1a. Why can the blacksmith "look the whole world in the face"?
2a. What has happened to the blacksmith's wife?
3a. According to the speaker, what lesson can be learned from the life of the blacksmith?
4a. What evidence does the poem provide that the blacksmith is hard-working?
5a. Some critics think that this poem is overly sentimental and preachy. Tell why you agree or disagree with this point of view.
1b. What does the fact that he has no debts tell you about his character?
2b. What kind of relationship does the blacksmith have with his children?
3b. How does the blacksmith's life teach that lesson?
4b. Do you think that the blacksmith's job gives him high prestige in the village? Compare his job with a modern job, such as car mechanic or truck driver. How are they similar or different?
5b. What qualities made the blacksmith a popular person in American culture in the nineteenth century? Are those qualities still considered desirable in the United States today? If not, what other qualities are now more important?
Image. Review the definition of image in the Handbook of Literary Terms. What images did you find that Longfellow uses to describe the blacksmith?
Alliteration. Read the complete definition of alliteration in the Handbook of Literary Terms. Identify at least two other examples of alliteration in this poem.
1. Imagine that the blacksmith has retired. Write a help wanted ad for a new blacksmith that would appear in the town newspaper.
2. Imagine that you are the blacksmith and write a letter to your wife who has passed away, telling her about your life without her. Tell her about how hearing your daughter's voice singing in the village choir reminds you of her and how it makes you feel. Use your own paper as necessary.
3. Write a brief character sketch, or description, of the blacksmith. Include as many details as you can about the character of the blacksmith from the poem, such as how he looks, acts, and feels. Use your own paper as necessary.
Adding Prepositional Phrases. Read the Language Arts Survey 3.30, "Identifying Prepositional Phrases." Then rewrite each sentence below. Bracket each prepositional phrase and star (*) the word it modifies. After each sentence, indicate the word and its modifying phrase. Finally, tell whether the phrase is adjectival or adverbial.
1. Under the spreading chestnut tree the village smithy stands.
2. The smith is a mighty man with large and sinewy hands.
3. On Sunday, he goes to church and sits among his boys.
4. The mother of his children is now dead and he remembers her with sadness.
5. Each deed and thought must be shaped on the sounding anvil.
