstorm your answers to the following questions in the space provided. Be prepared to

share your original ideas in a class discussion.

1.

How would you describe the speaker¡¯s relationship with Marsha both now and as a child?

What are the differences in perspective?

2.

In the context of the text, what can we learn from tragedy? How do you think Marsha¡¯s

experiences could have been different if people were aware of her condition?

3.

In the context of the text, how do people face death? How is the speaker affected by

Marsha¡¯s death? How does the speaker¡¯s reaction compare to her mother¡¯s? Why do you

think her mother reacts this way?

3

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