Borges often imagines what figures in history or in literature are thinking and doing, especially at some point just prior to their death. Why do you think such imaginings occupy him? What does he hope to learn or portray through these ruminations?

Borges lived a quiet life, but his poems often celebrate the deeds in war of his ancestors. Why do you think he is so fascinated with the dangers and glories of battle?

These poems frequently consider the moment of death, or the moment just after it. Borges obviously hoped that those moments would reveal something to him about the nature of life on earth and of the universe. Describe what you think he hoped to discover.

In his poems, Borges often declares that he would love to embrace oblivion, that wishes he could be someone else, and even that he wishes he...