大学英语专业诗歌欣赏
POETRY APPRECIATION1. NATUREBy LongfellowAs a fond mother, when the day is o erLeads by the hand her little child to bed,Half willing, half reluctant to be led,And leave his broken playthings on the floor,Still gazing at them through the open door,5Nor wholly reassured and comfortedBy promises of others in their stead,Which, though more splendid, may not please him more;So nature deals with us,and takes awayOur playthings one by one, and by the hand10Leads us to rest so gently,that we goScarece knowing if we wish to go or stay, Being too full of sleep to understand How far the unknown transcneds the what we know.Answer the following questions:1) What s the main idea of the poem?2) What s the rhyming scheme of the poem?3) Why should the child should be half willing and half relunctant to go to bed(Line 3)?4) What figure of speech (rehtoric device) is employed in the poem2. THE TIDE RISES, THE TIDES FALLSBy LongfellowThe tide rises, the tide falls,The twilight darkens, the curlew calls;Along the sea-sands damp and brownThe traveller hastens toward the town, And the tide rises, the tide falls.5Darkness settles on roofs and walls,But the sea, the sea in the darkness calls;The little waves, with their soft, white hands,Efface the footprints in the sands, And the tide rises, the tide falls.10The morning breaks; the steeds in their stallsStamp and neigh, as the hoster calls;The day returns, but nevermoreReturns the traveler to the shore, And the tide rises, the tide falls.15Answer the following questions:1) What s the main idea of the poem?2) What s the rhyming scheme of the poem?3) What does the poet mean by “the footprints in the sands ” (L9) ?4) What figure of speech (rehtoric device) is employed in “the steeds in their stalls” (Line 11) and in lines 8-9? And what s the most conspicuous figure of speech employed in the whole poem ?449By Emily DickinsonI died for Beauty-but was scarceAdjusted in the TombWhen One who died of Truth, was lain In an adjoining Room He questioned softly “Why I failed ”?5“For Beauty, ” I replied And I 丁 for Truth " Themself are One We Brethjeren, are, 'He said rAnd so, as Kinsmen, met a Night We talked between the Rooms Until the Mosss had reached our lips And covered up our names Answer the following questions:1) What s the main idea of the poem?2) Whom does “I ” in “Why I failed ” (Line 5) refer to?3) How do you account for the misspelling“ Themsefl” in Line 7?4) down by the salley gardensMy love and I did meetShe passed the Salley GardensWith little snow-white feetShe bid me take love easyAs the leaves grow on the treeBut I being young and foolishWith her would not agreeIn a field by the riverMy love and I did standAnd on my leaning shoulderShe laid her snow-white handShe bid me take life easyAs the grass grows on the weirs But I was young and foolishAnd now am full of tearsAnswer the following questions:1) What s the main idea of the poem?2) What s the rhyming scheme of the poem?3) Whom does “I ” actually represent?Answers for ReferencePoem 1 NatureAnswer the following questions:1) What s the main idea of the poem?The poem makes a vivid comparison between nature and the mother, between we and the child. Like the child we are lured by the present pleasures of life and are unwilling to calm ourselves.Like the mother , Nature tries to lead us to rest and offers new attractions in life.2) What s the rhyming scheme of the poem?Abbaabba+ cdecde that is ,Petrarchan style(Italian style): an octaverhyming + a sestet rhyming3) Why should the child should be half willing and half relunctant togo to bed(Line 3)?He is sleepy, so he is eager to have a sleep; he has not satisfied himself with the games,so he wants to linger on.4) What figure of speech (rehtoric device) is employed in the poem ?Analoge. The poet makes an analogy between nature and the mother, between we and the child.5) What does the broken playthings on the floor ine Line 4 indicate?It indicates that the child must be a naughty one, for he has broken his playthings.2. THE TIDE RISES, THE TIDES FALLS1) What s the main idea of the poem?Time is eternal and nature is the most powerful.No matter what happens to man, time will go on with its endless circle.Man comes and goes, but nature remains and time will efface all human endeavours and achievements. In front of nature and time, manis trivial and a small part of it. No man is grea enough to change nature or to stop time. In the vast sea of history, man is only a small drop of water.2) What s the rhyming scheme of the poem?aabba3) What does the poet mean by “the footprints in the sands ” (L9) ?It s a methor, referring ot human s past and achievements.4) What figure of speech (rehtoric device) is employed in “the steeds in their stalls” (Line 11) and in lines 8