Poetry of Henry Wad 00 Gio I

National
Endowment for the Arts
TEACHER'S GUIDE
THE POETRY OF
Henry Wadsworth
NATIONAL
ENDOWMENT
FOR THE ARTS
LU
READ
THE POETRY OF
Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow
TEACHER'S GUIDE
The
Endowment
National
for the Arts
both new and
excellence in the arts
and providing leadership
NATIONAL
a public agency dedicated to supporting
is
established
in arts education. Established
ENDOWMENT
independent agency of the federal government, the
FOR THE ARTS
annual hinder of the
great nation
deserves great art.
POETRY
cities,
The
and
bringing the
arts,
bringing great art to
all
arts to all
by Congress
Endowment
50
states,
is
in
Americans,
1965
as
an
the nation's largest
including rural areas, inner
military bases.
Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine,
an independent
is
organization committed to a vigorous presence for poetry in our culture.
on an ambitious plan
literary
It
has embarked
to bring the best poetry before the largest possible audiences.
FOUNDATION
Published by
National
1 1
Endowment
for the Arts
00 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
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(202) 682-5400
Sources
Calhoun, Charles C. Longfellow:
"On
Gioia, Dana.
Rediscovered Life. Boston: Beacon Press, 2004.
'Paul Reveres Ride'
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow."
1998 www.danagioia.net
Used with permission of the author.

Kennedy, X.
and Dana Gioia,
J.
eds.
An
Introduction to Poetry,
1th edition.
New York:
Pearson/
Longman, 2005.
Irmscher, Christoph. Longfellow Redux. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2006.
Public Poet, Private
Num.
Man: Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow at 200. Harvard Library Bulletin, Vol.
3-4. Fall-Winter 2006.
Longfellow,
Henry Wadsworth. Henry Wadsworth
McClatchy.
New York
Longfellow:
Poems and Other
Writings. Ed. J.D.
Library of America, 2000.
Acknowledgements
David Kipen,
NEA Director of Literature,
Sarah Bainter
Cunningham, PhD,
Writers:
Dana Gioia and
National Reading
Initiatives
NEA Director of Arts Education
Erika Koss for the National
Endowment
for the Arts; "Longfellow's
The Song ofHiawatha" handout by Charles C. Calhoun

Editors:
Molly Thomas-Hicks and Dan Brady
Graphic Design: Fletcher Design/Washington,
for the National
Endowment
for the Arts
DC
Image Credits
Cover
Page
Portrait:
1:
Dana
John
Sherffius for the Big Read.
Gioia, image
Page
by Vance Jacobs; John
iv:
Courtesy of the Library of Congress.
Barr, courtesy
of the Poetry Foundation.
Inside back coven Courtesy of the Longfellow National Historic Site.
7:
Table of Contents
Introduction
Suggested Teaching Schedule
Lesson One:
Word
Choice and the Value of a Dictionary
Lesson Two: Biographical Criticism
and the Speaker of a Poem
The Sonnet
Lesson Three:
Lesson Four: Figurative Language
Lesson Five: Form, Rhythm, and Meter
Lesson
Six: Allusions
Lesson Seven: Narrative Poetry, Meter, and Voice
10
Lesson Eight: Narrative Poetry and Characters
Lesson Nine: Analyzing a Poem's Context
12
Lesson Ten:
What Makes
a Great Poet?
13
Essay Topics
14
Glossary of Poetic
Terms Used
in the Lessons
15
Handout One: Longfellow and Mukiculturalism
16
Handout Two: The Landlord's
Reveres Ride"
17
Hum Httha
18
Handout Three:
Tale: "Paul
Longfellow's The Song of
Teaching Resources
p)
NCTE Standards
20
Aftermath
When the summer fields are mown,
When the birds are fledged and flown,
And
the dry leaves strew the path;
With the falling of the snow,

With the cawing of the crow,
Once again the fields we mow
And
gather
in
the aftermath.
Not the sweet, new

Is
grass with flowers
this harvesting of ours;
Not the upland clover bloom;

But the rowen mixed with weeds,
Tangled tufts from marsh and meads,
Where the poppy drops

In
its
seeds
the silence and the gloom.
HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW
ri
JV
THE
BIG
READ
National
En miViiiHii
*itT#JiTl
V.
*%.
Introduction
Welcome
to
Designed to
The
from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Big Read, an initiative
revitalize the role of literary reading in
hopes to unite communities through great
become
It is
American
culture,
The
Big
Read
literature, as well as inspire students to
lifelong readers.
especially appropriate
The
Big
Read includes poetry for the
first
time by
honoring Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, one of America's foremost and best-loved

nineteenth-century poets.
The National Endowment
Foundation to create
new program
this
historic sites associated with their lives

literary
landmarks, the
NEA
for the Arts joins the Poetry
to celebrate great American poets and the
and works. By celebrating poets and their
and the Poetry Foundation not only bring poetry to
broader audience, but also help preserve and promote
and history.
local heritage
This Teacher's Guide contains ten lessons to lead you through Henry
Longfellow's poetry. Longfellow
was
also
one of the most
was not only
influential figures in
Wadsworth
major American poet, but he
our national
cultural history. In
unforgettable poetic language that appealed to millions of readers across
all
classes,
he helped create many of the songs, stories, characters, and images by which the
young United States knew

Each lesson has
five
itself.
components:
a focus topic, discussion activities, writing
homework
exercises, vocabulary words, and
assignments.
suggested essay topics, as well as handouts with
about the poems, the
historical period,
state language arts standards required
Finally,
The
Big
addition,
more background
and the author.
in
In
We
have
information
All lessons dovetail
with the
the poetry genre.
Read Reader's Guide deepens your exploration with
timelines, and historical information.
we
booklists,
hope these educational materials allow
you to have fun with your students while introducing them to the work of
a great
American poet.
From
NEA
the
and Poetry Foundation,
we
wish you an exciting and productive
school year.
C*V&a
V>c^-
Dana Gioia
John Barr
Chairman
President
National
Endowment
for the Arts
National
Poetry Foundation
Endowment
tor the
\rt><
THE BIG READ
Day One
Day Three
FOCUS: Word Choice and
FOCUS: The Sonnet
the
Value of a Dictionary
Discuss the structure of an
Activities:
Discuss the careful, studied choices
Activities:
poets
make when
words and the
selecting
value of
understanding a word's various meanings. Look up
words
poem
the
in
explaining the
"Aftermath." Write an essay
poem's
Homework: From
literal
and symbolic meanings.
the Reader's Guide, read
Italian
sonnet
compared to that of an English sonnet Write an essay

on how the sonnet form adds meaning to "The Cross
of Snow," or have students re-write the
poem
using
another poetic form.
Homework: Read
Reader's Guide essays
"Introduction to Longfellow's Poetry"
Longfellow's biography and timeline (pp. 4-6) and
"Longfellow and Other Arts"
"Longfellow's Ballads and Lyric Poetry" (pp. 8-9).
Children's
Hour" and "The
(p.
14).
Bells of
(p. 3)
and
Read "The
San Bias."
Read Longfellow's sonnet "Mezzo Cammin."
Day Four
Day Two
FOCUS:
FOCUS:
Figurative Language
Biographical Criticism and the
Discuss ways Longfellow employs simile,
Activities:
Speaker of a
Activities:
metaphor, and personification.
Discuss the ways an understanding of
Longfellow's
of the poem,
reflecting
Poem
life
"Mezzo Cammin." Write an essay

biographical details help us
Longfellow's sonnet
words
in
"The
Hour" associated with a castle invasion.

Write two paragraphs on how a full understanding
poem depends on
of the
understand the poem's imagery and themes.
Homework: Read
the
Children's
enriches the reader's appreciation
on how these
List
literal
and
its
figurative qualities.
Homework
"The Cross
the reader noticing both
Read "A Psalm of
Life"
and "The
Wreck
of the Hesperus."
of Snow."
5
Day
Five
FOCUS: Form, Rhythm, and Meter

Activities:
Discuss form and meter. Practice scansion.
Write an essay that examines contemporary songs

Longfellow's
free to print
poems are in the public domain, and

from the Poetry Foundation's web site:
www.poetryfoundation.org.
Go
to the Poetry Tool,
and search by the poet's name or each poem's
'
THE BIG READ
National
tide.
Endowment
and
how
they employ meter, rhyme, and rhythm.
Homework
Read "The Jewish Cemetery
Newport" and "My Lost Youth."
for the Arts
at
Day
FOCUS:
FOCUS:
Allusions
Activities:
poetry.
Day Nine
Six
Examine important
allusions in Longfellow's
Activities:
Write an essay on how knowledge of
Homework: Read
the
First. List
important
Evangeline
the bird
Newport"
some
in
"The
historically significant
and symbolic.
the Finale of Tales of a Wayside
10
traits.
Day Ten
Day Seven
FOCUS: What Makes

Activities:
Narrative Poetry, Meter, and Voice
Activities:
Examine unrhymed
dactylic
Handout One, "Longfellow and
his
illustrating a central
Write
generation.
theme
in
Write an essay
Longfellow's poetry.
Homework: Read Handout Three.
short essay on Longfellow's use of the narrative form.

Evangeline, Part the
Great Poet>
Explore the qualities of a great poet.
the concerns of
hexameter and scan
several lines of the prologue to Evangeline.
Discuss what Longfellow's poetry can teach us about
Discuss the tradition of narrative poetry.
Homework: Read
Inn.
of their
7
FOCUS:
how
Birds of Killingworth" might be
Homework: Read
prologue and Part
the characters and
Discuss the historical and social context
of "Paul Revere's Ride." Write a short essay on
Longfellow's allusions can change the reader's
understanding of "The Jewish Cemetery at
Analyzing a Poem's Context
The Song of Hiawatha." Write
Second and
Longfellow's legacy
in
"Longfellow's
paragraph about
the twenty-first century.
Multiculturalism."
Trace Evangeline's journey across America.
8
Day
Eight
FOCUS:
Narrative Poetry and Characters
Activities:
Discuss Evangeline's quest to find Gabriel.
groups, discuss the places Evangeline travels and
In
how
these places influence the reader's understanding of

the poem. Write an essay on Evangeline's character.
Homework: Read
the Reader's Guide essay
"Longfellow's Tales of a Wayside Inn" (pp. 12-13) and
Handout Two. "The

Ride'."
Landlord's Tale: 'Paul Revere's
Read the prelude to
Tales of a
Landlord's Tale, "Paul Revere's Ride;"

Tale,
Wayside
and
Inn,
The
Tlie Poet's
"The Birds of Killingworth."

National
Endowment
tor tin
THE BIG READ
poem
Begin each day's lesson by reading the

Before a
read
poem
can be appreciated for
One
class.
deeper meanings,
its
in Nature, "Every
word.
.if
traced to
its
root,
be borrowed from some material appearance. Right means
means
must
it
We often overlook words we can already define.
literally.
Emerson wrote
Lesson
aloud in
twisted. Spirit primarily
means
be
first
Ralph Waldo
found to
is
straight,
wrong
wind', transgression, the crossing
of
ofthe eyebrow." Students should even look

commonly understood to understand better the careful,
a line; supercilious, the raising
FOCUS:
up words
Word
that are
conscious choices poets make.
words from each
and the
Value of a
To
lesson's assigned
develop your students' vocabulary, several
poems
are already defined in the color
margins of this Teacher's Guide.
Discussion Activities
Dictionary
On
Wadsworth
the surface, Henry
Longfellow's
poem
"Aftermath," published
seem simple and straightforward. However, much of its total

effect depends on a reader's knowing the literal
and in some cases, archaic
meanings of a few words. Here, the most crucial word to understand is the
title. Like many seemingly abstract words, aftermath was originally a concrete
descriptive term that referred to the usually meager second growth of crop
"math" being a word for
in a field that had already been mowed that season
mowing that is rarely used today.
in
1873, might
VOCABULARY WORDS
From
"Aftermath":
Aftermath,
1.
The poem "Aftermath"
n.
winter
consequence, especially of
He does
a disaster
2.
field,
second growth
in
the
into the
describes this activity of
mowing the second growth
in
but Longfellow's treatment suggests symbolic interpretations as
not specify
this subtext,
poem. Longfellow's
so a reader can project
insight,
though,
is
his
painfully clear:
or her
to
well.
own meaning
revisit a
scene of
same season
the past can be devastating.
Fledged, v. intr.
To grow the plumage needed
Define and discuss the meanings of several words
for flight
not limited
Rowen,
A second
in
the words
in
the column on the
left).
exact meaning of these words add to both your
n.
Longfellow's
growth of grass or hay
"Aftermath"
How does
literal
(including,
but
knowing the
and symbolic readings of
poem?
a season
Tufts
to,
in
n.
plural
Writing Exercise
short cluster of elongated
strands, as of yarn, hair, or grass
poem once, write a one-page essay explaining the poem's

