Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Tears, Idle Tears

Read Tears, Idle Tears. List three adjectives that the speaker uses to describe the past and explain how the adjectives are different or similar. Briefly state the tone of the poem. What does the speaker believe is precious about the past?

Do you think the speaker had a joyous or miserable past? Why?

The Power of Nature

Both “The Eagle: A Fragment” and “Flower in the Crannied Wall” contain lessons or messages. Explain how each quotation reveals the message of the poem.

“Close to the sun in lonely lands” (From The Eagle: A Fragment)

“(If) I could understand what you are… I should know what God and man is” (From Flower in the Crannied Wall)

What is the speaker’s attitude toward nature in each poem?

In what ways are the two poems different?

Shattering Glass

After reading “The Lady of Shalott“, what associations do you have with the following words from the poem? Use words, symbols or images to communicate the ideas or emotions you associate with each of the following poem.

Cracked, mirror, curse, shadows.

Explain the meaning of the above words in the context of the poem.

Why do you think the Lady of Shalott becomes “half sick” of the shadows she sees in the mirror?

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