Post by Professor Garfinkel on Sept 24, 2015 2:04:36 GMT
Please read the short poem below, and then respond to one of the the following three questions in approximately 100 words (half a typewritten page):
From The Grave
By Robert Blair
Dull Grave!—thou spoil'st the dance of youthful blood,
Strik'st out the dimple from the cheek of mirth,
And every smirking feature from the face;
Branding our laughter with the name of madness.
Where are the jesters now? the men of health
Complexionally pleasant? Where the droll,
Whose every look and gesture was a joke
To clapping theatres and shouting crowds,
And made even thick-lipp'd musing Melancholy
To gather up her face into a smile
Before she was aware? Ah! sullen now,
And dumb as the green turf that covers them.
1. What is the thematic message of the poem? In other words, what lesson is the author attempting to
express with this poem?
2. In line four of the poem, the speaker says that “[the Dull Grave brands] our laughter with the name of
madness.” What does the speaker mean by this line? Explain your answer.
3. Identify an example of hyperbole (exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally). Explain how it is exaggerated.
From The Grave
By Robert Blair
Dull Grave!—thou spoil'st the dance of youthful blood,
Strik'st out the dimple from the cheek of mirth,
And every smirking feature from the face;
Branding our laughter with the name of madness.
Where are the jesters now? the men of health
Complexionally pleasant? Where the droll,
Whose every look and gesture was a joke
To clapping theatres and shouting crowds,
And made even thick-lipp'd musing Melancholy
To gather up her face into a smile
Before she was aware? Ah! sullen now,
And dumb as the green turf that covers them.
1. What is the thematic message of the poem? In other words, what lesson is the author attempting to
express with this poem?
2. In line four of the poem, the speaker says that “[the Dull Grave brands] our laughter with the name of
madness.” What does the speaker mean by this line? Explain your answer.
3. Identify an example of hyperbole (exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally). Explain how it is exaggerated.