Read the poem a second time with a focus on understanding the
After reading the
Mead, n.
A meadow
meaning.
meaning of one or two terms
23
in
the poem. Write a one-page essay to explain
how
those terms are relevant to the meaning of the poem. Does
first
reading?
Does
it
it
change your
deepen your understanding of the poem?
Homework
From the Reader's Guide, read
Longfellow's biography and timeline (pp. 4-6) and
"Longfellow's Ballads and Lyric Poetry" (pp. 8-9).
Then read
Longfellow's sonnet
"Mezzo Cammin."
Some
of this lesson's content
edition,
THE BIG READ
National
and
its
is
taken from An Introduction
accompanying instructor's manual.
Endowment
for the Arts
to Poetry, eds.
X.
J.
Kennedy and Dana
Gioia,
Ith
Examining an author's
Biographical criticism
can inform and expand a
life
is
the practice of analyzing a literary
the lens of an author's experience.
knowledge of biographical
poem, one of our
us?
Sometimes a poet
may
FOCUS:
a reader's
However, readers should be
facts.
is
careful not to
When we
necessarily the poet.
whose "voice"
questions should be:
A speaker may be an
read
speaking to
is
will create a persona, a fictitious speaker.
not always be human.
poems have been
Biographical
Criticism
first
work through
Some poems depend on
assume that the speaker of a poem

a
literary text.
This speaker
animal or object, and good
written from perspectives as various as a hawk, a clock, or
a cloud.
and the
Speaker of
a Poem
Longfellow's sonnet
"Mezzo Cammin"
published during his lifetime
opening
youth"
lines,
as
poem
for Longfellow,
he wrote
at age 35
but never
especially suited to biographical criticism. In the
is
the poet laments that he has not
which,
become
was nothing
fulfilled
"the aspiration of
[his]
than to create verse that would
less
immortal as Shakespeare's. The second quatrain explains
this failed
ambition was not because of "indolence," a pursuit of "pleasure," or "the fret

restless passions," but
VOCABULARY WORDS
The key
at
1.
n.
What
caused
Harvard, and
his
this
new
beloved wife, Mary, was expecting their
killed."
sorrow? At the
professorship
first child.
Together
where he studied Swedish, Finnish, Old

Icelandic, and Dutch. But on this trip, Mary suffered a miscarriage, and a resulting
infection led to her death. Longfellow was devastated. Several months later, he
wrote in a letter: "I have a void in my heart a constant feeling of sorrow and
An earthen embankment
protecting soldiers
Indolence,
is:
Of
they traveled to Scandinavia and Holland,
low protective wall along
the edge of a raised structure

2.
biographical question of the sonnet
beginning of 1835, Longfellow had just received a desirable
From "Mezzo Cammin":

Parapet,
because of "sorrow, and a care that almost
bereavement, and utter loneliness."
n.
Habitual laziness; sloth
Blast,
1.
2.
3.
A
A
A
n.
very strong gust of wind

violent explosion
Examine the
sudden, loud sound
Cataract,
I
Q Writing Exercise
this city?
n.
descent of water over a
Any
furious rush of
Write
paragraph answer for each question:
might Longfellow capitalize "Past." comparing
Does
by closing
steep surface; a waterfall

2.
last six lines.
heights"?
water
his
this city relate
to a city?
life
How
What does
does he describe
Longfellow suggest
sonnet with the strong image of Death "thundering from the
Conclude with one paragraph on how biographical
on poems, using Longfellow
C3
to Longfellow's
it
Why
as an
details
shed
insight
example.
Homework
Read Longfellow's sonnet "The Cross of Snow."
and what does
it
What
is
the cross on
have to do with "the face of one long dead"
National l-ndo\\nicnt tor
tin
his breast,
THE BIG READ
In the poetry of western Europe and America, the sonnet has attracted
more noteworthy poets than any other fixed form. A sonnet is a fourteenlined poem with a prescribed rhyme scheme and specific structure.
Originally an Italian form {sonnetto:
of its prestige to Petrarch (1304-1374),

for the unattainable Laura.
who
scheme
one
easier for
them
much
often wrote about his love
after English poets
imported the sonnet
middle of the sixteenth century, they worked out
in the
FOCUS:
The Sonnet
Soon
song"), the sonnet owes
"little
to follow than Petrarch's
their
own rhyme
often called the
English, or Shakespearean, sonnet.
A
posthumously published sonnet, "The Cross of Snow" centers upon a beloved
woman who
has died.
wife
Longfellow's
first
"here
room
in
in this
One
as
might assume
this
sonnet refers to the death of
"Mezzo Cammin" does
except
for
two
she died" and "these eighteen years." Mary died
Holland, but his second wife and the
Appleton, died from a
fire in their
mother of their
six children,
phrases:
a hotel
in
Fanny
Massachusetts home, Craigie House,
in
1861.
Longfellow's failed attempt to save Fanny, as well as her horrific death, absolutely
incapacitated him.
From "The
Martyrdom,
Extreme
his
Snow" on
July 10, 1879, exactly
(one daughter died as an
infant) until
the end of
1882.
of
Snow"
are both
Italian
sonnets, also
known
abba,
a b b a in the octave, or first eight lines. The sestet, or last six lines, adds new
rhyme sounds in various patterns. It may rhyme cdcdcd, cdecde, cdccdc
as Petrarchan sonnets. This kind of
n.
state of restfulness
Benedight,
life in
five children
"Mezzo Cammin" and "The Cross
n.
suffering for a cause
Repose,
poetry and to their
Cross ofSnow":
of
her death. The poet never remarried, and remained devoted to
18 years after
VOCABULARY WORDS
He wrote "The Cross
or
adj.
Blessed
in
sonnet follows the rhyme scheme
almost any other variation that doesn't end
in
a couplet. This two-part
organization helps the poet organize the poem's argument or ideas. For example,
the octave
will
often state the problem, and the sestet
Often a turn comes

students to identify
idea as
it
may
offer a resolution.
may or may not be solved by line 14. Ask your

each sonnet's turn. This is one way to trace a sonnet's main
in line
9 that
moves through the octave to the
sestet.
Writing Exercise
Write a one-page essay on how the sonnet form lends meaning to the poem
"The Cross of Snow." Or, if you have covered other poetic forms in your class,
have students re-write the
poem
using another poetic form.
students to understand the ideal use of the sonnet form?
23
Does
this
Why or why
allow
not?
Homework
Read "Introduction to Longfellow's Poetry"
(p. 3)
and "Longfellow and Other
Arts" (pp. 14-15) from the Reader's Guide. Then read two of Longfellow's
ballads, "The Children's Hour" and "The Bells of San Bias." Pay attention to each
poem's
THE BIG READ
National
literal
meanings.
Endowment
for the Arts
Poets use figurative language to help the reader visualize arid experience
and emotions described
the events
of words that
or
in the
poem. Imagery,
any sensory experience
refers to
(sight,
word
Some
figurative
language asks us to stretch our imaginations, finding the likeness
Lesson Four
seemingly unrelated things.

