Lesson Objectives

•    Make inferences about literary texts
•    Interpret allusions, symbols, and extended metaphors
•    Compare authors’ perspectives
•    Identify a controlling image
•    Examine the theme of a literary work
•    Analyze figurative language
•    Interpret the rhyme scheme of selected poems
•    Draw conclusions about the social context of a literary work

Reading Assignments

1.    Read the biographical sketches for Thomas Babington Macauley and Thomas Carlyle, “The Evidence of Progress,” and “The Condition of England,” pp. 1010-1021.
2.    Read the biographical sketch of Matthew Arnold, “Dover Beach,” and “To Marguerite—Continued,” pp. 1034-1038.
3.    Read the biographical sketch of A.E. Housman, “To an Athlete Dying Young,” and “When I Was One-and-Twenty,” pp. 1040-1044.
4.    Read the biographical sketch of Thomas Hardy, “The Darkling Thrush,” and “Ah, Are You Digging on My Grave?” pp. 1048-1053.

Reading Questions

Read the biographical sketches for Thomas Babington Macauley and Thomas Carlyle, “The Evidence of Progress,” and “The Condition of England,” pp. 1010-1021.

1.    Reread lines 28-40 of “Evidence of Progress.” On the basis of this passage, what can you infer about Macauley’s social priorities?

2.    Recall that an allusion is a reference to historical, literary, or cultural details outside of a literary work. Reread lines 118-122 of “The Condition of England.” What point is Carlyle making with his allusion to Midas in these lines? (Go here to read the myth of King Midas: http://www.pantheon.org/articles/m/midas.html.)

3.    Carlyle uses the metaphor of enchantment to convey his criticisms of British society. Paraphrase each of the following passages from his commentary. In each example, what characteristics of social life does this metaphor communicate?

•    On the condition of England (lines 5-13)
•    On life in the workhouse (lines 35-43)
•    On the limits of wealth (lines 77-86)

4.    Explain the differences between Macauley’s view of society and Carlyle’s. What indicators would each author consider to be a fair measure of progress? Cite details to support your answer.

Read the biographical sketch of Matthew Arnold, “Dover Beach,” and “To Marguerite—Continued,” pp. 1034-1038.

5.    Who, according to the speaker of “To Marguerite—Continued,” separates him from his love?

6.    Poets often make use of a controlling image—a single image or comparison that extends through a literary work and shapes its meaning. Re-examine “To Marguerite—Continued.” What controlling image shapes this poem? What yearning does this image convey?

7.    “Dover Beach” contains an allusion to Sophocles, an ancient Greek playwright. Why do you think Arnold makes this reference?

8.    What do these two poems convey about mankind’s sense of the universe’s indifference? For each poem, write a sentence stating the theme. Reviewing the information on p. 1035, explain which literary elements Arnold uses to convey each theme.

Read the biographical sketch of A.E. Housman, “To an Athlete Dying Young,” and “When I Was One-and-Twenty,” pp. 1040-1044.

9.    In “To an Athlete Dying Young,” compare the image in the second stanza with the image in the first stanza. What is the effect of repeating the image in this way?

10.     Only in the title of “To an Athlete Dying Young” does Housman explicitly say that the young runner is dead; this provides information readers must understand in order to analyze the rest of the poem. In light of this transformation, how would you interpret the following figurative phrases?

•    “the road all runners come” (line 5)
•    “a stiller town” (line 8)
•    “the shady night” (line 13)

11.    Reread lines 9-16 of “When I Was One-and-Twenty.” What might account for the change in the speaker’s attitude? Give reasons for your answer.

12.    Read aloud the first stanza of each poem. What musical quality does the rhyme scheme of each create? What relationship do you see between this musical quality and the subject of each poem? Explain how this affects the poem’s impact.

Read the biographical sketch of Thomas Hardy, “The Darkling Thrush,” and “Ah, Are You Digging on My Grave?” pp. 1048-1053.

13.    Who are the two speakers conducting a dialogue in “Ah, Are You Digging on My Grave?”

14.    In “The Darkling Thrush,” is the thrush’s song hopeful or hopeless? Explain what you think the thrush symbolizes, making sure to address each of the following:

•    When and where the speaker sees the thrush
•    The thrush’s appearance and what he has chosen to do
•    How the thrush’s song contrasts with his surroundings
•    How the speaker feels about the thrush’s song

15.    How are these two poems similar or different in tone? In which poem does Hardy express a harsher or more biting attitude? Explain, citing examples from both poems to support your answers.

16.    Consider the social context that shaped Hardy’s work. How does each of these poems reflect a sense of pessimism and disillusionment permeating the late Victorian era? How does each convey the anxiety about the indifference of nature and society? Cite the evidence you recorded from both poems to support your conclusions.

Vocabulary in Context

Complete the Vocabulary Practice on p. 1022.

Choose the letter of the synonym for each boldfaced word.

1. debase: a) debrief b) defy c) devalue
2. retrogression: a) resistance b) decline c) advancement
3. defray: a) pay b) collect c) unravel
4. lucrative: a) oily b) honorable c) profitable
5. countenance: a) appearance b) amount c) nobility
6. torpor: a) violence b) sluggishness c) drama
7. stoicism: a) belief b) activity c) indifference
8. coerce: a) compel b) advise c) assist

Complete the Vocabulary Strategy: The Latin Prefix retro- on p. 1022

Choose the word from the list that best completes each sentence. Use context clues to help you or, if necessary, check a dictionary.

1. The new luxury tax is ____; it applies to the purchases of the last two years.
2. My advice seemed good at the time, but in ____ I see I was wrong.
3. We need to ____ the plane so that its original parts will work with the new computer.
4. Warfare caused the once-advanced society to ____.
5. The general stopped the advance and instead ordered a ____ movement of the troops

Word List:

Retrofit
Retrograde
Retrogress
Retrospect
Retroactive

Independent Reading Assignment

How are things going with A Passage to India? In lesson 29, you will have the opportunity to work through some study and discussion questions in preparation for the Unit 5 Milestone Assignment. By now, you should be finishing Chapter 18.

Main Assignment

Newspapers provide a public forum for different opinions about social, political, and economic conditions. Write a three-paragraph letter to the editor of a local newspaper. In your letter, state a position on an issue that concerns you and then express your views in a way that will be persuasive to others.

A successful letter to the editor will:

•    Clearly state a position in the first paragraph
•    Support the position with facts, examples, quotations, or other forms of evidence
•    Use rhetorical devices that reinforce the position

Tip – Staying motivated can be difficult for any student. One way to jumpstart your flagging enthusiasm is to discuss what you’re learning with friends, other students, or relatives. Use message boards, study groups, chat rooms and other forums to connect with people studying a common subject. You’ll find that discussing what you’re learning not only helps you retain and understand the material, but it also helps you invest in your learning.