1a. What kind of wings does the speaker describe Love as having?
2a. With what kind of voice will the speaker sing the "glories of [his] king"?
3a. What does not make a prison or a cage?
4a. What is the speaker's state of mind in prison?
5a. Evaluate whether Althea is a real person or a figment of the poet's imagination.
1b. What words in stanza 1 remind the reader of the speaker's imprisonment?
2b. How does the speaker feel toward his king?
3b. What lines in stanza 4 show that the speaker does not think of himself as imprisoned?
4b. What, if anything, threatens true liberty?
5b. Watch a film about prison life, such as The Hurricane, In the Name of the Father, or The Jericho Mile. How does the imprisoned film character rise above his imprisonment to attain freedom in mind and soul?
Theme. What words suggest the poem's theme? What do you find to be the theme of the poem?
Image. Review the cluster chart you made in Literary Tools. What three images support the poem's theme?
1. Examine the things in lines 7, 15, and 23 that "Know no such liberty." Then write a list adding other examples that Lovelace could use if he lengthened his poem.
2. Write a recipe for freedom, listing the essential ingredients and quantities needed. You may wish to incorporate some of Lovelace's ideas as a basis for your recipe.
3. Imagine you are the speaker and have been given the opportunity to speak in your own defense in court. Write a speech in favor of the Cavalier position. Explain why the Puritan point of view is wrong. You may want to reread on page 492 the discussion of the civil war fought between the Cavaliers and the Puritans.
Common and Proper Nouns. Indicate the common nouns and proper nouns in the following sentences.
1. Lovelace was an English poet, soldier, and Royalist whose graceful lyrics and dashing career made him the prototype of the perfect Cavalier.
2. He was educated at Charterhouse and Oxford, where he earned an M.A. degree.
3. He took part in the expeditions to Scotland at the time of the rebellions against Charles I.
4. Lovelace was imprisoned in the Gatehouse for presenting a Royalist petition to a hostile House of Commons.
5. There he wrote "To Althea, from Prison," which contains the famous lines "Stone walls do not a prison make / Nor iron bars a cage."
Analogy Questions. Select the letter of the word that best completes the following analogies.
1. UNCONFINED : TRAPPED : : Unopened : _____ click to select answer a. Closure b. Closed c. Open d. blocked
2. FETTERED : CHAIN : : Released : _____ click to select answer a. Unlock b. Sky c. Key d. Locked
3. PRISONER : CELL : : Livestock : _____ click to select answer a. Pen b. Walls c. Grate d. Cage
4. HERMITAGE : MONK : : Prison: _____ click to select answer a. Resort b. Cell c. Judge d. Convict
5. FREEDOM : LIBERTY : : Soul: _____ click to select answer a. Love b. Innocence c. Spirit d. Nature
Researching a Famous Prisoner. Famous people who have been imprisoned include Saint Paul, Thomas More, Martin Luther King, Jr., Susan B. Anthony, Daw Aung, San Suu Kyi, and Nelson Mandela. Select a person to research. Find out the reason(s) for the person's imprisonment, the cause he or she was fighting for, and his or her accomplishments.
Research Findings:
Sources Used:
Making a Time Line.With a partner, make a time line of important events of the civil war between the Puritans and the Cavaliers, beginning with the establishment of the Long Parliament and ending with the execution of Charles I.
