第7单元　19世纪美国诗人

“I Shot an Arrow”

1Why did the speaker lose sight of his arrow and song?

Key: Because that the arrow flew so swiftly and the song was invisible and no one had so knee and strong sight to catch them, he lost sight of his arrow and song.

2In what circumstances did he find them again?

Key: After a long, long time, he found the arrow still unbroken in an oak, and the song, from beginning to end, in the heart of a friend. They were both well-preserved after a very long time.

3What do arrow and song stand for in this poem?

Key: Arrow and song stand for friendship, affections and true sentiments towards friends in this poem.

“A Psalm of Life”

1What kind of person is the speaker of this poem?

Key: The speaker of the poem is an optimistic person. He loves life and is enthusiastic about life. He is encouraging and invigorative. He encourages those who encountered hardships and were suffering. He is also a doer who always acts rather than yearns for future and makes plan for it. He knows that a person should “be up and doing, with a heart for any fate” and keep achieving and pursuing, and learning to labor and wait.

2According to the poem, how should our lives be led to overcome the fact that each day brings us nearer to death?

Key: According the poem, “life is real, life is earnest! And the grave is not its goal.” Although we go towards death every day, it is not our destination, for the aim of life of ours is to pursue, achieve and improve ourselves. That is, “but to act, that each tomorrow / Find us farther than today.” So, we should “Be a hero in the strife” and “act in the living present!”

3Interpret the metaphor of “Footprints on the sand of time” (line 28).

Key: “The sand of time” refers to the lifetime of a man. If a man has done nothing and achieved nothing, his whole life would be empty and worthless. There was no any “footprints”. “Footprints on the sand of time” refers a person’s traces of struggle and his achievement recognized by others.

“Sonnet-To Science”

1What kind of image does science have in this poem?

Key: According to the poem, science is “the daughter of Old Time” and changes all things with its “peering eyes”. It becomes formidable adversary to imagination and poetry, because it stops the poets’ wandering in the jeweled shies.

2According to Poe, what will a poet do, if he is free from the bondage of science?

Key: If a poet is free from the bondage of science, he will wander in the jeweled skies to seek treasure, that is, writing materials, for his poems, and have the summer dream beneath the tamarind tree so as to send his imaginations fly.

3What might science deprive the speaker of?

Key: Science might deprive the speaker of “wandering” and “the summer dream beneath the tamarind tree”, because science, like a vulture, preys “upon the poet’s heart” and it also ruins many beautiful legends. Science explains everything in a scientific way, leaving poets no place to imagine and wander. In the end, the speaker even cannot dream under the tamarind tree.

“To Helen”

1Why does the poet compare Helen’s beauty to “those Nicean barks of yore”?

Key: Because the poet thinks that Helen is a classical beauty and “those Nicean barks of yore” implies the same kind of beauty, which is gentle, dreamy and heart-shaking.

2What have brought the wayfaring speaker home?

Key: Helen’s “hyacinth hair, classic face and Naiad airs” have brought the wayfaring speaker home.

3In what form does Helen appear in the final stanza? Why does she carry a lamp in her hands?

Key: She stands “in yon brilliant window-niche” like a statue.

Because now, she appears in the incarnation of Psyche, who was very curious about his husband and carried a lamp to see him. And here, the poet reproduces the classic scene of the mythology so as to make Helen mysterious.

One’s Self I Sing

1What is the significance of singing about one’s, self?

Key: Singing about one’s self is celebrating human beings’ individual spirit, which is typical of American people. This exaltation puts mankind at the first place and increases their confidence and self-esteem.

2What is the difference between physiology and physiognomy?

Key: Physiology is a science that deals with the functions and life process of human beings, whereas physiognomy refers to an art of judging character from contours of face itself or the appearance of a person.

3What does Whitman mean by the term of “the Modern Man”?

Key: He means that “the Modern Man” should be free from any prejudice and pride, totally different from the traditional one who is full of bias. The life of “the Modern Man” is full of passion, pulse and power, and people’s action are cheerful and freest under the divine laws.

“O Captain! My Captain!”

1Why is the word “Captain” capitalized throughout the poem?

Key: Because, in this poem, the word “Captain” especially refers to Abraham Lincoln, president of the United States.

2What overall metaphor does the poet employ in this poem?

Key: The poet compares America to be the ship on the sea, and the sea symbolizes the Civil War of America. President, Abraham Lincoln, is compared to be the “Captain”, who is killed just before the victory.

3Why do people on the shores exult and bells ring while the speaker remains so sad?

Key: Because people on the shore welcome the ship returning from its hard trip, whereas the speaker is sad because the captain fails to receive his own honor.

“To Make a Prairie”

1What things are needed to “make” a prairie? In what sense can one really do it?

Key: It needs grass and insects. One can really do it by imagination.

2How can “revery alone” create a prairie?

Key: By imagination, everything on a prairie can come into our mind, and thus, we can create a prairie.

“Success Is Counted Sweetest”

1Why is success “counted sweetest by those who never succeed”?

Key: Because those who never succeed have a strong desire to succeed and they think that being successful is the most meaningful and worthy thing that they pursue. For them, success is the most attractive goal and is counted sweetest.

2Who are “the purple host”?

Key: “The purple host” refers to those so-called successful people in the world.

3Who is “he” in the last stanza?

Key: “He” refers to anyone who is pursuing his success.

“I’m Nobody!”

1Who are the “pair of us” and “they” in this poem?

Key: The “pair of us” refers to the speaker in the poem and the reader. “They” refers to the public, especially those in power.

2What does “an admiring bog” really mean?

Key: “An admiring bog” really mean the vain and empty people, who are always admiring and pursuing the celebrities.

3What is the theme of this poem?

Key: The theme is that many people want to be somebody, and enjoy admiration of their admirers. But, being somebody is not as fancy as it seems to be. On the contrary, being nobody is a nicer choice, for we can stay alone and enjoy our own happiness.

4Do you want to be “nobody” or “somebody”? Explain your reasons.

Key: I want to be nobody. The main reason is that I prefer to doing my own things rather than being focusing on by the public light. Being nobody, we can still pursue our goals and do not have to care about others’ opinion that will influence our minds and actions.