that initially
FOCUS:
seem quite
simile
is
or series
sound, smell, touch,
helps create a visceral experience for the reader.
taste),
in
comparison between two things
but are shown to have a significant
different,
resemblance. Similes employ a connective, usually "like," "as," or "than,
a verb such as "resembles."
Figurative
else in
states that
one thing
is
something
order to extend and expand the meaning of one of those objects. Bv
asserting that a thing
Language
metaphor
or
that underscores
is
something
some important
metaphors create
else,
a close association
similarity. Personification
is
a figure of
speech in which a thing, an animal, or an abstract term (truth, death, the

past) takes
on human
qualities.
"The
Bells of
San Bias" was the
before he died
in
1882.
became reasonably
VOCABULARY WORDS
From "The Children s Hour":
A
1.
tower-shaped projection on
tall
Spanish.
Mexico, the location of
San Bias
lies
on the
bells in this
Pacific
poem
He
in
Spain for nine
poem.
few weeks
months
in
1827.
he
Titled after a small fishing village.
Coast between Puerto
are certainly
never returned to Spain, nor did he ever
this final
But what might Longfellow mean
than a name"?
wooden
structure
on wheels used
in
mounted
How
literal,
might the
metaphor,
enemy
Vallarta
and Mazatlan.
singing a "strange, wild melody."
simile,
members
or use of personification. As
a class, identify several possible
"The Past
final lines:
The world
rolls into light;
is
deaf to your prayer;
It is
Out
of
daybreak everywhere."
of
gang
v.
be interpreted as a metaphor for
plural
Robbers, especially
Moulder,
something more
as a class, noticing each image,
the shadows of night

n.
bells also
says they "are
poem
interpretations of the poem's
fortress
Banditti,
when he
the past? Summarize each stanza of this
ancient
warfare to scale an
in
Longfellow wrote, only
n.
building
2.
fluent
poem
the poet lived
travel to
The
Turret,
When
last
variant
To turn to dust by
ofmolder
Writing Exercise
The
natural decay
playful ballad
"The Children's Hour" expresses Longfellow's
affection for his
Anne Allegra. and Edith. At what point in the poem

does Longfellow begin to compare his study to a castle wall and his children to
"banditti" who invade his territory' List all the words in the poem associated
with a castle invasion. Write two paragraphs that explain how a full appreciation
three young daughters: Alice,
From "The
Bells
of Stni Bins":
Manifold, adj.
Many and varied; of many kinds
2. Having many features or forms
1.
Austere,
1.
Severe
in
of the
poem depends on
noticing both
its literal
and figurative
qualities
adj.
disposition
2. Strict in discipline
Fervid, adj.
Marked by great passion
r]
Homework
Read "A Psalm of
Life"
and "The
Wreck
of the Hesperus ." Pay attention to the
2.
Extremely hot
tone and message of "A Psalm of

told
in
Life."
"The Wreck of the Hesperus."
Summarize the
How
plot of the dramatic story
might the father be held responsible
for his daughter's death'
National
tulowmcnt
tor the
THE BIG READ
Poems may be
written infixedforms
traditional verse
forms that require
certain predetermined structural elements of meter, rhythm,

as a
sonnet (Lesson Three) or a ballad.
but
all
employ rhythm. Scansion
poets
the sounds of a
Lesson Five
poem and
trying to
Not
is
all
and rhyme, such
poets write in form or meter,
the art of listening carefully to
make
sense of it. This includes paying
attention to each poetic foot, each stressed or unstressed syllable,
applicable
FOCUS:
the poem's rhyme scheme.
Most nineteenth-century
and
if
poets,
including Longfellow, wrote primarily in fixed forms with identifiable

meters. Originally an oral verse form, ballads are often dramatic in their
Form,
Rhythm, and
Meter
subject matter
and compressed
in their narrative style.
When
of
may employ many metrical variations and patterns

rhyme. Ask students to compare the meter and rhyme of two ballads: "A
writing a ballad, a poet
Psalm of
and "The
Life"
Wreck
one whole poem, noting each

scanning a
poem
of the Hesperus."
line's
In
groups, ask students to scan
stressed and unstressed syllables.
help students understand
its
How
does
meaning, especially where a poet
wishes to place emphasis?
When
VOCABULARY WORDS
From
or
scanning a poem, use an accent
Psalm ofLife":
"A
Tell
Bivouac,
me
temporary encampment
1.
intellectual
over each unstressed
syllable.
syllable
and a breve,
Here are two examples:
\^
not,
Life
in
mournful numbers,
is
but an empty dream!
-from "A Psalm of
Life"
moral, or
worth
Awe-inspiring
Main,
(~),
over each stressed
n.
Sublime, adj.
Of high spiritual,
2.
round cup"
"little
(')
It
\s
was the schooner Hesperus,
n.
The open ocean;
That
high sea
And
From "The Wreck of the
sailed
the wintry sea;
the skipper had taken
his little daughter,
Hesperus":
To bear him company.

