Longfellow+Review+and+Assess

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= __PG. 260 - Review and Assess__ =

1. Respond: What images did this poem evoke for you? · > >  >  2. ( a) Recall: What occurs events occur in the first stanza? (b) Interpret: Which details suggest that the traveler is nearing death? (c) Support: Which details suggest that he has died? >
 * Although the image may be different to everyone, when we read this poem, we summed up our images and found that the poem evoked an idea of a new day, and that yesterday will never come back. This can be shown as the rising of the tide (the day; the beginning of the day), the falling of the tide (night; the end of the day), the rising of the tide, etc.
 * In the first stanza, night comes, and a traveler returns home. Suggesting the author’s death is the call of the curlew, a bird that is often associated with the night, the end of day (or in this poem, life). Details of his death include the removal of the footsteps in the sand, "The little waves, with their soft, white hands, / Efface the footprints in the sands," (lines 8-9)

3. (a) Recall: Which line does the speaker repeat throughout the poem? (b) Evaluate: What effect does this repetition have on the message of the poem? >
 * The repeated line throughout the poem is, " (And) the tide rises, the tide falls," (lines 1, 5, 10, 15). Perhaps the line explains that although death is traumatizing and sad, it is inevitable, but we know it will happen, and time goes on.

4. (a) Contrast: In the third stanza, what is the difference between the traveler and the day? (b) Draw Conclusions: (b) Draw Conclusions: What does the poem suggest about humanity and nature? >
 * In the third stanza, Longfellow is perhaps explaining that the day will always return (nature, meaning eternal immortality), but the human is mortal and has the tendency of death. This suggests that human life has its end, but nature will always exist - all but one aspect of nature could be gone, but nature will still be alive. If there was only a brain or only one organ of a human, that human would not live. Longfellow is suggesting that, in the sense of mortality, nature is more powerful than human, for nature comes back every day, unlike some humans.

5. Evaluate: What do you think Longfellow's outlook on like and death was when he wrote this poem? Explain. >
 * When Longfellow wrote this poem, perhaps he was feeling a bit scornful about a death of a loved one, and wrote something to make light of the situation, sort of our modern-day sarcasm.

= __Themes Present__ = > >
 * Nature
 * Life / Death