What phrase does the speaker use to describe the opposite of his and his wife’s love?
a.
“Dull sublunary lovers’ love . . .”
“Dull sublunary lovers’ love . . .”
In plain English the title “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” means —
d.
a farewell urging the listener not to be sad
a farewell urging the listener not to be sad
According to the speaker, absence from a lover is easiest to bear when the —
c.
two people are extremely close
two people are extremely close
In the first six lines of “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning,” the speaker compares parting to
a.
dying.
dying.
The poem is made of four-line stanzas (quatrains) in which the rhyme scheme is —
a.
abab, and there are four iambic feet
abab, and there are four iambic feet
Lines 7-8, “‘Twere profanation of our joys / To tell the laity our love,” mean —
c.
our love is so sacred that we should not speak of it to others
our love is so sacred that we should not speak of it to others
The question below refers to the selection “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning.”
c.
bridge the gap between their bodies.
bridge the gap between their bodies.
The scene described in the first stanza is —
d.
a deathbed
a deathbed
In “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning,” what does the speaker say is necessary for “dull sublunary lovers”?
d.
being together physically
being together physically
The device that the speaker compares his and his wife’s love to is for —
b.
drawing circles
drawing circles
What qualities does the speaker in “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” suggest are important qualities to have in a loving relationship?
Answers will vary. Students could note that the speaker in “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” seems to value such qualities as a. emotional restraint. b. a sense of privacy. c. a special, intense quality of love. d. a sense of confidence or security. e. faithfulness or constancy.
What comparison does Donne use in the 6th stanza to express the separation of the lover’s souls?
The souls are compared to a lump of gold beaten thinner than paper. Their separation does not resemble a division, but instead an expansion into a thin golden foil.
What fact about Donne’s life fits best with the message of “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning”?
c.
He gave up many advantages to marry his wife, and they had twelve children together.
He gave up many advantages to marry his wife, and they had twelve children together.
Why does the speaker urge his wife to part from him quietly?
It would spoil the sacredness of their love to display their feelings publicly.
Which of the following comes closest to what is meant by the last line of “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning”?
c.
The beloved’s constancy will ensure that the speaker returns home.
The beloved’s constancy will ensure that the speaker returns home.
What is the Forbid Mourn About?
a parting between two lovers that is NOT a break up
What does it compare?
the death of a virtuous man to the parting of 2 lover
What doesn’t the author want?
extreme emotion and crying
How does he view their love?
something solely between the 2 of them which is what makes it special
What can be assumed true according to the poem ?
it is not okay to be afraid of anything
What does he promise in the end?
to be loyal and that her loyalty to him will bring him back
What is a valediction?
an act of farewell
What is worse planet movements or earthquakes?
earthquakes
What does he also compare (as a metaphor) their love to?
twin compasses; if one moves so does the other
What is the moon a symbol of?
inconsistency and cannot be trusted
What could this poem be influenced by?
people going off to war
What is a paradox in this work?
ending at the same point you started at
What is death be not proud about?
how death does not control us it makes us rise; death cant kill us;we go to heaven
According to Donne, when does death die?
at the final judgment when all rise to eternal life
Who are the masters of Death?
fate, chance, kings (those who decide to kill/execute pp) and desperate men (suicide or murderers)
What is the situation in how soon hath time?
He reaches his 24th birthday, and is afraid he’s done nothing with his life; He’s afraid that at the age of 24 he is not as published or accomplished of a writer as his competitors
What does Milton try to do in the first lines?
tries to get people to pity him
What does he say about his maturity>
He has not matured emotionally or mentally, only physically. Other people have done more than me at this point in there lives
What does he start to realize?
God will help him achieve what he needs to achieve; so i’ll just put my life in the hands of God
What does he come to realize about himself?
He’s not a bad person and a mess just because he doesn’t have everything figured out
To what does Milton compare Time in line 1? What does this reveal about his attitude toward time?
Time takes away things subtly, and at first he resent time but towards he accepts time as the inevitable and realizes that time is not control, God is. You don’t realize how quickly his life would go
what do the months represent in these how soon hath time?
summer- early life
spring- young adult
fall- middle age
winter- old age
he’s a late bloomer
spring- young adult
fall- middle age
winter- old age
he’s a late bloomer
To whom does Milton refer as “my great Taskmaster” in line 14? What does this reveal about Milton’s feeling toward this person?
God; Milton intimidated towards God; God-fearing person; God is the judge; determines your fate; Not the loving God
what kind of poetry is this work?
octave (first 8 is) then sestet (last 6)
What is the main concern Milton presents in the octave?
Concern of not getting his life together; worried that he has does nothing good with his life and that he is not finding his plan.; not having enough accomplishments
What does the octave and sestet present?
octave- problem/concern
sestet- solution/resolve
sestet- solution/resolve
How does the sestet answer the concern presented in the octave?