Schooner,
-from "The
n.
A fore-and-aft
rigged sailing vessel
having at least
two
foremast of which
Helm,
The
Wreck
of the Hesperus'
masts, the
is
smallest
Writing Exercise
n.
Consider contemporary songs that you know. By scanning your favorite
steering gear of a ship
explain
Brine, n.
The water of a sea or ocean
2. A large body of salt water
why
how
the writer employs meter, rhyme, and rhythm and explain
the chosen rhythms might
make the songs more
lines
how
and
effective.
Smote,
1.
2.
To
To
inflict
past tense of "smite"

a heavy blow on
afflict
retributively
v.
[J]
Homework
Read "The Jewish Cemetery
at
Newport" and "My Lost Youth." Look up
three words and try to find a definition that makes sense

context.
THE BIG READ
National
Endowment
for the Arts
in light
at least
of the poem's
Poems
!%
make
will often
reference to a person, place, or thing that might
be unfamiliar or seem out of place
at first.
sometimes
imply
indirect, references that
between the poet and the
reader.
These
allusions are often brief,
of knowledge
a shared set
They may appear
in a
poem
as
an
initial
quotation, a passing mention of a name, or a phrase borrowed from
Lesson Six
often carrying the meanings
another writer
original.
FOCUS:
For example, in "The Children's Hour,
German
an allusion to a
Allusions
and implications of the

the "Bishop of Bingen
is
legend.
allusions that a
"The Jewish Cemetery at Newport" contains so many

student might be tempted to give up. Most of the allusions
to Judaism, the
Hebrew
Longfellow's ballad
poem out
Break up your
loud.
highlighted allusions
to report
what
is
its
in
one of the stanzas
discoveries to the
Sepulchral, adj.
Of or relating to a
Mirk,
exile and
its
"murk"
final
each to research the
Then ask each group
of these literary allusions,
stanza?
down / And broken by Moses
at
the
(stanza 3)
Drove
o'er the sea
that desert
its
fears,
unleavened bread And bitter herbs of

The wasting famine of the heart they fed. And slaked
with the
/
marah
thirst with
of their tears." (stanza
"At every gate the accursed
Darkness or gloom
class. In light
Read the
These Ishmaels and Hagars of mankind?" (stanza 8)
"All their lives long,
burial vault
archaic spelling of
n.
stories or names.
indicated below.
persecution, merciless and blind,
desolate
From "The Jewish Cemetery

at Newport ":
whole
tablets of the Law, thrown
mountain's base."
"What
Old Testament
class into four groups, asking
the significance of the poem's
"...the
VOCABULARY WORDS
language, or
refer
spurned by Christian
Mordecai
feet." (stanza
10)
Was mocked
and jeered, and
II)
Anathema, n.
A vehement denunciation
Maranatha,
n.
Wj Writing Exercise
Aramaic
An invocation meaning, "O

Come!"
Lord.
Using the collective research on the allusions
Newport," write
Travail,
n.
short essay on
meaning of the poem. Be
Tribulation or agony; anguish
how
in
"The Jewish Cemetery
at
Longfellow's allusions broaden the
specific by explaining
how
the meaning has changed
new research. To focus this essay, do further research on one allusion

and describe how that allusion contributes to our understanding of the poem.
with your
From "My
Lost Youth
Wharves,
n.
landing place
tie
where
As an alternative, compare how allusions function in "The Jewish Cemetery at

Newport" and "My Lost Youth." Does Longfellow use allusions to equal effect
"wharf
ships
may
up
Slips,
plural of
":
both poems?
n.
a ship
between
[^
piers
Bulwarks, n. plural
A wall or embankment
defensive fortification
Pallor,
or
why
not?
plural
docking place for
two
Why
in
Homework
Read
raised as a
Evangeline's
prologue and Part the
of the poem's characters and their
First
(approximately 30 pages)
most important character
Make
traits
n.
Unnatural paleness
National
ndowmeni
tor rlu
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list

Narrative
poems
draw
tell stories,
characters
engage the reader
Western
qualities that are also
literature, narrative
and
settings,
shape
and
plots,
important for fiction writers. In
poetry dates back to the Babylonian Epic of
Gilgamesh (composed about 2000 B.C.) and Homer's epics the ///Wand
700
the Odyssey (composed before
Longfellow's four book-length
B.C.).
poems
Evangeline:
Tale ofAcadie
(1847), The Song ofHiawatha (1855), The Courtship ofMiles Standish
FOCUS:
(1858), and Tales ofa Wayside Inn (1863-73)
established his status as a
Narrative
Poetry,
Meter, and
major poet. These narrative poems
Voice
Read the Reader's Guide essay on Evangeline aloud with your
memorable
lines
the untold story of a
tell
new
of emotional power and vivid drama.
The end
of this essay notes that Evangeline
experimentation because of
its
is
class (pages 10-11).
an extraordinary piece of literary
meter: unrhymed
dactylic
hexameter (see glossary).
For about 500 years, English-language poets had been trying to make
work
in
English
the
ancient meter
in
which
Homer
wrote. Notice the scansion of Evangeline's opening
VOCABULARY WORDS
From
the prologue
This
adj.
In
who
sorcerers
poem opens
Disconsolate,
moss, and
in
|
garments green,
indistinct
words
hemlocks,
in
the twilight...
that Longfellow emphasizes.
with a mystery: where are the people
Roe,
forest?
n.
tell this
What
in this
seemingly
Write a short essay to explain how Longfellow
called Acadie?
adj.
form to
List,
pines and the
groups, ask your students to scan several lines from the prologue, paying
Seeming beyond consolation
A type
murmuring
lines:
Narrated by the "murmuring pines and the hemlocks" and the ocean waves, the
legend as prophets and
in
Virgil (Latin)
Writing Exercise
of an order of priests
the ancient Celtic religion
appear
The
forest pri|meval.
meter
n.
A member
in
attention to the sounds and
the earliest state
Druids,
the
Bearded with
Having existed from the beginning;

in
is
(Greek) and
this
of
Evangeline:
Primeval,
nation, in
story.
effect
Why
does
have on the reader?
place
utilizes narrative
poem with the cry of the

What does this story convey
might Longfellow begin
this
idyllic
his
about America?
of deer
v.
Archaic:
listen, listen
to
2]
Homework
Read
Evangeline, Part the
Second (approximately 30 pages). Trace
Evangeline's
journey across America as she searches for her beloved fiance, Gabriel.
Map
the specific places across America where she travels. Then read Handout One,
"Longfellow and Multiculturalism,"
THE
BIG
READ
National
Endowment
for the Arts
in this
guide.
Cultural and historical contexts give
rise to
of setting can help readers understand a characters motivations. The
central character in a
usually initiates the
FOCUS:
that can
work. Studying and appreciating the
act as powerful forces within a literary

details
dilemmas and themes
work of fiction
main action
is
allied the protagonist.
of the story
The
and often overcomes
protagonist
a flaw
weakness or ignorance to achieve new understanding by the works
such
as
end.
The
protagonist's journey
enriched by encounters with characters
is
with different goals, motives, or
Often the antagonist opposes the
beliefs.
protagonist, barring or complicating his or her progress.
Narrative
Poetry and
Characters
As
is
a character, Evangeline
seems
certainly Longfellow's ideal of a
of literature that usually featured

