1a. What effect does the wren's song have?
2a. What emotion of Jane's is described in the second stanza?
3a. In the last stanza, what does the speaker want to do?
4a. Compare and contrast the last three lines of the first stanza with the last three lines of the final stanza. Consider line length and tone.
5a. Judge whether the speaker has the right to speak about his love for Jane, even if he is outside her family.
1b. What impact did Jane have on people?
2b. Who was able to console Jane when she was sad?
3b. How does the speaker picture Jane in the last stanza?
4b. Why does the speaker "speak" in the final stanza?
5b. Think about certain basic relationships such as parent, sibling, friend, coworker, and classmate. What emotions do you associate with each relationship? In what way do relationships define a person's "rights" to certain feelings?
Elegy. What makes this poem an elegy? What do the first two stanzas describe? What do the last two stanzas describe?
Metaphor. Review the chart you made in Literary Tools. What metaphors does Roethke use to describe Jane? What do the metaphors together say about Jane?
1. Write a sympathy note to the speaker. Use details about Jane in your note.
2. Write an obituary for Jane. Use information about her gathered from the poem and invent other details about her life to include information essential to an obituary. You might want to read several obituaries before you begin.
3. Write an elegy in verse for someone you have lost or would hate to lose.
Adding Modifiers. Rewrite each of the following sentences, adding an appropriate adjective or adverb. Some sentences may require more than one modifier.
1. Jane's neckcurls hung.
2. She gave me a look.
3. Her syllables leaped.
4. The wren had its tail into the wind.
5. I speak words over this grave.
Roethke Nature Guide. Identify natural elements that Roethke uses in his poetry, and locate pictures and scientific descriptions of these elements. To find more of Roethke's poetry, use the Internet site http://www.washington.edu/research/showcase/1947b.html. Based on what you discover through your research, create a nature guide to Roethke's poetry. See page 783 of your text for more details.
Research Roethke's Poetry:
Sources Used:
