American Literature / Unit 10 AML 0920 short lesson, about 20 seconds
"My Life had stood — a Loaded Gun"
Captions available
The idea
The speaker is a loaded gun carried off by an owner, speaking for him, guarding his head at night, and ending on a riddle: she may live longer than he, but he must live longer than she. Readings differ sharply.
In practice
A life, described as a weapon in use.
Where people slip
The final stanza's logic is deliberately unstable.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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