Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- Do you think the speaker just has a big case of cranky-pants, or is there something worth noting about the cultural decay he talks about in America? If so, what?
- What's the point of the speaker's use of alliteration in words like "sadly smiling" and "flower fades"?
- Why does the speaker compare America's decaying empire to a rotting fruit that returns to Mother Earth? What's he trying to say about man's cultural habits?
- Why are meteors not needed less than mountains? What's the point behind this metaphor?
- Why is the empire's "thickening center" located in the cities? What's so bad about cities? Do you agree or disagree with this idea? Why?