Name________________________________ English 10HPoetry Mrs. Zupo

Introduction to PoetryBilly Collins

I ask them to take a poemand hold it up to the light

like a color slide

or press an ear against its hive.

I say drop a mouse into a poemand watch him probe his way out,

or walk inside the poem’s roomand feel the walls for a light switch.

I want them to waterskiacross the surface of a poem

waving at the author’s name on the shore.

But all they want to dois tie the poem to a chair with ropeand torture a confession out of it.

They begin beating it with a hoseto find out what it really means.

Some Poetic Types

Lyric Poetry consists of a poem, such as a sonnet or an ode, that expresses the thoughts and feelings of the poet. The term lyric is now commonly referred to as the words to a song. Lyric poetry does not tell a story which portrays characters and actions. The lyric poet addresses the reader directly, portraying his or her own feeling, state of mind, and perceptions.

Odes are long poems which are serious in nature and written to a set structure. John Keats's "Ode on a Grecian Urn" and "Ode To A Nightingale" are probably the most famous examples of this type of poem.

Refrain Poetry - The word 'Refrain' derives from the Old French word refraindre meaning to repeat. Refrain Poetry Term is a phrase, line, or group of lines that is repeated throughout a poem, usually after each stanza.

Ballad Poems are poems that tells a story similar to a folk tale or legend and often has a repeated refrain. A ballad is often about love and often sung. A ballad is a story in poetic form.

Epic Poems are long, serious poems that tells the story of a heroic figure

An Allegory is a narrative having a second meaning beneath the surface one - a story with two meanings, a literal meaning and a symbolic meaning. Examples of allegories are the Fairie Queen by Edmund Spenser, Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan and Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Couplet Poetry - A Couplets is a Stanza of only two lines which usually rhyme. Shakespearean (also called Elizabethan and English) sonnets usually end in a couplet and are a pair of lines that are the same length and usually rhyme and form a complete thought. William Shakespeare makes use of couplets in more complex rhyme schemes

Free Verse is a form of Poetry composed of either rhymed or unrhymed lines that have no set fixed metrical pattern. The early 20th-century poets were the first to write what they called "free verse" which allowed them to break from the formula and rigidity of traditional poetry.

A Quatrain Poetry Type or literary term is a stanza or poem of four lines. Lines 2 and 4 must rhyme. Lines 1 and 3 may or may not rhyme. Rhyming lines should have a similar number of syllables.

Romanticism Type - Nature and love were a major themes of Romanticism favored by 18th and 19th century poets such as Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley and John Keats. Emphasis in such poetry is placed on the personal experiences of the individual.

English (or Shakespearean) sonnets are lyric poems that are 14 lines long falling into three coordinate quatrains and a concluding couplet. Italian (or Petrarchan) sonnets are divided into two quatrains and a six-line sestet.

Poetic Terms and DevicesVerse is a single metrical line of poetry, or poetry in general (as opposed to prose which uses grammatical units like sentences and paragraphs). "Verse" is also used as a general term for metrical composition. Not all verse is poetry and sacred books such as the Holy Bible are divided into small verses.

Prose is ordinary language that people use in writing such as poetry, stories, editorials, books, etc. The word prose is derived from the Latin word 'prosa' meaning straightforward.

Stanza - a division of a poem consisting of a series of lines arranged together in a usually recurring pattern of meter and rhyme

Stanza Forms:

A couplet is a two-line stanza. A triplet or a tercet is a three-line stanza. A quatrain is a four-line stanza. A quintain is a five-line stanza A sestet is a six-line stanza. An octave is an eight-line stanza. A sonnet is a poem with fourteen lines having any of a number of different standard

rhyme schemes.

Free Verse - is a form of poetry that refrains from meter patterns, rhyme, or any other musical pattern.

Blank verse is poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter lines.

Metrical verse is poetry with a regular rhythmical pattern such as a sonnet or a ballad.

Refrain - is a repeated part of a poem, particularly when it comes either at the end of a stanza or between two stanzas

Sound devices Rhyme Scheme (the pattern of rhymes in a poem)

Rhymed verse is poetry with a regular rhyme scheme.

End rhyme is rhyming at the ends of lines.

Internal rhyme is rhyming within lines, as in “I see a bumblebee.”

Slant rhyme is a near rhyme, as in “What did the wind/ Seek to find?”

