Ambiguity. An ambiguity is a statement that has a double meaning or a meaning that cannot be clearly resolved. Look for an ambiguous statement as you read this poem.
Allusion. An allusion is a rhetorical technique in which reference is made to a person, event, object, or work from history or literature. Find the allusion the author makes in this poem.
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“When Thou Must Home to Shades of Underground” comes from Campion’s A Book of Airs, published in 1601. The poem is addressed to a woman who has hurt the speaker deeply. He imagines this woman descending after death into the “underground”—the place to which the dead were said to go in Greek and Roman mythology. There the woman is met by the spirits of beautiful women from classical times who gather around to hear stories of masques, revels, and tournaments—stories about the carefree life of a popular, attractive woman of the upper classes.
What makes people popular? Explain whether being popular is the same as being respected.
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