In the poem, the poet uses symbolism to show how the teacher wasn't actually grading the assignment, but was trying to see inside the student. The first example that demonstrates this is when the teacher tells the student that he would have written the paper differently. The master said, “I would have said differently, / or rather, I would have said something else” (17-18). This shows that the teacher was not evaluating the student based on his writing, but was comparing him to herself and was trying to tell him that he should write the way she writes. Another example that shows symbolism is when the teacher tells the student that he would cite the context. The teacher says, “I would have mentioned in this context” (24). This shows that not only did he not grade the student on his writing, but it also shows the way he would have written the assignment. Another symbol that the poet uses to show that the teacher was not grading the assignment, but was trying to see herself in the story is when after finding the errors, the teacher says that after all the student is not her and it is It's natural to be at fault for your article. The teacher said, “You are not/ me, finally,/ and while this is an embarrassing, engaging/ and inevitable problem that you are so young, so young/ it is also a delicious provocation” (34-38). This shows that the teacher is telling the student that because it is not her and she is very young, they exist