Sound devices (continued)

Rhythm - an ordered recurrent alternation of strong and weak elements in the flow of sound and silence in speech

o Meter (the rhythmical pattern in a poem)Meter in poetry is the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables. Stressed syllables are signified by / and unstressed syllables by u. There are multiple meter patterns but the four most prevalent are:

iambic: u / Example: hello trochaic: / u Example: under; most nursery rhymes dactylic: / u u Example: canopy anapestic: u u / Example: understand

Poetry examples:

u / u / u / u / u / Iambic: Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day / u / u / u / u Trochaic: Mary had a little lamb whose fleece was

white as snow / u u / u u Dactylic: Take her up tenderly u u / u u / u u / u u / Anapestic: So I walk by the edge of a lake in my dream

Here’s the scoop on Iambic meter:

Monometer One Foot/Iamb Two SyllablesDimeter Two Feet/Iambs Four SyllablesTrimeter Three Feet/Iambs Six SyllablesTetrameter Four Feet/Iambs Eight SyllablesPentameter Five Feet/Iambs Ten SyllablesHexameter Six Feet/Iambs Twelve SyllablesHeptameter Seven Feet/Iambs Fourteen SyllablesOctameter Eight Feet/Iambs Sixteen Syllables

Alliteration - the commencement of two or more words of a word group with the same letter

Assonance -Also called vowel rhyme. Prosody. Rhyme in which the same vowel sounds are used with different consonants in the stressed syllables of the rhyming words, as in penitent and reticence.

Consonance - the repetition of the same consonant two or more times in short succession

Onomatopoeia - the naming of a thing or action by a vocal imitation of the sound associated with it

HOW TO ANALYZE A POEM

LOOK

Titleo What might this poem be about?

Structureo Is there one?o How are sentences arranged?o What was the poet’s purpose?o Rhyme scheme?

Other elements to note?

READ TO HEAR

First impression o Who’s the speaker?o What is the tone?o What words support this tone?o Is there rhythm? Beat? Count the syllables. This will help determine the beat.o Does sound impact the feel of the poem?

General feeling

READ TO NOTICE

Figurative language present (simile, metaphor, personification, etc…)?

Sound devices present (alliteration, assonance, consonance, onomatopoeia)? Identify.

READ FOR ANALYSIS

Vocabulary barriers? Look up definitions. Footnotes available? Read them. Paraphrase. Translate meaning into your own words. What is the central idea? Why did the poet write this poem?

The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls ---- ModelHenry Wadsworth Longfellow

The tide rises, the tide falls,The twilight darkens, the curlew1 calls;Along the sea-sands damp and brownThe traveler hastens toward the town, And the tide rises, the tide falls.

Darkness settles on roofs and walls,But the sea, the sea in darkness calls;The little waves, with their soft, white handsEfface the footprints in the sands,

And the tide rises, the tide falls.

The morning breaks; the steeds in their stallsStamp and neigh, as the hostler2 calls;The day returns, but nevermoreReturns the traveler to the shore.And the tide rises, the tide falls.

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1. curlew – bird associated with evening

2. hostler – person who tends horses

LOOK

What’s the title? What do you anticipate the poem will be about?“The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls”Perhaps the poem is about the ocean and the coming and going of the tide.

Who is the author? What time period was the poem written?

The author is Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. He lived from 1807-1882 and suffered many hardships in life, including the deaths of two wives. Despite these hardships, his poems were often criticized for being overly “optimistic and sentimental.”

Does it have a formal structure?Yes. It has three quintain stanzas.

Does it appear to have a formal rhyme scheme?Yes. AABBA

LISTEN

Read for initial impression. (Read by sentence not by line.)There seems to be a sad/melancholy tone projected through the words “twilight darkens,” “Darkness settles,” “the sea in darkness calls,” and “nevermore/Returns.”

The ocean waves rise and fall as night settles and a bird sings. A traveler is walking along the shore toward town.

Night settles on the town, but the ocean keeps moving. The waves erase the traveler’s footprints.

Morning comes, and the horses in the stalls are hungry. While a new day has come, the traveler is no longer there. The ocean waves continue to rise and fall.

Does it have a meter/beat?Line syllables are inconsistent but it does seem to have a beat (like the rising and falling of waves). The majority of the lines have 8 syllables and have an iambic beat, but it is not consistent.

