Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Notes
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Notes
About the Poet
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was born on February 27, ______, in Portland, ______.
His mother’s name was ______.
He was very fond of ______.
Became a published ______at age______.
Entered Bowdoin ______in Maine, at age ______, where he decided to devote his life to ______.
His first wife______following a______.
His second wife ______from being fatally ______in a ______.
Longfellow died in Cambridge on March 24, ______.His marble image is seen in Westminster Abbey, in the______Corner.
Random Fun Facts
Longfellow…
-was a child ______(one who shows impressive talent at a young age)
-spoke ______languages
-read ______languages
-grew a ______to hide the ______of a______that killed his second ______
Longfellow’s poems were very well liked and popular with people because the lessons that were included in them. Audiences wanted some kind of sermon or lesson to help shape their character and morals during the time of the Industrial Revolution where those things were being tested, and that is what his poems did.
Information
Stanza- a grouping of lines
Rhyme scheme- the pattern of end rhyme in a stanza or an entire poem.
Refrain- part of a stanza, consisting of one or more lines that are repeated regularly, sometimes with changes, often at the end of stanzas
______is a poetic technique in which the sounds of words are used to eco their sense. Can you name a few?
______is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words.
“The Tide Rises, the TideFalls”
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The tide rises, the tide falls,
The twilight darkens, the curlew calls;
Along the sea-sands damp and brown
The traveler hastens toward the town,
5 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 hands
Efface the footprints in the sands,
10 And the tide rises, the tide falls.
The morning breaks; the steeds in their stalls
Stamp and neigh, as the hostler calls;
The day returns, but nevermore
Returns the traveler to the shore.
15 And the tide rises, the tide falls
Review
- What record does the traveler leave behind in “The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls”?
- Identify the rhyme scheme used in “The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls.” How does this rhyme scheme reflect the poem’s central image?
- What is the refrain in “The Tide Rises, the TideFalls”?
- Onomatopoeia is a poetic technique in which the sounds of words are used to eco their sense. If you have ever hear the call of a curlew, you know that the words “curlew calls” in line 2 echo the sound this shore bird itself makes. (Its cry is particularly mournful at dusk.) What sound do you think dominates this poem? What atmosphere does it suggest?
- What examples of alliteration can you find in the poem?
- How does the division into stanzas reflect the passage of time in the poem?
- Create your own poem that speaks about the passage of time. It must be 15 lines, use onomatopoeia, and use alliteration. You must also separate the lines into stanzas.
This poem is a representation of how______keeps going. Even after the lonely traveler ______, no one notices his ______and the days keep going just as they did before he dies. The tide rises and falls, the morning comes and goes and so does the night, people go out of the earth and people come in______.
“Cross of Snow”
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
In the long, sleepless watches of the night
A gentle face--the face of one long dead--
Looks at me from the wall, where round its head
The night lamp casts a halo of pale light.
Here in this room she died; and soul more white
Never through martyrdom of fire was led
To its repose; nor can in books be read
The legend of a life more benedight.
There is a mountain in the distant West
That, sun-defying, in its deep ravines
Displays a cross of snow upon its side.
Such is the cross I wear upon my breast
These eighteen years, through all the changing scenes
And seasons, changeless since the day she died.
*This is one of the most personal poems that Longfellow ever wrote. It is about his second wife______, who died from a terrible accident with______.
“Here in this room she died; and soul more white
Never through martyrdom of fire was led”
She died in their home when a lighted ______or some hot sealing wax she was using on a ______caught her ______on ______, Henry tried to extinguish her with a ______but she passed away and he was left very badly______. So this poem could maybe be a eulogy for the tragic ______of his wife.
Review
1. The phrase “martyrdom of fire” in line 6 might confuse readers who did not know that Longfellow’s wife dies in a fire. What is Longfellow suggesting about his wife’s character when he uses such a powerful word to describe her death?
2. The phrase “watches of the night” usually refers to the rounds made by a watchman as he guards a house or a neighborhood. At certain hours the watch would call “All is well.” What are Longfellow’s figurative “watches of the night” (line 1)?
3. Explain how the “sun-defying” (line 10) suggests conditions of weather and geology that might actually produce a permanent cross-of-snow on the side of a mountain. How does the poet relate the idea of a “sun-defying” formation of snow to his own feelings?
4. What do you think about public grief? (Longfellow did not show “Cross of Snow” to anyone during his lifetime.) How does mass media-TV, radio, magazines, newspapers- affect our views of what’s private and what’s not? (Think of examples from news programs, talk shows, magazines, and documentaries.)
5. How did you respond to the strong personal emotion expressed in the poem?
6. Romantic poets often used aspects of nature to mirror or express emotions that might be too painful or personal to express directly. In this poem the poet has taken a dramatic sight from nature and transformed it through words into a powerful image that conveys several layers of intensely personal meaning. Create a poem using images from nature that contains some personal meaning. It must be at least 14 lines, and contain imagery.