They were women then
My mama’s generation
Husky of voice—stout of
Step
With fists as well as
Hands
How they battered down
Doors
And ironed
Starched white
Shirts
How they led
Armies
Headragged generals
Across mined
Fields
To discover books
Desks
A place for us
How they knew what we
Must know
Without knowing a page
Of it
Themselves.

Read these lines from the poem and answer the question.

Without knowing a page
Of it
Themselves.

How does the poet use the word “page” in these lines?

connotatively, to suggest a type of life experience
denotatively, to indicate the parts of a book
hypothetically, to show there are many parts in books
critically, to reveal the importance of experience in life