William Cullen Bryant S Thanatopsis : Reading Guide

That make the meadows green; and, pour'd round “ all, Thanatopsis” Old Ocean's grey and melancholy waste,-- Are but the solemn decorations all by William Cullen Bryant 45Of the great tomb of man. The golden sun, The planets, all the infinite host of heaven, To him who in the love of Nature holds Are shining on the sad abodes of death, Communion with her visible forms, she speaks Through the still lapse of ages. All that tread A various language; for his gayer hours The globe are but a handful to the tribes She has a voice of gladness, and a smile 50That slumber in its bosom.--Take the wings 5And eloquence of beauty, and she glides Of morning, pierce the Barcan4 wilderness, Into his darker musings, with a mild Or lose thyself in the continuous woods And healing sympathy, that steals away Where rolls the Oregon and hears no sound Their sharpness, ere he is aware. When thoughts Save his own dashings--yet the dead are there: Of the last bitter hour come like a blight 55And millions in those solitudes, since first 10Over thy spirit, and sad images The flight of years began, have laid them down Of the stern agony, and shroud, and pall, In their last sleep--the dead reign there alone. And breathless darkness, and the narrow house, So shalt thou rest: and what if thou withdraw Make thee to shudder and grow sick at heart;-- In silence from the living, and no friend Go forth, under the open sky, and list 60Take note of thy departure? All that breathe 15To Nature's teachings, while from all around-- Will share thy destiny. The gay will laugh Earth and her waters, and the depths of air-- When thou art gone, the solemn brood of care Comes a still voice--Yet a few days, and thee Plod on, and each one as before will chase The all-beholding sun shall see no more His favourite phantom; yet all these shall leave In all his course; nor yet in the cold ground, 65Their mirth and their employments, and shall 20Where thy pale form was laid with many tears, come Nor in the embrace of ocean, shall exist And make their bed with thee. As the long train Thy image. Earth, that nourish'd thee, shall claim Of ages glides away, the sons of men, Thy growth, to be resolved to earth again, The youth in life's green spring, and he who goes And, lost each human trace, surrendering up In the full strength of years, matron and maid, 25Thine individual being, shalt thou go 70The speechless babe, and the gray-headed man- To mix for ever with the elements, Shall one by one be gathered to thy side To be a brother to the insensible rock, By those who in their turn shall follow them. And to the sluggish clod1, which the rude swain2 Turns with his share, and treads upon. The oak So live, that when thy summons comes to join 30Shall send his roots abroad, and pierce thy The innumerable caravan which moves mould. 75To that mysterious realm where each shall take His chamber in the silent halls of death, Yet not to thine eternal resting-place Thou go not, like the quarry-slave at night, Shalt thou retire alone, nor couldst thou wish Scourged by his dungeon; but, sustain'd and Couch more magnificent. Thou shalt lie down soothed With patriarchs of the infant world--with kings, By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave, 35The powerful of the earth--the wise, the good, 80Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch Fair forms, and hoary seers of ages past, About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams. All in one mighty sepulcher3. The hills Rock-ribb'd and ancient as the sun,--the vales 1Clod: lump of earth Stretching in pensive quietness between; 2Swain: young man who lives in the country 40The venerable woods; rivers that move 3Sepulcher: grave, tomb, or burial vault In majesty, and the complaining brooks 4Barcan: refers to North Africa (sand dunes) SOAPStone Complete the SOAPStone chart based on our class discussion of “Thanatopsis.” Be sure to provide thorough information, included direct references to the text.

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Tone William Cullen Bryant’s “Thanatopsis”: Reading Guide

Part I: Summary Write a detailed summary in for each stanza of the poem. Focus on what is LITERALLY going on in each stanza.

STANZA 1

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STANZA 2

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STANZA 3

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Part II: Subject, Theme, and Speaker Answer the following questions based on your notes and the poem.

-What is the subject of the poem?______

-What is the theme of the poem?______

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-Who is the speaker of the poem in the first and third stanza?______

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-Who is the speaker of the poem in the second stanza?______

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Part III: Romantic Qualities Answer the following questions based on your notes and the poem. Use complete sentences.

List three ways in which this poem demonstrates qualities of Romanticism:

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Part IV: Figurative Language Record examples of the following figures of speech along with an explanation of what is being compared and the effect of this comparison.

-Write an example of a simile from the poem:______

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-Explanation______

-Write an example of a metaphor from the poem:______

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-Explanation______

-Write an example of personification from the poem:______

-Explanation______