Don’t worry, because everything is going to be all right; God will dictate you; accept that things will happen in God’s own time but the ability is in our hands
based on Milton’s concern and his answer to it, what central message (theme) is expressed in the poem?
Accept that things will happen in God’s own time but the ability is in our hands; don’t worry about success God determines it
(a) In “Song” how does the speaker try to reassure his beloved in the first stanza?(b) What does the speaker mean by “thus by feigned death to die?
(a) He says his reason for reason for leaving is not that he is tired of her (b) He means his departure is like an imagined death
(a) In “Song” , how is the speaker to and different from the Sun? (b) Why might the speaker make this comparison?
(a) Like the Sun , he is leaving and will return. Unlike the Sun, he doesnt have far to go. (b) He intends to reasure his beloved
(a) In the first two stanzas of ” A Valediction : Forbidding Mourning”, to what does the speaker compare his separation from his lover?(b) What do the words “profanation ” and laity” imply about his feeling?
(a) He compares it to a gentle death
(b) He considers their love something sacred
(b) He considers their love something sacred
(a) In ” A Valediction”, when sublunary lovers are absent from each other , what happens to their love , according to lines 13-16? (b) In contrast to the sublunary lovers, what kind of love does the speaker claim he and his beloved share (in lines 17-20)?
(a) Their love cannot withstand their absence , so it no longer exists (b) A higher , more spiritual and “refined” type of love
(a) In “Death Be Not Proud”, what does the speaker tell Death in the first four lines? (b) To what does the speaker compare Death in line five? (c) What can you infer about the speaker’s attitude toward Death . based on the first eight lines?
(a) He belittles death , saying it has no power to kill him
(b)to rest and sleep
(c)He has no fear of death
(b)to rest and sleep
(c)He has no fear of death
(a) How is Death “slave to fate , chance , kings , and desperate men”?(b) According to lines 13-14 , when will Death die?
(a) Death in itself has no power, it results from other causes
(b) When the speaker has passed into eternity
(b) When the speaker has passed into eternity
(a) In “Song”, what is the speaker saying about the power people have over good and bad luck? (b) Do you agree with his views on the subject ? Explain.
(a) He says people have little power over good and bad luck ,but they can add to bad luck by negative expectations and reaction(b) opinion
(a) Why should the parting of two people in love not be a cause for mourning, according to ” A Valediction : Forbidding Mourning “? (b) How persuasive did you find the speaker of the poem? Explain
(a) it can be an occasion for them to experience thr true, spiritual nature of their relationship (b)opinion
TONE is the attitude of the author toward the subject
…
A VALEDICTION: FORBIDDING MOURNING
Why is this love poem by Donne considered metaphysical Poetry?
1. It has an intellectual tone
2. Contains paradoxes, and conceit at the end.
2. Contains paradoxes, and conceit at the end.
A VALEDICTION: FORBIDDING MOURNING
What does the title tell us?
It is a farewell speech that forbids people to be sad.
A VALEDICTION: FORBIDDING MOURNING
How does the speaker suggest that he and his beloved should part?
“So let us melt”: Let us say good-bye slowly and gently
“Make no noise”: Do not cry
A VALEDICTION: FORBIDDING MOURNING
Explain why this is a PARADOX?
“Our two souls therefore, which are one”.
Two souls can not literally (really) join to be one, but their love makes them FEEL as if they are a part of one another.
A VALEDICTION: FORBIDDING MOURNING
Why would Donne use this CONCEIT to compare the lovers to the legs of a compass?
“If they be two, they are two so As stiff twin compasses are two;
Thy soul the fixed foot, makes no show To move, but doth, if th’other do.”
Even though the legs of a compass can move apart, they are always connected.
A VALEDICTION: FORBIDDING MOURNING
Identify the paradox in this quote, “Thy firmness makes my circle just, And makes me end where I begun.”
Life is a circle and we will be together again in heaven.
A VALEDICTION: FORBIDDING MOURNING
What is the theme of the poem?
They will always be connected, even death can not separate them.
A VALEDICTION: FORBIDDING MOURNING
What is the tone of the poem?
Comfort and Security
Which of the following comes closest to what is meant by the last line of “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning”?
The beloved’s constancy will ensure that the speaker returns home.
Why does the speaker urge his wife to part from him quietly?
It would spoil the sacredness of their love to display their feelings publicly.
What comparison does Donne use in the 6th stanza to express the separation of the lover’s souls?
The souls are compared to a lump of gold beaten thinner than paper. Their separation does not resemble a division, but instead an expansion into a thin golden foil.
What fact about Donne’s life fits best with the message of “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning”?
He gave up many advantages to marry his wife, and they had twelve children together.
What qualities does the speaker in “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” suggest are important qualities to have in a loving relationship?
Students could note that the speaker in “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” seems to value such qualities as a. emotional restraint. b. a sense of privacy. c. a special, intense quality of love. d. a sense of confidence or security. e. faithfulness or constancy.