Does it utilize sound devices?Yes. There is notable consonance, assonance, and alliteration present.Assonance: The tide rises, the tide falls,

The twilight darkens, the curlew1 calls

Consonance: The little waves, with their soft, white hands

Alliteration: The little waves, with their soft, white hands

How does sound impact meaning?The sound of the poem seems to mirror the sound of the ocean, especially with the emphasis on the sound of the “s” throughout.

EXPLORE

Paraphrase for understanding (paraphrase by sentence not by line).

Look up words you do not know.

efface = rub away, delete, destroy

Does the author use figurative language? How does the use of figurative language impact overall meaning?The ocean is personified making it seem alive. (“But the sea, the sea in darkness calls;”) and (”The little waves, with their soft, white hands”) Personifying the ocean adds to the meaning because it allows for a comparison of human life verses the ocean’s life. One is limited; the other is eternal.

Count the syllable in each line. Does there seem to be a pattern? How does this impact the poem? Some lines have 9 syllables, some have 7, but most have 8. There is a rhythmic quality.

Compare the poem’s literal meaning vs. its figurative meaning.

The poem is literally about the tide rising and falling as a travel walks to town and as night turns to day. The extended meaning of the poem is about how human life is fleeting while nature’s life is eternal.

Does the poem SHIFT?

The poem shifts in the third stanza with the break of day. Even the beat changes to emphasize this shift.

What is the overall message/central idea of the poem?

The theme of this poem is that death is inevitable and nature is eternal. It also suggests that human life is somewhat insignificant to the vast, enduring greatness of nature.

The SnowstormRalph Waldo Emerson

Announced by all the trumpets of the sky, Arrives the snow, and, driving o'er the fields, Seems nowhere to alight: the whited air Hides hill and woods, the river, and the heaven, 5 And veils the farmhouse at the garden's end. The sled and traveler stopped, the courier's feet Delayed, all friends shut out, the housemates sit Around the radiant fireplace, enclosed In a tumultuous privacy of storm.

10 Come see the north wind's masonry. Out of an unseen quarry evermore Furnished with tile, the fierce artificer Curves his white bastions with projected roof Round every windward stake, or tree, or door. 15 Speeding, the myriad-handed, his wild work So fanciful, so savage, nought cares he For number or proportion. Mockingly, On coop or kennel he hangs Parian1 wreaths; A swan-like form invests the hidden thorn; 20 Fills up the farmer's lane from wall to wall, Maugre2 the farmer's sighs; and at the gate A tapering turret overtops the work. And when his hours are numbered, and the world Is all his own, retiring, as he were not, 25 Leaves, when the sun appears, astonished Art To mimic in slow structures, stone by stone, Built in an age, the mad wind's night-work, The frolic architecture of the snow.______________________________________________

1. Parian referring to a fine, white marble of the Greek city Paros2. Maugre in spite of

The Snowstorm Questions:2a. In the first stanza, what effect does the storm have on the “Sled and traveler,” the “courier,” and the “housemates”?

2b. Explain what Emerson means when he refers to the “tumultuous privacy of the storm” in line 9.

3a. In the second stanza, which words relate to the design and construction of buildings?

3b. What do these words suggest about the comparison the poet is making between the storm and an architect or artist?

4a. According to lines 25-28, what has the storm left behind “when the sun appears”?

4b. Which aspects of Emerson’s Transcendentalist beliefs does this image reflect?

5. Emerson expresses a favorable attitude toward the snow storm. Why might some people living in northern climates not share Emerson’s attitude?

Concord HymnRalph Waldo Emerson

By the rude1 bridge that arched the flood, Their flag to April's breeze unfurled; Here once the embattled farmers stood; And fired the shot heard round the world.

5 The foe long since in silence slept; Alike the conqueror silent sleeps, And Time the ruined bridge has swept Down the dark stream that seaward creeps.

On this green bank, by this soft stream,10 We place with joy a votive2 stone, That memory may their deeds redeem, When, like our sires, our sons are gone.

O Thou who made those heroes dare To die, and leave their children free, --15 Bid Time and Nature gently spare The shaft we raised to them and Thee._______________________________________

1. rude crude or rough in form or workmanship

2. votive dedicated in fulfillment of a vow or

Pledge

Concord Hymn Questions:

2a. What event took place by the “rude bridge”?

2b. What does the poet mean by the image of “the shot heard round the world”?

3a. What has happened to the bridge since the battle that took place there?

3b. How does the poem’s organization reflect a sense of the passage of time?

4a. In the last stanza, whom does the poet address directly?

