Elegy. An elegy is a long, formal poem about death or loss. As you read Gray’s “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard,” ask yourself, for whom does the speaker in this poem grieve?
Speaker. A speaker is the character who speaks in a poem—the voice assumed by the writer.
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Although Thomas Gray was a scholar and an eccentric recluse, he wrote the most well-known and beloved tribute to common people in English poetry: “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard.” An elegy is a long, formal poem about death or loss. Even Gray’s harshest critics have acknowledged the importance of this poem. One critic pointed out that although the language of the poem is unique and original, readers recognize in it an echo of their own feelings and ideas. The universality of this work—its applicability to all times and places—makes it one of the masterpieces of world literature.
As you read, make a cluster chart like the one below to characterize the speaker of this poem. In the middle circle write the word “speaker.” In the circles radiating out from the center insert adjectives that describe the speaker.
For what would you like to be remembered?
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