1a. At the beginning of the poem, what does the boy say he met? What reactions do other people have to the boy's words? What do they say about the boy?
2a. When the boy repeats his story in lines 13–14, what detail does he add? How do the people the boy speaks to respond to this new detail?
3a. What does the father do after the boy "[says] it again"? What does the father say to the other people when he returns with his son? What is the boy's reaction?
1b. How do you think the boy feels about the way people respond to what he says? Why do you think people react this way? How would you react if you were the one the boy told?
2b. Why does this detail have this effect on the people's reaction to the boy? What explanation do the people have for what the boy says he sees?
3b. How do you think the boy feels about what his father does and says? What does this action reveal about the father as a person?
4a. Was the boy's vision really there? What evidence supports your opinion?
4b. Based on your answer to question 4a, explain why the father says to the others, "I saw the bear / He saw the wings."
5a. Decide whether the father did the right thing toward the end of the poem. Should he have behaved in some other way? Why, or why not?
5b. Children are known for being imaginative. What actions might adults take to dull a child's imagination? What actions might adults take to help a child keep being imaginative throughout life?
Narrative Poem. The title of this poem is "A short long story." Explain why this is an appropriate title for a narrative poem. What are some of the details you learned of the plot? Refer back to your completed plot pyramid for help. In the title, the poet also hints that the short story in the poem is part of a "long story." What parts of a longer story is the poet only hinting at in this narrative poem rather than directly revealing?
Image, Imagery, and free Verse. What are some of the most vivid images from this poem? Why might "A short long story" be considered a poem even if it does not make use of regular, rhyme, rhythm, meter, or division into stanzas? What makes the poem poetic?
1. Write an autobiographical essay about an event that occurred in your own life when you were a child.
2. Write a free-verse poem, or poem that does not use regular rhyme, rhythm, meter, or division into stanzas, about an important moment you shared with someone in your family.
3. Write a character sketch about your own imaginary outlaw figure. Be sure to describe what your outlaw looks like, acts like, and why he or she is an outlaw.
Synonyms and Antonyms. A verb is an action word. For the following verbs, write down three verbs that mean the same or nearly the same thing (synonyms) and three words that mean the opposite (antonyms).
halt
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mock
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Correcting Wordy Sentences. Rewrite the sentences below so that they are less wordy. Think about what the sentence is saying, then rewrite it to make it clear and direct.
1. The cold, chilly wind was a gusty, air-swept blast that made me long for a sweater or other warm wool garment.
2. Bess loosened her hair so that it fell down, falling about her shoulders in dark waves, and the highwayman kissed it, gently touching one of the dark strands to his lips.
3. I believe that I found "The Highwayman" to be a romantic narrative poem that told a love story.
4. They mocked him and those people laughed snidely at him when he said he met and encountered a large animal known as a bear on the beach down by the shore.
5. The boy, no more than a youth in age, said the bear had wings, asserting that they were the color of his mother's eyes—an exact match.
6. I think that you might think that "The Highwayman" is a poem that is interesting and perhaps even a little spooky.
7. In my opinion, it seemed to me that Bess might be considered by a lot of people who read the poem to be the poem's hero.
8. I think it would be interesting to do some research in order to find out more information about some of the other things King George's soldiers did when they were around.
9. I have a pretty good understanding of what the little boy in "A short long story" felt because I have often felt the same way.
10. Writing poetry is a very good way to let other people learn about the things you think about and the feelings you have.
The Power of Verbal and Nonverbal Communication. In "A short long story," an example of the power of verbal communication occurs when the father says that he, too, saw the bear. Nonverbal communication, however, can be just as powerful. Review the Language Arts Survey 4.1, "Verbal and Nonverbal Communication." Then write how the characters in this poem might have used nonverbal communication in the following moments and scenes.
1. Describe what elements of nonverbal communication the people who mocked the boy might have used to express disbelief in the boy's story.
2. Describe what elements of nonverbal communication the boy might have used when he was being mocked.
3. Describe what elements of nonverbal communication the father might have used when he overheard people mocking his son.
4. Describe what elements of nonverbal communication the father might have used when he returned with his son to say he, too, had seen the bear.
Using a Dictionary. When you are faced with unfamiliar words, one of your best resources is a dictionary. Review the Language Arts Survey 1.17, "Using a Dictionary." Then use a dictionary to answer the following questions:
1. What is the origin, or etymology, of the word musket?
2. What is the meaning of the noun cobbles?
3. What part of speech is the word bonny? What is its definition?
4. Of what word is love-knot a shortened form? What does love-knot mean?
5. What does moor mean as a noun? What does it mean when used as a verb?