4b. In what way does this direct address reflect Transcendentalist beliefs in an Over-Soul?

5. Which aspects of “Concord Hymn” would be appropriate for the dedication of other war monuments?

The First Snowfall -- James Russell Lowell

THE snow had begun in the gloaming, And busily all the night Had been heaping field and highway With a silence deep and white.

5 Every pine and fir and hemlock Wore ermine too dear for an earl, And the poorest twig on the elm-tree Was ridged inch deep with pearl.

From sheds new-roofed with Carrara1

10 Came Chanticleer's2 muffled crow, The stiff rails were softened to swan's-down, And still fluttered down the snow.

I stood and watched by the window The noiseless work of the sky,

15 And the sudden flurries of snow-birds, Like brown leaves whirling by.

I thought of a mound in sweet Auburn3

Where a little headstone stood; How the flakes were folding it gently,

20 As did robins the babes in the wood.

Up spoke our own little Mabel, Saying, 'Father, who makes it snow?' And I told of the good All-father Who cares for us here below.

25 Again I looked at the snowfall, And thought of the leaden sky That arched o'er our first great sorrow, When that mound was heaped so high.

I remembered the gradual patience 30 That fell from that cloud like snow,

Flake by flake, healing and hiding The scar of our deep-plunged woe.

And again to the child I whispered, 'The snow that husheth all,

35 Darling, the merciful Father Alone can make it fall! '

Then, with eyes that saw not, I kissed her; And she, kissing back, could not know That my kiss was given to her sister,

40 Folded close under deepening snow. ___________________________________________

1. Carrara fine, white marble2. Chanticleer’s referring to a rooster3. Auburn Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts

The First Snowfall Questions:

2a. Of what does the snowfall make the speaker think?

2b. Why do you think the snowfall reminds the speaker of this event.

3a. How does the speaker first respond to his daughter’s question about the snow?

3b. What does he later add to his response?

4a. In lines 29-32, in what way does the snowfall act as a healer?

4b. What do lines 34-36 suggest about the source of emotional healing?

5a. What does the falling snow symbolize, or represent?

5b. In what way could such symbolism provide comfort for someone grieving the loss of a loved one?

6. How might the high infant mortality rate of the nineteenth century have affected the attitudes and values of the day?

7. Do you think this poem realistically conveys a parent’s pain over a lost child? Explain.

A Psalm of Life -- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Tell me not in mournful numbers,1

Life is but an empty dream!For the soul is dead that slumbers,

And things are not what they seem.

5 Life is real! Life is earnest!And the grave is not its goal;

Dust thou are, to dust thou returnest,Was not spoken of the soul.

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,10 Is our destined end or way;

But to act, that each tomorrowFind us farther than today.

Art is long, and Time is fleeting, And our hearts, though stout and brave,15 Still, like muffled drums, are beating Funeral marches to the grave.

In the world's broad field of battle,In the bivouac of Life,

Be not like dumb, driven cattle!20 Be a hero in the strife!

Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant!Let the dead Past bury its dead!

Act, - act in the living Present! Heart within, and God o'erhead!

25 Lives of great men all remind usWe can make our lives sublime,

And, departing, leave behind usFootprints on the sand of time;

Footprints, that perhaps another,30 Sailing o'er life's solemn main,2

A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us then be up and doing, With a heart for any fate;

35 Still achieving, still pursuing, Learn to labor and to wait.

1. numbers verses2. main open sea

A Psalm of Life Questions:

2a. What attitude or idea does the speaker challenge in the first two stanzas?

2b. Is the attitude the poet expresses positive or negative?

3a. In the third stanza, what does the speaker warn against?

3b. What is the speaker’s attitude concerning individuality and self-reliance?

4a. According to the poem, how can our lives influence future generations?

4b. What is the poet calling readers to do?

5a. Summarize the speaker’s view of life.

5b. What is the message of this poem? Do you agree with the poet’s ideas?

A Noiseless Patient SpiderBY WALT WHITMAN

A noiseless patient spider,I mark’d where on a little promontory it stood isolated,Mark’d how to explore the vacant vast surrounding,It launch’d forth filament, filament, filament, out of itself,

5 Ever unreeling them, ever tirelessly speeding them.

And you O my soul where you stand,Surrounded, detached, in measureless oceans of space,Ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing, seeking the spheres to connect them,Till the bridge you will need be form’d, till the ductile anchor hold,

10 Till the gossamer thread you fling catch somewhere, O my soul.

A Noiseless Patient Spider Questions:2a. In line 3, what surrounds the spider?

