Henry Wadsworth Longfellow- (______-______)

 Most popular ______of his time; he was a household name

 Endorsed the values of the ‘______; helped people to believe that their values would conquer ‘______’

 Born and raised in Portland, Maine; family was wealthy

 Attended Bowdoin University; later became a professor there, then at Harvard

 Married ______times . Was married to second wife (Frances Appleton) for ______years . These were his ______years as a poet, both ______and ______. . Wrote ‘Evangeline’ and ‘Song of Hiawatha’

 Second wife, ______, died in a fiery accident; Longfellow mourned by ______

 Lead to the poem/sonnet- “______”

Literary Focus- ‘The Sonnet’ and ‘Rhyme Scheme’

Rhyme Scheme:

The Sonnet

 The ______and most ______poetic form

 Rhymed ______line poem usually in ______(each line = 5 iambs- unstressed syllables followed by stressed syllables

 ______types of sonnets 1) ______/______Sonnet (1564-1616)- Perfected by ______. Rhyme scheme of ______/ ______/ ______/ ______

. ______groups of ______lines (______)

. 1 ______(final two lines)

2) ______/______Sonnet (1304-1374)- Created by the Italian poet Petrarchan . Rhyme scheme of ______/ ______/ ______/ ______

. First ______lines = ______- these lines state a problem, describe a conflict, ask a question

. Next ______lines = ______- these lines offer a solution, a comment, or a resolution Henry Wadsworth Longfellow- ‘The Cross of Snow’

1. What problem or conflict is contained within the first eight lines (or octave) of the poem?

2. What is Longfellow referring to with the line, “In the long sleepless watches of the night?”

3. What is Longfellow saying about his wife’s character when he uses the powerful phrase “martyrdom of fire” to describe her death?

4. What image is suggested by the halo of light around Mrs. Longfellow’s head in her portrait?

5. What new comment does the poet make about his ordeal in the last 6 lines (or sestet) of the poem?

6. What does the cross symbolize?

7. In a figurative sense, we all “bear crosses on our shoulders”. Longfellow, however, says that his is “…the cross I wear upon my breast.” Why does he ‘wear his cross upon his breast’ and not ‘bear it upon his shoulders’ like the rest of us?

8. The cross of snow is a metaphor for what?

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow- ‘The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls  Summary- The speaker of this poem describes a traveler coming to a town by way of the shore, while the tide rises and falls endlessly. The ceaselessness of the waves contrasts with the traveler’s brief stay.

Literary Focus- Stanza

1) Stanzas: . ______

. ______

Reading Traditional Poetry

To appreciate the ______qualities of many poems- including this poem- follow these strategies:

. Read each poem ______to interpret the basic ______then…

. Read each poem ______and ______for the end rhyme ______. Notice which words are emphasized by ______.

Questions

1. Identify the rhyme scheme in three of the five lines of each stanza. What word is emphasized by this repeated rhyme and what impact might this technique have on the poem’s meaning?

2. What ‘record’ does the traveler leave behind in lines 8-9, and what happens to this ‘record’ in lines 13-14?

3. In terms of basic meaning, what is the difference between the day and the traveler in lines 13-14?

4. Identify the rhyme scheme used in the poem; describe how this rhyme scheme reflects the poem’s central image.

5. What idea is Longfellow trying to emphasize about the difference between nature and human life through the repetition of “the tide rises, the tide falls.”?

6. Answer the following questions in terms of tone and symbolism: . Who or what does the traveler represent?

. How does the absence of details about the traveler contribute to the tone and theme of the poem?