Read the excerpt from "My Lord Bag of Rice." At last the dreadful night was over. Day dawned beautiful and clear. The centipede was gone from the mountain. What historical fact is reflected in this excerpt?

Referencing artistic elements in a poem or a story is a choice authors make to educate their audiences about artistic expression. Yusef Komunyakaa uses imagery and color to educate his reader through artistic elements.

Komunyakaa uses imagery in his poem like “ I see the trap’s white flash” to connect the reader to a time of war and emotional pain. He also uses color to convey a sense of reality while creating a feeling of a dream like state at the same time. For example, “ brushstrokes flash, a red bird’s wings cutting across my stare.”

Explanation:This small moment at the memorial is a glimpse at a larger picture. Komunyakaa speaks about this one day but this one day represents such a horrific and traumatic situation, one that has left scars on many people.