2b. In line 6, what are the “measureless oceans of space” with which the speaker’s soul is surrounded?

3a. Why does the spider “tirelessly” spin out filament?

3b. How is the speaker’s soul similar to the spider?

4a. What verbs does Whitman use to describe the spider’s actions?

4b. what verbs does he use to describe the activities of his soul?

4c. How are the two explorations the same, and how are they different?

5a. Who or what does the poet address directly?

5b. What is the speaker’s attitude toward the recipient of this direct address?

6. Like Transcendentalists, Whitman believed that the human spirit was mirrored in the world of nature. What aspects of “A Noiseless Patient Spider” reflect this belief.

I Hear America SingingWalt Whitman

I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear,Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong,The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam,The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work,

5 The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat, the deckhand singing on the steamboat deck,The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench, the hatter singing as he stands,The wood-cutter's song, the ploughboy's on his way in the morning, or at noon intermission or at sundown,The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at work, or of the girl sewing

or washing,Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else,

10 The day what belongs to the day—at night the party of young fellows, robust, friendly,Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.

______________________________________________________________________________

I Hear America Singing Questions:

1. If Whitman were to write this poem today, do you think his message would be the same? Explain.

2a. What occupations does Whitman attribute to Americans?

2b. What does his catalog of occupations suggest about his vision of America?

3a. What word does Whitman use to describe all the workers’ actions?

3b. In what ways does this word affect the poem’s mood?

4a. What does Whitman describe the laborers doing at night?

4b. Why do you think the poem ends as it does?

5. Do you think Whitman romanticizes the life of a laborer? Explain.

OLD IRONSIDES

Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894)

AY, tear her tattered ensign down!

Long has it waved on high,

And many an eye has danced to see

That banner in the sky;

5 Beneath it rung the battle shout,

And burst the cannon's roar;--

The meteor of the ocean air

Shall sweep the clouds no more!

Her deck, once red with heroes' blood,

10 Where knelt the vanquished foe,

When winds were hurrying o'er the flood

And waves were white below,

No more shall feel the victor's tread,

Or know the conquered knee;--

15 The harpies1 of the shore shall pluck

The eagle of the sea!

Oh, better that her shattered hulk

Should sink beneath the wave;

Her thunders shook the mighty deep,

20 And there should be her grave;

Nail to the mast her holy flag,

Set every threadbare sail,

And give her to the God of storms,--

The lightning of the gale!

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1. harpies In Greek mythology, hideous, half-woman, half bird monsters

Old Ironsides Questions:

1. If you had been alive in 1830, would this poem have inspired you to protest the ship’s demolition? Explain.

2a. In the first stanza, what does the speaker suggest doing with the ship?

2b. Is he being sincere? (Does he mean what he says?)

3a. By what names does the speaker refer to the ship?

3b. What do these names imply?

4a. Which do you think is more important to the speaker- the ship itself or its historic role? Explain.

4b. In what ways does the poet appeal to the American sense of patriotism?

5. This poem was instrumental in saving Old Ironsides. Could a poem have such an effect today? Explain.

I heard a fly buzz – when I died-Emily Dickinson

I heard a fly buzz - when I died-      The stillness in the RoomWas like the stillness in the Air      Between the heaves of Storm.

5 The Eyes around- had wrung them dry-      And Breaths were gathered firmFor that last Onset- when the King      Be witnessed -in the Room-

I willed my Keepsakes- Signed away10     What portion of me be Assignable- and then it was      There interposed a Fly,

With Blue- uncertain stumbling Buzz-      Between the light- and me-15 And then the Windows failed- and then      I could not see to see-

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I heard a fly buzz – when I died- Questions:

2a. What do the speaker and those in attendance expect to experience when “the last Onset” occurs?

2b. What happens instead?

2c. In what ways is this turn of events ironic?

3a. What actions has the speaker taken in preparation for death?

3b. Which “portion” of the speaker is “assignable,” or able to be willed to others, and which is not?

4a. In the final stanza, what adjectives does the speaker use to describe the buzzing of the fly?

4b. What statement about dying is Dickinson making in this poem?

5. If you were describing a deathbed scene from the perspective of the dying person, would you mention the buzzing of a fly? Why or why not?

