Question

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3. Read the passage. Then answer the question.
The Reunion
Marty woke up much too early for a weekend. He was still a little groggy from staying up late talking with relatives he hadn’t seen in almost five years. There was a house full of people in town for the family reunion, the first one in five years. Marty, the oldest of the younger cousins and considered the grandpa of that set, was ten years old at the last reunion, and the cousins near his age were almost all back now. Today was the day of the actual reunion at his grandparents’ house out in the country. His parents were hosting two of his father’s five brothers and their families, which included three cousins near his age and three that were closer to his younger sister’s age. Four boys, including Marty, the two cousins who were also teens, and a nine-year-old cousin slept in his room, and as Marty awakened more, he could hear their soft sounds of slumber around him. His mother had suggested he give up his bed to company, but Marty and his cousins assured her that they could work out the sleeping arrangements among themselves.
Marty stretched now as his ears opened further to the sounds outside his bedroom door. Clanging pans, adult laughter, and the smell of bacon told him that manna from heaven had arrived in the form of breakfast that would be ready soon. Above the clanging of dishes he could also hear shrieking and what seemed to be giggling. Of course there was giggling. There were girls in the house, pre-teen girls who always seemed to giggle. Marty had learned long ago from his two sisters to ignore their giggles as the giggling had nothing to do with him. He chuckled as their muffled noises reminded him of whimpering puppies down at the animal shelter where he volunteered. Puppies always seemed to make noises as they played and whined for attention from the older dogs or volunteers. He liked working in the smaller dog area where all the older dogs looked out for the puppies, just like family, just like his family of older members looking out for the younger ones. He glanced over then at his ten-year-old cousin who was curled up asleep in the sleeping bag. Andre was his name, and Marty towered over him like Goliath over David, but Andre didn’t care. He was grateful to be with the big dogs, as he called his cousins. It made Marty smile as he recalled how Andre beamed when he found out he would bunk with the bigger, older cousins, and then practically begged to sleep in the sleeping bag as they figured out sleeping arrangements. He had never slept in a sleeping bag before, and he jumped at the chance. Marty hadn’t wanted to be a Scrooge, and so he agreed.
Marty sat up in bed and noticed that his mother or someone had put a pile of navy blue T-shirts on the chair by the door. He chuckled to see the “Wear These Today” sign that had been posted on the pile, and stepped over his sleeping cousin, Charlie, to grab one of the shirts. He unfolded it, held it up to look at it, and smiled. There was the family name, Hamilton, printed in white capital letters in a semicircle at the top, the Statue of Liberty and a palm tree in the center to represent what they came to and came from, and the words St. Croix—New York in a semicircle underneath. His family had migrated to New York from the tropical island of St. Croix years ago, though by airplane and not through Ellis Island where European immigrants had first come. They hadn’t seen the Statue of Liberty from Ellis Island as they waited to be processed, but his family paid tribute to the lady with the torch every summer, noting that they owed a lot to this country for the freedoms and opportunities it offered. Marty flung the T-shirt over his shoulder and turned to his sleeping cousins. “Hey fellas,” he called out to them as he tossed a T-shirt to each cousin. “Time to wake up and get this party started!”
Briefly, explain the extended dog metaphor in “Reunion”. What impact does the extended dog metaphor have on the tone of “Reunion”? Use evidence from the text to support your response. Your response should be at least one paragraph.

Answer 1

In this passage of "Reunion", we hear about Marty, a young boy whose family, has all gathered at his home to celebrate the memorial of his family´s immigration from St. Croix into New York. The boy has just awoken from sleep and sees the invasion of his room by all his male cousins and as he wakes up more, becomes aware as well of the sounds being made downstairs by his older relatives, as well as his female cousins. He likens what he listens and he sees to what he experiences as a volunteer at a dog shelter, making a comparisson through this metaphor of the dogs, to his family and the way that the different members relate to one another. This can be seen in the following portion of the passage: "He liked working in the smaller dog area where all the older dogs looked our for the puppies, just like family, just like his family of older members looking out for the younger ones." The impact that this extended metaphor has is that it generates a sense of tenderness in the reader, as dogs tend to be animals that are considered cute, and most of all, the image of the older ones, regardless of if they are blood-related to the puppies, take care of them either way. It also generates an image of the level of connection in Marty´s family, the level of love and connection, regardless of age. Finally, there is the sense of authority and the desire of the young to be accompanied by the older, cooler, dogs, which is a metaphor for the way that the smallest cousin, Andre, feels at being allowed to sleep in the company of his older cousins: "... but Andre didn´t care. He was grateful to be with the big dogs, as he called his cousins. It made Marty smile as he recalled how Andre beamed when he found out he would bunk with the bigger, older cousins, and then practically begged to sleep in the sleeping bag..."