strength
someone out of a m\th or fable. She

patient, virtuous woman. In a century
like
a heroic
male protagonist, Evangeline
and determination cannot be underestimated: she searches
for her
beloved Gabriel, and she chooses to hope for his return.
Most of the poem describes
over America:
the
VOCABULARY WORDS
From Evangeline Part
Second, Section
Dirge,
1:
funeral
Sylvan,
Does the country
each to highlight one state or place where

itself
become
a character? Students should
pay attention to Longfellow's use of figurative language
might give students a blank U.S.
n.
hymn
all
forests of Michigan, and finally to Louisiana.
class into groups, asking
Evangeline travels.
which takes her
the Mississippi River, across the Nebraskan prairie, into
Ozark Mountains, through the
Break your
the
down
Evangeline's search for Gabriel,
map
in
these passages. You
to enhance their understanding of her vast
journey.
adj.
Relating to
woods or
forests
Writing Exercise
Write
Answer the following

character seem unrealistic' Does she
a short essay to describe Evangeline's character.
What aspects of Evangeline's

flaws? What admirable qualities
questions:
have any
motivations?
Does she
does she possess'
learn anything, or grow, by the
What
are her
poem's end? Use
specific
passages to support your answer.
23
Homework
Read the Reader's Guide essay "Longfellow's
and Handout Two. "The Landlord's
Tale: 'Paul
Tales
of a Wayside Inn" (pp. 12-13)
Reveres Ride." Also read the
prelude to Tales of a Wayside Inn and summarize the key attributes of each
-
storyteller.
"The
Then read The
Landlord's Tale. "Paul
Reveres Ride' and Vie
Poet's Tale.
"
Birds of Killingworth
National
Endowment
ten the
THE BIG READ
"
Tales
ofa Wayside Inn was published
and 1873.
It is
often said that the
Chaucer's The Canterbury
Tales.
in three installments
poem
is
an American
This long narrative
minded
theologian,
and
Norwegian musician,
retelling
poem
prelude that introduces a diverse group of storytellers

refugee, a Spanish Jew, a
between
863
of
begins with a
a Sicilian political
a youthful student, a broad-
a tender-hearted poet.
It
comprises twenty-two
linked narratives with great variety of theme, meter, and tone. Longfellow's
FOCUS:
Analyzing
a Poem's
Context
tales are diverse also in subject
The
interludes
listeners.
matter, character,
historical reference.
between each story provide commentary from the other
In this way, the longer
reflections
and
of our
own
poem
suggests that the stories
we
tell
thoughts, dreams, and desires.
Read "Paul Revere's Ride" and the interlude that follows aloud with your
Ask your students to pay
class.
attention to the meter's galloping beat.
Longfellow would not have called himself a
and opposed the 1850 Fugitive Slave Law.

Charles Sumner, the congressman
political
He was
who was
man, but he abhorred slavery
a lifelong friend of lawyer
on the Senate
physically attacked
Brooks
floor by South Carolina congressman Preston
after giving an anti-slavery
VOCABULARY WORDS
speech.
From "Paul Reveres Ride":
Discuss the importance of interpreting this poem's historical context (April
Belfry,
1775) alongside
bell
n.
its
1861 publication in The Atlantic Monthly.
to teach your students
tower
Muster,
in
War?
A gathering of troops
some
details
about the
Civil
War.
Why
might he have set
his
poem
One
What
opportunity
ideas or lines
How
might
make about the
this
Civil
War?
that keeps guard
Alders,
this
during this earlier period?
either enhance or hinder any point he might be trying to

n.
Use
18,
"Paul Revere's Ride" suggest that Longfellow might be referring to the Civil
n.
Sentinel,
are
n.
type of tree of the genus Alnus
Writing Exercise
having alternate simple toothed

leaves and tiny fruits
in
woody,
The
conelike catkins
only original tale
in Tales
of a Wayside Inn
is
titled
the story, but there
"The
may be
Birds of Killingworth."
several figurative
Certainly the birds are
literal in
interpretations as well.
Write a short essay on how Longfellow's use of
might be related to
his historical
context.
What
might the birds represent?
might Longfellow's original audience have interpreted the birds?

today?
EJ
Homework
Read the
'
THE
BIG
READ
National
Finale of Tales of a
Endowment
for the Arts
Wayside
Inn.
birds
How
might
How
we
Poets articulate and explore the mysteries of our daily

the
human
struggle.
The
many
affects
Lesson Ten
A great poem
generations of readers, changes
assumptions, and breaks
the context of
and use of figurative language
writer's voice, style,
inform the themes and characters of the work.
of art that
lives in
lives,
is
work
challenges
new ground.
FOCUS:
What Makes
Ask students to
list
What
poem
elevates a
the characteristics of a great poem. Put these on the board.
other poems or songs they
a Great
Do
know
that include
some
to discuss, within groups,

of the
same
characteristics.
any of these works remind them of any of Longfellow's poetry?
A great writer
can be the voice of a generation.
consistent voice throughout the
What
does
Does Longfellow have
poems you have
studied?
(Make sure to draw
between the voice of the poem's narrator and Longfellow's
a distinction
this
generation?
the
Then ask them
to greatness?
voice
How
common
tell
us about the concerns and
voice.)
dreams of Longfellow's
does Longfellow's depiction of the experiences and emotions of
person allow him to be
a voice of his generation?
Writing Exercise
These ten lessons have
lyric
poems, sonnets,
highlighted several different kinds of Longfellow
ballads,
and narrative poems. Using more than two
poems to support your argument, write

central theme emerges in Longfellow's work.
Longfellow
a short essay to illustrate
how
Explain the
referring to specific lines to support
theme most
23
poems:
effectively
your argument. Which
theme
poem
in detail,
illustrates
the
and why?
Homework
Read Handout Three, "Longfellow's The Song ofHiawatlia". Write
in
response to
this
question:
What would you
say
is
paragraph
Longfellow's legacy
in
the
twenty-first century'
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opics
The
writing exercises in this guide provide you with possible essay topics, as do the six Discussion
Questions in the Reader's Guide. Advanced students can come up with their
long as they are interesting and
For
about
the
poem
with clear reasons to support
by
Other
its
or
poems
in question.
conclusion.
The
thesis
thesis
that
is,
an argument or
This statement or
Some
of Longfellow's poetry contains allusions
to
life,
his
and supporting evidence should be backed
remain
when compared
twenty-first century examples of racial and
but Longfellow remained skeptical
Support your twentieth-
poems
and twenty-first century examples by
written
in
first-person. In a letter,
called "I" the "objectionable
why
Longfellow might
your
In
Longfellow's
essay,
poems
he
make
this
4.
determine whether
The poet W.H. Auden
how
biographical, explain
Longfellow might defend
his
The sonnets "Mezzo Cammin" and "The

