1. How would most people probably view the speaker’s sweatshirt? Explain what makes you say so. Most people would probably view the speaker’s sweatshirt as not very special—perhaps even as not very nice. The speaker describes it as “unremarkable” and says that it “would not catch your eye.” The speaker also mentions that the sweatshirt has been washed many times and that it is starting to thin, meaning that it is old and getting worn out.
2. In your own words, explain what you think the speaker means when they say that when they put the sweatshirt on, they feel exactly like themself. How can an item of clothing make you feel like yourself? Answers will vary, but students will likely say something like: Certain items of clothing just seem to be the perfect expression of who we are—an expression of our identity. We feel comfortable and confident in such items of clothing; perhaps we also feel that when others see us wearing them, they understand something about who we are.
3. What does the speaker mean when they say there is “magic”in the sweatshirt? Do they mean the sweatshirt is literally magical? The speaker does not mean that the sweatshirt is literally magical; the speaker means that wearing it has an extraordinary effect on them. The speaker is using the word magic to refer to how “right” they feel when wearing the sweatshirt.
4. Consider the fifth stanza. What do you think the speaker means when they say “you might suppose that some of me has been absorbed by the cotton—that there has been an intermingling of fibers and cells”? The speaker is saying that you might assume the sweatshirt makes them feel so exactly like themself as a result of how often they have worn it, rather than because of any particular quality of the sweatshirt. The idea that some of the speaker has been “absorbed by the cotton—that there has been an intermingling of fibers and cells” is that the speaker has worn the sweatshirt so many times that some of their skin cells have gotten mixed in with the threads that make up the fabric of the sweatshirt. (The idea is a little like how a pair of jeans can take on the shape of your body over time.)
5. According to the last stanza, is the reason the sweatshirt feels so exactly right and so exactly like the speaker simply that they have worn it so many times? Explain. According to the last stanza, the reason the sweatshirt seems so exactly like the speaker is not because they have worn it so many times. It’s the other way around: The speaker has worn the sweatshirt so many times because it felt exactly like them from the first time they put it on.
6. What sensory details appear in the last stanza? What do these details help you understand about the sweatshirt or the speaker’s feelings about the sweatshirt? The description of the sweatshirt’s “soft, easygoing sleeves” and the description of sliding the zipper “up its smooth metal track” are both sensory details that appeal to the sense of touch. These details help you understand what a comfortable and satisfying experience wearing the sweatshirt is for the speaker.
7. How does the poet use repetition in the poem? The poet repeats the word exactly throughout the poem. She uses the phrases “exactly like myself,” “exactly rightness,” and “exactly me-ness” to emphasize the strong or perfect connection between the speaker and the sweatshirt.
