Essay Questions

How is the childhood the narrator had presented in the poem "Thin little leaves of wood fern, ribbed and toothed”?

In this poem, the narrator, now an adult, takes a walk through the woods at the end of summer, when the leaves in the trees above him start to change their colors. As the narrator lays down under a tree, he is welcomed by the sight of the colored leaves, image which prompts him to think about his childhood. The childhood the narrator had is described at the end of the poem, in the last four lines. The first line reveals that the narrator had the opportunity to go to school, where he made friends with his other classmates. Considering the time when the poem was written and also the time when the narrator would have been a student, we can assume he was from a middle-class family or maybe an upper class family, which thus allowed him to go to school. After the classes were over, the narrator and his friends spent their time in nature, searching for butterflies and grasshoppers in the lush vegetation. This portrays the childhood the narrator had as being idyllic, carefree and happy. All these allowed him to grow into a respectable man, someone who was fortunate enough to be able to focus his attention on literature.

Who are Mars and Mercury as mentioned in the sonnet "Roll on, sad world! not Mercury or Mars”?

The two names could be a reference made to two Roman Gods. Mars was the God of war in the Roman mythology and he was the second most important God for the Romans who also considered him as being the God of agriculture. While Mars was the God of war, he was not seen as a destructive force but rather as the God who protected peace through war. He is also seen as the founder of Rome, being the father of Remus and Romulus. Mercury is another important God in the Roman mythology, one who has many purposes. He is considered as being the God of Finance and also the one who guides the dead souls to the underworld. He shares many common traits with the God Hermes and was worshiped in ancient Rome. The narrator mentions the two Gods when he talks about the inability to change the course of the world. By mentioning the two most powerful Roman Gods, the narrator highlights this idea even more.

How are the two sisters described in the sonnet "Gertrude and Gulielma, sister-twins’’ and what does it transmit about the way women should behave?

In this sonnet, the two sisters are described as being twin sisters, close to one another and living a comfortable life. The narrator mentions their looks first of all, choosing to mention their hair but above all their white skin. In those times, a woman wanted to have white skin, unblemished and not tanned. The reason being this is that tan women were the ones who worked in the fields all day and could not afford to hire workers to do their job for them. Women in those times went as far as to apply dangerous substances to their skin just to create the illusion of whiter skin.

Next, the narrator talks about the "loveliness’’ one of the girls possessed, loveliness which will help the sister go to heaven. This may be an allusion to her religious upbringing and her piousness. The other girl is described as being pensive, not interested in what is happening around her and choosing instead to retreat and meditate. All these characteristics are important because it transmits the way in which the society from that time wanted women to behave. The women had to be above all pious and humble, not talking back and keeping themselves separated from everyone else. If a woman did this, then she was seen as a good woman.