The Brain – is wider than the sky-Emily Dickinson

The Brain—is wider than the Sky— For—put them side by side— The one the other will contain With ease—and You—beside—

5 The Brain is deeper than the sea— For—hold them—Blue to Blue— The one the other will absorb— As Sponges—Buckets—do—

The Brain is just the weight of God—10 For—Heft them—Pound for Pound— And they will differ—if they do— As Syllable from Sound—

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The Brain – is wider than the sky- Questions:

2a. The speaker compares the brain to three things. What are the three comparisons?

2b. What role does a surprising use of scale and size play in these comparisons?

3a. According to the poet, how is the brain wider than the sky?

3b. How is the brain deeper than the sea?

3c. What do these images suggest about the power of the human mind and heart?

4a. In what ways does the poet’s comparison of the brain to God differ from the comparisons made in the earlier stanzas?

4b. What is the poet suggesting about the relationship between human consciousness and divinity?

Because I could not stop for DeathEmily Dickinson

Because I could not stop for Death --

He kindly stopped for me --

The Carriage held but just Ourselves --

And Immortality.

5 We slowly drove -- He knew no haste

And I had put away

My labor and my leisure too,

For His Civility --

We passed the School, where Children strove

10 At Recess -- in the Ring --

We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain --

We passed the Setting Sun --

Or rather -- He passed Us --

The Dews drew quivering and chill --

15 For only Gossamer1, my Gown --

My Tippet2 -- only Tulle3 --

We paused before a House that seemed

A Swelling of the Ground --

The Roof was scarcely visible --

20 The Cornice -- in the Ground --

Since then -- 'tis Centuries -- and yet

Feels shorter than the Day

I first surmised the Horses' Heads

Were toward Eternity –

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1. Gossamer very thin, soft, filmy cloth2. Tippet scarflike garment worn over the

shoulders and hanging down in front3. Tulle thin, fine netting used for scarves

Because I could not stop for Death Questions:

1. What images are used in the poem?

2a. In the first two lines, what adverb defines Death’s actions?

2b. In what sense is this depiction ironic?

3a. What three scenes does the carriage pass in stanza three?

3b. What is the significance of these images?

4a. How much time passes for the speaker in this poem?

4b. Why do you think the speaker notes that the time “feels shorter than the Day”?

4c. What does the speaker seem to feel about the experience of death in contrast with life?

5a. What is the message of this poem?

Thanatopsis by William Cullen Bryant

To him who in the love of nature holds Communion with her visible forms, she speaks A various language; for his gayer hours She has a voice of gladness, and a smile5 And eloquence of beauty; and she glides Into his darker musings, with a mild And healing sympathy that steals away Their sharpness ere1 he is aware. When thoughts Of the last bitter hour come like a blight10 Over thy spirit, and sad images Of the stern agony, and shroud, and pall, And breathless darkness, and the narrow house,2

Make thee to shudder, and grow sick at heart;-- Go forth, under the open sky, and list15 To Nature's teachings, while from all around-- Earth and her waters, and the depths of air-- Comes a still voice. Yet a few days, and thee The all-beholding sun shall see no more In all his course; nor yet in the cold ground,20 Where thy pale form was laid, with many tears, Nor in the embrace of ocean, shall exist Thy image. Earth, that nourished thee, shall claim Thy growth, to be resolved to earth again, And, lost each human trace, surrendering up25 Thine individual being, shalt thou go To mix forever with the elements, To be a brother to the insensible rock And to the sluggish clod, which the rude swain3

Turns with his share,4 and treads upon. The oak30 Shall send his roots abroad, and pierce thy mold.

Yet not to thine eternal resting-place Shalt thou retire alone, nor couldst thou wish Couch5 more magnificent. Thou shalt lie down With patriarchs of the infant world -- with kings,35 The powerful of the earth -- the wise, the good, Fair forms, and hoary seers of ages past, All in one mighty sepulcher. The hills sepulcher - tomb Rock-ribbed and ancient as the sun, -- the vales Stretching in pensive quietness between; pensive – expressing deep

thoughtfulness40 The venerable woods -- rivers that move venerable – worthy of respect In majesty, and the complaining brooks That make the meadows green; and, poured round all, Old Ocean's gray and melancholy waste,-- Are but the solemn decorations all45 Of the great tomb of man. The golden sun, The planets, all the infinite host of heaven, Are shining on the sad abodes of death Through the still lapse of ages. All that tread

The globe are but a handful to the tribes50 That slumber in its bosom. -- Take the wings Of morning,6 pierce the Barcan7 wilderness, Or lose thyself in the continuous woods Where rolls the Oregon,8 and hears no sound, Save his own dashings -- yet the dead are there:55 And millions in those solitudes, since first The flight of years began, have laid them down In their last sleep -- the dead reign there alone.

