1a. Where, according to the poem, does "all that's best of dark and bright" meet?
2a. What personality trait does the speaker feel is reflected in the woman's raven tresses and in her face?
3a. What, according to the speaker, can one tell from the woman's smiles?
4a. What modifiers (adverbs and adjectives) are used in the poem to describe the woman? Are these modifiers consistent with the speaker's description of the woman as mellower than "gaudy day"? Explain.
5a. A more traditional metaphor or simile for beauty and purity has been sunlight and morning. How effective do you find the simile of night for beauty in this poem? Why do you suppose Byron chose night, and how is the effect different than it would have been if he had chosen day?
1b. What characteristics of the woman are suggested by the comparison in lines 1 and 2?
2b. What does the speaker have to say about the "dwelling place" of her thoughts?
3b. What does it mean to say that a mind is "at peace with all below" it? How would someone who is at peace with his or her physical being differ from someone who is not?
4b. What words and phrases in the poem suggest moderation and temperance? How might these qualities bring one peace?
5b. William Blake's poem "The Lamb" is a rather different poetic description of innocence than "She Walks in Beauty." Compare the two. In what ways are they similar, and how do they differ?
Iambic Tetrameter. A line of poetry made up of four iambs is called iambic tetrameter. Find the first line in the poem that is not in strict iambic tetrameter. Write down that line and mark its rhythmical pattern. Divide the line into feet and mark its weak and strong stresses.
Simile. With what simile does this poem begin? How is that simile extended, or elaborated, in the rest of the poem?
1a. What does the last line in stanza 91 suggest that the reader not do?
2a. In stanza 178, what does the speaker find in the woods, the shore, and the sea?
3a. What metaphor does the speaker use in stanza 178 to describe encounters with nature?
4a. How would you characterize the personality of the speaker of these two stanzas? Does this person favor rationality or emotion? human company or solitude? limits and constraints or boundlessness and freedom? How do you know?
5a. The Romantic poets believed that the natural world was more important than the world made by human hands. In what different ways is this sentiment expressed in these two poems? How effectively is this sentiment expressed?
1b. In what way, according to the speaker, do people sometimes "circumscribe [their] prayer"? What would the speaker rather have people do?
2b. Does the speaker despise people and human company? How do you know?
3b. What relationship toward the universe does the speaker feel when spending time in nature?
4b. Based on these two stanzas, do you find the personality of the speaker attractive? Why, or why not?
5b. What kinds of places seem holy or sacred to you? Why?\
Repetition and Parallelism. What examples of repetition and parallelism can you find in stanza 178?
1. All in all, do you think the speaker is a "Byronic hero"? Why, or why not?
1. Pretend that you are the speaker of Childe Harold's Pilgrimage and that you are honoring a person by erecting a statue or fountain. Write a short inscription for this memorial. Who was this person, and why are you honoring him or her?
2. Write a brief essay describing a moment of deep connection to the universe that you have experienced or imagined. The moment could have taken place during a walk by the ocean, after winning a soccer game, or while playing with a small child.
3. Byron admires the woman in "She Walks in Beauty" for her serenity. She seems to be at peace with herself, and this adds to her beauty. Write a peace treaty with yourself. Identify what makes you feel angry, annoyed, worried, etc. Then think about what you can do to avert the feelings, such as avoiding something stressful, practicing relaxation techniques, or exercising. Write a plan to follow to rid yourself of negative energy.
Correcting Sentence Run-ons. Rewrite the following items, correcting the run-ons.
1. She walks in beauty, all that's best of dark and bright meet in her eyes.
2. One shade deeper would be too deep, one shade brighter would be too bright.
3. I love human beings, however, I love nature more.
4. The woods hold magic, the sea holds rapture they make me feel as if I mingle with the universe.
5. I give myself to nature, and I mingle with the universe and I can never express what I feel.
Researching Greek History. Using library resources or the Internet, research the Greek war for independence from the Turks. What factors precipitated the war? Why do you think this cause inspired Byron to travel there with money and medical supplies to aid the Greeks? How do the Greeks see Byron today?
Research Log
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