Pat Hamer
Period 6
“I taste a liquor never brewed”
1. What is the speaker drinking in this poem: Why doesn’t he/she want to stop?
The speaker is drinking from life and nature. She doesn’t want to stop because she is high on life..
2. Who would the landlords in stanza 3 be? What details in the poem suggest a tone of defiance?
The landlords in stanza 3 could be the seasons. It suggests a tone of defiance because she will still drink from the beauty of nature even though all the beauty of nature will be gone through her memory.
3. Where is the little “Tippler” or drinker in the last stanza? Can you see any significance in the last word of the poem?
The little “Tippler” is leaning against the sun, and Sun is the last word of the poem which shows that she is going to continue to love nature until the Son of God has the second coming and the end of time comes.
“Much Madness is the divinest sense”
1. What is the meaning of the two paradoxes in the first three lines? How do they affect the poems meaning?
The meaning of the two paradoxes in the first three lines is that true sense is actually madness and madness is actually having sense. They affect the poems meaning by showing that the only true sense can be madness making a paradoxical theme of madness being the only true sense.
2. What do you think is the poem’s theme? What does the speaker think about the individual’s proper relationship to society?
The poem’s theme is that conforming to society only makes you like everyone else and that you should be different and be your own person making your own decisions and beliefs.
3.
The dashes emphasize the certain belief; that you must obey society’s rules or else be thrown out. The dashes point out the assent and demur which mean either to accept or reject. Also the dashes bridge two separate thoughts together such as Much Sense—the starkest Madness,” without having to make the lines too long. These dashes point to the most important part of the poem drawing greater interest and attention to the part.
4. What would you say is
“Because I could not stop for Death”
1. What might the three things passed on the drive
symbolize? Why does
She passes by a school yard which represents early childhood, wheat fields that represent middle age, and a setting sun that represents the end of life and death. This is the passage of life.
2. Note that
This repetition of ground enforces the finality of the resting place of death.
3. What is the main metaphor in this poem?
The main metaphor in this poem is that death is personified as a gentleman giving a carriage ride.
4. Can you paraphrase the first two lines in a way that emphasizes their irony? What word in line 2 tells you the tone is ironic?
Even though she was not ready for death he kindly stopped for her. The word “kindly” tells us the tone is ironic.
5. In stanza 2, civilly means “politeness” How does this kind of behavior on the part of Death and the speaker extend the irony of the first stanza?
It continues to show that the death is civil and polite just like a gentleman on a date.
6. Stanza 5 is a riddle in itself. What is the nearly buried house?
The nearly buried house is the tomb or final resting place.
7. Do you think the concluding stanza introduces a tone of terror because the speaker suddenly realized that she will ride on forever, conscious of being dead? Or is the poem really an expression of trust and even triumph? Explain your answer.
The concluding stanza introduces an expression of trust and even triumph because she finally realizes that she is dead even though it has only been one day even though it seems like a long time. This makes death seem almost bearable and enjoyable.
“I heard a fly buzz – When I died”
1. What mood is created in II. 2-8?
The mood created would be of disbelief and solemn and seriousness to the situation that is to be dealt with respect.
2. What changes the mood?
The fly buzzing changed the mood because the lady was waiting to die and as she took her last breath a fly buzzed past her.
3. What effect does the poet achieve by repeating the s and
z sounds in
The poet uses the consonance by repeating the s and z sounds which makes it divert your attention and focus on the fly.
4. How could the final line be paraphrased to denote the two senses in which the speaker is using the word see?
The speaker is using the word see like as in to see something visually and also to see like to understand.
5. According to the second and third stanzas, how had the speaker and those around her prepared for death?
The speaker and those around her prepared for death by crying until there were no more tears, and were waiting with fated breath, also they were praying to the king, and lastly she had already signed her will and ready for death.
6. What are the dying person and those around her expecting to find in the room? What appears instead and why is this ironic?
They were waiting for the king, or Christ, come into their room and take the person home, but rather they see a fly buzz across room. This is ironic because they were waiting for a celestial being to come but rather a ordinary fly buzzed by them.
7. How does the poet use pauses and specific words in lines 12-13 to make the appearance of the fly dramatic and lively?
By building up the tension making you wait longer and longer until the thing would finally come.
8. What tone do you hear in this poem? What feeling do you think the poet expresses by inserting the fly into this deathbed scene?
At first the poem is serious, solemn, and grave and when the fly comes in the feeling switches to humorous and disappointing.
“Tell all the truth but tell it slant”
1. What does the expression slant the truth mean?
The expression slant the truth means to tell a white lie and put your spin on the truth.
2. What might tell all the truth slant mean?
To tell all the truth slant means to tell part of the truth and spin the rest.
3. What is the major difference between the two expressions?
To slant the truth you completely lie, but to tell all the truth but tell it slant means to tell the truth but add to it or twist it.
4. Explain the meaning of Circuit (line 2) in the context of the poem. What is “To bright for our inform delight” (line 3)
“To bright for our inform delight” means that you can’t tell the whole truth because it would be to bright and too harsh for someone not used to the truth.
5. Lines 5 and 6 provide an example to illustrate the poet’s
point about truth. As is typical of
Explain the truth like you would gently explain the truth about lighting. This would make it less frightening and easier to handle.
6. What metaphor is implied in line 7? What things is truth being compared with?
The metaphor is light which