Question

Read the excerpt from Midsummer by Derek Walcott.

With the stampeding hiss and scurry of green lemmings,
midsummer’s leaves race to extinction like the roar
of a Brixton riot tunneled by water hoses;
they seethe toward autumn’s fire—it is in their nature,
being men as well as leaves, to die for the sun.

Answer 1

Based on the excerpt, what is the speaker’s perspective on the riot?

The speaker thinks that the riot was a mistake.
The speaker thinks that the riot was somewhat inevitable.
The speaker thinks that the riot should have happened in the fall.
The speaker thinks that the riot was entirely preventable.