The Buttonhook" uses parentheses in the poem. What kind of information is in the parentheses?

Parentheses are used to show what the speaker of the poem is thinking.

Explanation:

In the poem "The Buttonhook" we are introduced to a girl who is the speaker of the poem. This girl begins to describe things that she is seeing while walking through a region. This girl is an immigrant so everything looks new and exciting to her. In addition, she begins to associate what she sees with information and situations that she has witnessed or heard about.

During the girl's descriptions, we are introduced to her thoughts. These thoughts are placed within parentheses.

In the poem "The Buttonhook," we learn about the experience of the author's grandmother upon her arrival to Ellis Island. The poem takes place in 1906, and the title references the "buttonhook," a type of hook used to button clothing that inspectors used to check eyes for cases of trachoma among the recently arrived immigrants.

In the poem, the author describes everything that the girl is seeing upon arrival. She uses third person to do so. However, she also employs parentheses in order to include the thoughts that are going on within the girl's mind.