Cross of Snow" end with images of darkness
In
In
the image of a cross convey
how
5.
images
the true story of a dispossessed
people. Biographer Charles C. Calhoun
suggests that the reunion
How
in
important
Nova
Scotia and
Longfellow biographer Charles C. Calhoun

describes "The Birds of Killingworth" as "one
of Longfellow's
"its satire
tells
false?
still
its
between Evangeline
most
on Connecticut
had considerable
colonial setting."
religious
Unitarian
context
Is
works" because
religious
orthodoxy
bite in the 1860s, despite
Consider the poem's

Longfellow making fun
and Gabriel "stands for the bringing together
supporting, or arguing with the clergy
of
tale?
all
the scattered Acadians
exiled peoples."
this
statement?
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Do
indeed, of
all
you agree or disagree with
How
relevant does Evangeline
National
Endowment
is
history.
enhance meaning.
Evangeline
Evangeline.
Use your answers to write an essay

about Longfellow's influence on culture and
his lasting anguish?
Using these examples, explain
poem
impact
Louisiana?
"Mezzo Cammin," how
"The Cross of Snow," how does
lasting cultural
are the Evangeline statues
does the image of a journey convey the poem's

main idea?
"poetry makes
the case of Longfellow's Evangeline,
Auden's idea proved
atypical characteristics for
Longfellow's poetry.
and
of Longfellow's narrative
statement
In
and ambiguity
said that
nothing happen." Research the popularity,
are or are not biographical.
you believe they are
citing
research and valid sources.
pronoun."
historic significance,
If
with twentieth- and
religious persecution?
statement.
should be focused,
of poetry as a vehicle for self-revelation and of
Explain
3.
thesis
references to the text.
once
2.
essay topics, as
ideas for essays are provided below.
should organize their ideas around a
essays, students
interpretation
specific.
own
for the Arts
of,
in this
A glossary of some of the poetic terms used

Allusion:
brief,
sometimes
in the lessons
indirect reference
in
text to a person, place, or thing
Antagonist
character or force
work
opposes the protagonist and

bar or complicate his or her progress
fiction that
Narrative
Ballads:
poems
that
may be
tries
stressed syllable
is
followed by
syllables (e.g., tur-bu-lent
appears
as
in
in
in
children's songs
two unstressed
poem
example of
Fixed forms:
written
in
traditional verse
such
in a
Rhyme scheme: The pattern of rhyme in an

individual poem or a fixed form, a rhyme scheme
transcribed with small letters representing
a for the
first
rhyme, b for the
second, and so on.
an
Scansion:
hexameter.
dactylic
a flaw
stanza consisting of four lines of verse
each end rhyme
often
is
overcomes
poem
is
and nursery rhymes,
"Hickory dickory dock." Evangeline
main action
usually initiates the
Rhythm: The pattern of stresses and pauses
which one
It
Quatrain:
sung.
or Ga-bri-el).
work
in a
weakness or ignorance to achieve new

understanding by the work's end
from performer to performer

without being written down.
metrical foot of verse
who
central character
as
to
traditionally passed
The
of the story and often
of
were
Originally an oral verse form, ballads
Dactyl:
Protagonist
of fiction
in
below.
listed
is
form that requires
method
poem, scansion separates

counts the syllables, marks the
measures rhythms
the metrical feet,
of studying verse that

in a
certain predetermined structural elements of
accented ones, and indicates the pauses. Scansion
meter, rhythm, and rhyme, such as a sonnet or
helps the reader understand the poet's handling
a ballad
of rhythm, verse length, and sound.
Foot The basic unit of measurement
Stanza:
poetry.
in
unit of
two or more
lines
Different meters are identified by the pattern
with space breaks before and
and order of stressed and unstressed
poetry's equivalent to a paragraph
in its
foot.
foot can be
syllables
two or three
syllables,
Stress (or accent):
depending on the meter.

Hexameter:
given to
verse meter consisting of
in
Tetrameter:
systematic rhythmic pattern of stresses
verse
Persona:
fictitious
greater
syllable in
the stanza
in
amount
is
prose.
of force
speaking than
is
given to
another
six
metrical feet, or six primary stresses, per line
Meter:
one
after,
of verse
speaker created by the poet
verse meter consisting of
four-
metrical feet, or four primary stresses, per line
The Song of Hiawatlia is an example of

written in trochaic tetrameter.
Trochee:
metrical foot of verse
stressed syllable
is
in
poem
which one
followed by one unstressed
syllable
both here and in the lessons, are taken from An Introduction to Poetry (I Ith editon). edited by X
Handbook of Uterary Terms, edited by X
Kennedy. Dana doia. and Mark ftauertem (2005)
*AII literary definitions,
Gioia. or
Kennedy
ard
Dana
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HANDOUT ONE
Longfellow and Multiculturalism

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow would not have
to travel to Italy,
used the word multicultural to describe himself,
which
but there
is,
no other American poet who
perhaps,
deserves this adjective
As
more than
young man studying
position, Longfellow
you had three volumes from
to choose. Places
Russia and Africa
got one volume each; even
university
first
poems by women were included
was immersed
European
in
after several
long
alongside
poems
rather than appearing in a separate
would have been expected, not
anthology, or, as
But
as
radical editorial choice for the nineteenth century,
for his
by men
Latin.
such
Polynesia and Afghanistan were included. In a
he.
languages and literature, including classic Greek
and
he never went
Europe,
trips to
appearing
at
all.
he realized that America was an extraordinarily

diverse country that
thousands of new immigrants,
them
who
different languages, histories,
brought with
and
religions.
Longfellow knew that any account of what
means
to
Throughout
was being populated by
be American would have to include these
various groups. This sweeping international vision

is
evident throughout his
life's
With The Song ofHiawatha
writer in English to
borrow
Native American legends and folklore respectfully.