So shalt thou rest -- and what if thou withdraw In silence from the living, and no friend60 Take note of thy departure? All that breathe Will share thy destiny. The gay will laugh When thou art gone, the solemn brood of care Plod on, and each one as before will chase His favorite phantom; yet all these shall leave65 Their mirth and their employments, and shall come And make their bed with thee. As the long train Of ages glides away, the sons of men-- The youth in life's fresh spring, and he who goes In the full strength of years, matron and maid,70 The speechless babe, and the gray-headed man-- Shall one by one be gathered to thy side, By those, who in their turn, shall follow them.

So live, that when thy summons comes to join The innumerable caravan, which moves75 To that mysterious realm, where each shall take His chamber in the silent halls of death, Thou go not, like the quarry-slave at night, Scourged to his dungeon, but, sustained and soothed By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave80 Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams._______________________________________

1 ere – before

2 narrow house – coffin

3 swain – country youth

4 share – plowshare

5 couch – bed

6 Take…morning – allusion to Psalm 139:9

7 Barcan – a deserted region in North Africa

8 Oregon – river flowing between Oregon and Washington, now known as the Columbia River

Thanatopsis Questions

1. What does “thanatopsis” mean?

2. The best way to grasp the meaning of the poem as a whole is to consider the ideas developed in various parts.

a. Lines 1-17: What does the poet suggest that man do when he is oppressed by thoughts of death?

b. Lines 17-57: What comfort does Nature offer the man facing death?

c. Lines 58-72: Why is dying un-mourned not important?

d. Lines 73-81: What is important?

3. What do the following phrases mean as used in the poem?

Line 9 – “the last bitter hour” _________________________________________________

Line 12 – “the narrow house”__________________________________________________

Line 34 – “patriarchs of the infant world”________________________________________

Line 45 – “the great tomb of man”______________________________________________

Line 73 – “thy summons”_____________________________________________________

Line 74 – “The innumerable caravan”___________________________________________

4. Compare the descriptions of death and the image of the grave in Lines 8-12 with the description of sleep in Lines 78-81. What is the difference in TONE? What words (specifically) show the difference in tone?

5. The second section emphasizes one’s place in the human procession as a whole. How is this idea conveyed in the vision of those who will live after one’s lifetime? (lines 66-72)

6. Summary/Theme of poem: Fill in the blanks with a word or phrase.

Nature brings _________________________ to those who_______________________her.

When people think of __________________________, nature teaches them that everyone and

everything must____________________________ and become part of ____________________

again. _______________________ is not to be feared or despised.

7. How is this poem reflective of Romantic/transcendental poets?

Common Core Questions: Create common core questions using the following question stems.

1. The author’s use of figurative language in lines __________serves to emphasize

a.

b.

c.

d.

2. Overall, the author’s view of death could best be described as…

a.

b.

c.

d.

3. Which statement from the poem best summarizes the central idea of the poem?

a.

b.

c.

d.

Name________________________________ Date_____Be a Romantic Poet

Task: Write a poem in Romantic style. Start by choosing an element of nature and element of earthly life. Build your poem around those two elements. You’ll have the noted poets of our past rolling in their graves!

Guidelines:Format:

Format your poem using quatrain stanzas. You must have at least 3 stanzas but no more than 5.

Rhyme You must have a rhyme scheme present. Choose one of the following:

o aabbo ababo abbao abaco abcbo abcao abcc

RhythmModel your poem in rhythm after:Emerson’s “Concord Hymn” - ALL/(most) lines are written in iambic tetrameterOREmily Dickenson’s “I Heard a Fly Buzz – When I Died” and Oliver Wendell Holmes’ “Old Ironsides”– alternating lines of iambic tetrameter and iambic trimeter (8 syllables then 6 syllables)

Sound DevicesBe sure to include some sophisticated sound devices (one present in every stanza)

assonance consonance alliteration

Figurative LanguageMake sure there’s at least ONE good example of metaphor, simile, personification, and/or hyperbole present in the poem.

No time to dilly-dally! You have a poem to write!