poetry answers

Poetry

Leisure:

What is this life, if full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare?

No time to stand beneath the boughs?

And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see when wood we pass,

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance.

And watch her feet, how they dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can

Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this, if full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

Answer the following questions:

1.     What is the theme of the poem?

 The beauty of nature which we fail to enjoy because of our busy life.

2.    The poet has his regrets. What is he regretting?  Why?

He is regretting the dull life we are leading as we do not have enough time to look all the wonders God has created around us and fully enjoy and appreciate them.

3.    Find two figures of speech and explain them.

a.  Simile: streams full of stars like skies at night." The poet compares the streams to the skies that full of stars.

b.  Personification: "No time to turn at Beauty's glance And watch her feet, how they dance." He personifies nature. He gives it some human characteristics like in " Her mouth can enrich that smile her eyes began."

c.   Alliteration in the second and the last lines "stand" and Stare". It creates music.

4 What is the rhyme scheme of the poem?

The poem is composed of fourteen lines. Each two lines rhyme. The first two lines and the last two lines have the same rhyme.

aa-bb-cc-dd-ee-ff-aa

5. Why does the poet want us to have some free time?

To be able to have time to go out to the nature and contemplate God's creation and appreciate it.

6. Do you have time to go out to enjoy nature? What do you do?

-Opinion.

7. Why does the poet spell the word "Beauty" with a capital "B" in the seventh line?

Because he personifies nature and gives it a name"Beauty".

8. What according to the poet is a poor life?

A life of a busy person who does not have enough time to enjoy nature

9. Why did the poet resort to repetition in "no Time"?

Each two line begin with "no time" to emphasize the poet's idea about failing to find time and missing all the beautiful things that God created.

10. What does "her" in line 11 refer to?

It refers to nature which the poet personifies giving it human characteristics.

Blow, Blow:

Blow, Blow, thou winter wind,

Thou art not so unkind

As man's ingratitude;

Thy tooth is not so keen,

Because thou art not seen,

Although thy breath be rude.

Heigh-ho! Sing heigh-ho! Unto the green holly

Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly

Then heigh-ho! The holly!

This life is most jolly.

Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky,

That dost not bite so nigh

As benefits forgot:

Though thou the waters warp,

Thy sting is not so sharp

Heigh-ho! Sing heigh-ho! Unto the green holly

Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly

Then heigh-ho! The holly!

This life is most jolly.

Answer the following questions:

1.     What is the theme of the poem? Find a quote from the poem that illustrates the main idea.

The ungratefulness of mankind which is much harder than a harsh winter weather as a very harsh wind could not hurt as much as the rudeness of mankind. He encourages man to keep away from a lot of his fellow men and to enjoy the happy life in the forest without hatred or dishonesty.

Thou art not so unkind

As man's ingratitude;

Thy tooth is not so keen

2. Find three figures of speech and explain them.

a. A simile: " Thou art not so unkind As man's ingratitude."  The poet compares Man's ungratefulness and ingratitude to the harsh winter wind although the former bites much harder and without any kind of mercy.

b. Personification: "Thy tooth is not so keen becacause thou art not seen." The poet speaks to the wind asking it to blow and then to freeze.

c. Alliteration: "heigh-ho! Sing heigh! Ho unto the green holly."

4.    What is the effect of using the word "not" in the poem?

The use of the word "not" shows the effect of a false friend. "Freeze Freeze thou bitter sky, That dost not so nigh." Although very cold water is shocking, it is still less painful than a false friend who would have a greater effect on man's spirit than harsh weather.

5.    What do you consider harsher that the winter wind? Why?

opinion

Bed in Summer:

In winter, I get up at night

And dress by yellow candle light.

In summer, quite the other way

I have to go to bed by day

I have to go to bed and see

The birds still hopping on the tree

Or hear the grown-ups people's feet

Still going past me in the street

And does it not seem hard to you

When all the sky is clear and blue

And I should like so much to play

To have to go to bed by day.

Answer the following questions:

1. How old do you think the poet is? Why?

It is clear that the poet is only a child who is really unhappy for going to bed early missing all the fun he would have if he stays up till late."I should like so much to play." Also, he is talking about grown up people who have the privilege of staying up till late while he is lying in his bed.

2.  paraphrase the poem.

The poet does not like the idea of having to get up early during winter when it is still dark. On the other hand, he has to go to bed early in summer when the sky is clear and blue and he still wants to playas he can still hear the activities of all the other creatures like the birds which are still active. Also the grown-up people have this privilege of enjoying their time while he has to go to bed

4. Find a contrast. Why does the poet resort to contrasts.

A contrast between summer and winter. Also between himself as a child who cannot stay till a late hour and grown-up people who still enjoy their day. The contrast sheds light on the unfair life the poet is leading that deprives him of the enjoyment he is yearning for.

Night

The sun descending in the west,

The evening star does shine,

The birds are silent in their nest,

And I must seek for mine.

The moon like a flower,

In heaven's high bower,

With silent delight

Sits and smiles on the night.

Answer the following question:

1. Paraphrase the first stanza.

The poet is talking about night. The sun is setting, the evening star is shining, everything is quiet; even the birds are silent in their nest and it is time for the poet to go to his own nest (home).

2. Find two figures of speech and explain them.

a. Metaphor: "I must seek for mine." He compares his home to a nest.

b. Personification: The moon is personified as it "sits", "smiles".

c. Simile: "The moon like a flower" The moon resembles a flower.

3. What is the rhyme scheme of the two stanzas?

Ab-ab-cc-dd

4. How does the poet feel at night? Why?

It is clear that the poet is infatuated by the softness and quietness of the night. As the beauty of the night is accentuated by the use of the simile "the moon like a flower".

5. What does the night represent to you?

Opinion

6. What does "mine" refer to?

The poet's nest which he means his home as the birds are looking for their nests he is going to go home seeking for rest.