the longing tone of "at last" and the drawn-out prolonged vowels contain her intense yearning to find true love, as well the long duration of time she has waited!

"distant" here refers to also the pain from the past, not just the pain from beyond the medication

the police's persistence shows that the welfare of black people is treated seriously in the present

the question of "Who" implies that in the present, justice is delivered to black people and their attackers are rooted out, unlike in the past where anyone could be their assailant (and it would not be addressed)

"Not Kevin" is a repeated motif throughout the novel: Kevin is not like the other white people

despite her pain and exhaustion, Dana exerts herself to express her protectiveness of Kevin

Kevin, a white man in the present, is now placed in the position of the oppressed, treated and "blame(d)" the way white people used to treat slaves

Dana refers to her injury as an accident; an allusion to how Rufus also suffers many "accidents"

Dana's indignation at being treated like an idiot; defending her intelligence and agency

her indignation at the low word intensity of "hurt" conveys that she considers her injury grievous and traumatic, perhaps even impossible to heal from unlike a "scratch"

in the present, the police are focused on addressing the harm done to a black woman (Dana), contrasting with the past where it is accepted that black women may suffer pain

Dana is in a state of complete confusion

connoting darkness, suggesting that perhaps the police in the modern day are black people (thus implying equality: the powerless become the enforcers of law)

an inversion of how black people lack liberty in the past in the present, black people have the power to report white people to the police, and white people can be prosecuted

Kevin is a loving and devoted husband, a contrast / foil to Rufus: where Rufus takes security from Dana, Kevin restores it to her

she no longer feels safe, after her experiences in the past

literal meaning: she has lost a year spent in the past figuratively: she has lost a year of her life due to stress and fear

implying that Dana will now never be complete or whole again; half of her remains in the past

implying a grievous and serious loss and injury

Dana is going between the past and present; it is unclear whether she is referring to the past or present as "home", suggesting she is equally familiar with both

the inversion of power: in the present, Dana has the power to place a white man in jail

indicating the fragility of their relationship, yet the love between them

her time in the past has permanently scarred her

both literally (in the past for a long time) and figuratively (the stress / fear)

suggesting the severity of the loss - half of her is stuck in the past

Dana has travelled to both the past and present - which is the "home" she refers to here? Could be either past or present, indicating she is torn between both

test

Conor is filled with grief at the finality of his mother's death

the hyperbole of "hundred years" conveys the mother's deep and lasting love for Conor, as she wishes to spend an entire lifetime with her beloved son

tells us that the pain Conor's mother feels is so intense that the painkillers knock her out

Conor feels agony at his mother's impending demise

she understands Conor's feelings and forgives him for all of them

his mother tells him to express his feelings freely, showing that she loves Conor and wants the best for him

repetition of "so weak" conveys Conor's increasing fear at how her strength is draining away

conveys her resentment at not being able to stay longer with her son

she allows and encourages Conor to express his feelings, even if they are unkind to her, showing her deep love for him

Conor's mother makes it clear that she has stayed alive all this while ("kept me here so long") simply out of love for Conor

Conor feels betrayed and hurt, still wanting to believe that things will get better

she tries to smile to comfort Conor, despite her deep grief, conveying her love for him

Conor's mother deeply regrets her early death and feels guilty about leaving Conor early

Conor is forced to accept the finality of his mother's death

Conor refuses to accept that his mother may not recover

Conor's mother is struggling to speak, which also conveys the tremendous sacrifice she makes to communicate her feelings to Conor

Conor feels a sense of tension and fear, worried about what may happen

sense of suspense and worry for what may happen to Conor

Conor reaches out to Lily to mend their friendship

Conor is so touched that he feels like crying, and thus cannot speak

Conor begins to trust that Lily really does care for him and value him

Lily is honest and courageous with Conor

the imagery of "blushing furiously" tells us Lily feels shy and embarrassed, because the note reveals her deep personal feelings

Conor reads it "again" because he is in disbelief, but also deeply moved

Lily emphasises repeatedly she cherishes Conor, emphasising that regardless of how others treat him, she will always "see" him and care for him - suggests Lily is a loyal friend

Lily understands that Conor feels invisible - shows how well she knows him.

Lily expresses concern for Conor's wellbeing

the tone is lonely and sad; implies that Lily dearly cherishes Conor and wishes to be close to him again

Lily has accepted her mistake - her first act is to apologise for hurting Conor, suggesting that she has matured enough to accept responsibility

"quiet" implies that Conor is solely focusing on Lily's note to him, conveying how touched he is by the letter.

Lily put in effort into folding the note, showing her sincerity and affection for Conor

Conor accepts her effort - a change from earlier on when he rejected her

Lily repeatedly tries to reach out to Conor - moving that she tries to re-establish their friendship

emphasising that it is uniquely a gift for Conor, intended for him alone, thus making him feel special and valued

sense of familiarity with Lily's position in class; the physical nearness and familiarity emphasise how close they usually were and thus, how far apart they now are

Lily is determined in trying to reach out to Conor and hence keeps trying!

Conor expects mockery now; he has become pessimistic and hopeless, expecting others to mistreat him

Conor feels isolated; unlike others who have "a life", he is alone and feeling depressed / insignificant