Essay Questions

Why does Blewett choose to open “Margaret” with a description of the woman’s body parts?

Though “Margaret” is a relatively short poem, nearly all of the stanzas pertain to descriptions of a woman’s—Margaret’s—physical beauty. The narrator describes her lips, eyes, and hair in detail and explains how mesmerizing they are. At the conclusion of the poem, however, the narrator (presumably a man) reveals that he was distracted and blinded by the woman’s physical features and was blind to her true nature, which is cold and cruel. As such, it is likely that Blewett chose to spend much of this poem describing the woman’s physical features to distract the reader, just as the narrator was distracted. The narrator’s description parallels the way the reader is also distracted by her physical beauty. As such, Blewett may have opened this poem with a description of the woman’s physical features to capture how the narrator was also taken in by her beauty.

Why is “Love”—the “master-painter”—capitalized in Blewett’s poem, “Her Portrait?”

In “Her Portrait,” Blewett describes the youthful innocence and beauty of a young girl. He suggests that her beauty is so breathtaking and singular that she must have been hand-painted by Love, the master-painter. In this way, Blewett is suggesting that the master-painter and embodiment of all love is God. Love is capitalized, as God and/or Jesus is representative of all genuine love. It is likely that Blewett capitalized the word “love” in this poem to show how God’s overpowering ability to love all humans is likely what created this beautiful little girl, for she brings happiness and beauty wherever she goes. In short, Blewett uses this poem to suggest that the unnamed little girl, who is the subject of the poem, is so stunningly beautiful and joy-filled that she must have been hand-crafted by God himself, who is representative of all love and beauty.

Blewett’s poem, “What Time the Morning Star Arise” is significantly longer than many of his other poems. What might have prompted Blewett to make this poem so much longer than his others?

This poem is based on historical events and individuals. It describes Lieutenant Reginald Warneford’s supposedly heroic act during World War I. Warneford was patrolling the skies in Belgium when he spotted a German Zeppelin. Warneford shot down and destroyed the armed Zeppelin, subsequently killing 28 German men. The man earned near-instant fame for his act, which was viewed as heroic. Given that this poem is based upon real, somewhat controversial events—given Warneford’s heroism was based upon the murder of twenty-eight soldiers. It is possible that Blewett chose to extend the length of this poem so as to delve deeper into the emotions and nuances of this event and these individuals. It is also likely that Blewett felt emotionally connected to Warneford’s story and heroics, and so chose to emblazon his life through poetry. In short, it is possible that Blewett wanted to do due justice to Warneford’s story and life.