In Evangeline:
forgotten
Longfellow began
first
(1855), Longfellow
Tale ofAcadie (1847), he
when America had but

Cajuns were once
remembers
work.
Longfellow
explored a wide range of American experiences.
became the
it
his narrative poetry,
all
that the Louisiana
his literary career as a translator
He
of an astonishing range of poetry.
the Acadians from
Nova
Scotia before the British
had a deep
Empire dispossessed them of their
land.
And
Tales
knowledge of poetic forms, meter, and European

ofa Wayside Inn
literature.
Night,
His 1839 poetic debut, Voices ofthe
announced
his
( 1
863-73) comprises a
full cast
of international characters, including a Norwegian
mastery of European poetic

musician, a Spanish Jew, and a Sicilian teacher.
traditions, as
translations
Danish.
He
it
contained more than twenty
from Spanish, French, German, and
Longfellow's subjects are not Greek gods, medieval
could speak and read eight languages,
knights, or upper-class ladies. In
and he could
fluently read at least four more.
continued to translate verse until

notably as the
first
American
his death,
He
most
to translate Dante's
The Divine Comedy.
"The
is
ordinary people with dignity. His friend Charles
Dickens inspired him to write a collection of

abolitionist
often overlooked
is
poems, Poems on Slavery (1842),
movement gained
Longfellow's
prominence
originality as
an anthologist. At a time
in
America. Longfellow
pan of American
literature,
he helped
narrative of American history.
editing,
called
interest,
Longfellow began collecting,
and publishing a 31 -volume
set
of poetry
Poems ofPlaces (1876-79). In arranging
each small volume by country, he created a kind
of poetic travelogue. For example,
16
THE
BIG
READ
National
is
not only
when
reading world literature was not a popular
American
as
Village Blacksmith," Longfellow portrays
long before the abolitionist
What
poems such
if you
wanted
Endowment
for the Arts
craft the
HANDOUT TWO
The Landlord's
Tale:
"Paul Revere's Ride"
"Paul Reveres Ride" depicts a complicated
embedded
historical incident
Revolutionary America and
retells
it
of
thrilling sense
with narrative
emotional power, and masterful pacing.
clarity,
From
in the politics
Longfellow's galloping triple meters create a
the poem's
first
publication, historians have
he wanted to create a
myth.
He
hardly
known
him
in the
made
The new Revere became
who awakens America
symbolic figure
two
stanzas also demonstrate
the sudden but clear transition from Revere's arrival
took Paul Revere, a regional folk hero
a national icon.
last
rider's
Longfellow's narrative authority. As the poet makes
stirring patriotic
outside Massachusetts, and
The
urgency.
But Longfellow's goal was not scholarly
precision;
of stating the time of night when Revere enters

each village adds a cumulative feeling of the
complained that Longfellow distorted the actual

incident.
of speed, and the rhetorical device
town of Concord
to the following day's
conflict,
Longfellow masterfully summarizes the
Battle of
Concord
in
onlv
and he
ciciht lines,
asks
the listener to collaborate in completing the story.
the
to fight for
The
final stanza returns to the
image
of
Revere
freedom.
riding through the night.
Longfellow was a master of narrative pacing. His
North Church tower
make each moment
By slowing down
plot here, Longfellow builds suspense
later
and adds
procedures.) Reaching the belfry, the friend startles
to look
down
.it
[Tie
man
the church graveyard
a false
moment
lyric
an image
lost
1861
sense of calm before the explosive action that
the mostly
addresses a
of
main
he
would not haw
England Yankee readers
Fort
Sumter
New
Confederate att.uk
on
America's bloodiest war.

w.is
ongtcllow
reminder
Lnglaiuleis ol the courage then

in
the
Union. Published
of the
initiated
"Paul Revere's Rule
crisis
ana
forming the Union. The authoi
riders,
intentions were overtly political
to build public
but Longfellow understood the powerful appeal
who makes
of the single heroic individual
decisive impact
another
resolve to fight slavery
he embodied
narrative lesson not
on Hollywood. Longfellow's Revere
revolutionary organizer; he
SOOIl as
he sees the
saddle,
though he
Second
light
first
is
is
man
is
and protect the
nion
but
.1
told
lost
ot
\\ ar, but his
more immediate
few months before the
demonstrated
Revere was one
New
original audience in
mvthologi/es the Revolutionary
to
historical
emblem
the Boston-based The Atlantic Monthly. Longfellow
will follow.
The
a timeless
on Longfellow's
impending break-up
provides
of reflection
been
poem
pauses
that prefigures the deadly battle to be fought the
next day. This
become
relevance of this patriotic symbol
die
Hollywood would discover the same
"the pigeons from their perch.
has
of American courage and independence.
evocative physical details that heighten the moods.
(Decides
He
quality.
displays the poet's ability to
matter.
this time, the
galloping Revere acquires an overtry symbolic
Old
description of Revere's friend climbing the
By
not
ol action.
his
message
in
.1
poem
compellingly
purely narrative terms.
\s
lantern, he springs into the
sman enough
before he rides
to wail foi the
off.
National
Endowment
tor the
THE BIG READ

HANDOUT THREE
Longfellow's The Song of Hiawatha

Encouraged by the remarkable success of
The 22
Evangeline, Longfellow set out in the early 1850s
the story of the childhood
poem. This time
to write another long narrative
the Native Americans
the legends and tales of
who had
settled the
first
strong enough to wresde
of a god-like hero
and win the
woo
maiden Minnehaha.
beautiful
(Her name, says the poet, means "Laughing

Water," and you can
continent.
tell
and young adulthood
monsters and demons, gentle enough to
he turned to an obvious epic subject for any
North American writer
cantos, or books, of Hiawatha's song
still visit
"her" waterfall in
Minneapolis, Minnesota, today.) Raised by his
Growing up
in
Maine
Longfellow
in the 1820s,
grandmother Nokomis, the young Hiawatha
met some of the few Native Americans who
learns the
had survived
there,
and
as a
ways of the world from
forest animals,
Harvard professor
then teaches his
own
people to plant corn and
he talked with the young Ojibway writer and

establish a civilization.
known
preacher Kah-ge-ge-gah-bowh (also
them
George Copway),
who
picture-writing, so that
accomplishments
While Native American languages
many of his
tribal
peoples were a
vanishing race soon to disappear or be absorbed
dominant white
of national
epics,
memory of their
As
society.
will never fade.
fascinated
Longfellow, his view was similar to
into the
teaches
Boston in 1849.
visited
white contemporaries: the
Most important, he
as
a keen student
he was determined to preserve
"the ballads of a people" before they
became
lost
The
final
cantos of the
darker. (By
1855
poem grow
darker and
the poem's publication date
Longfellow was deeply troubled with the growing

sectional strife over slavery that
to the Civil
people,
War.) Famine
Minnehaha
dies,
would soon
strikes
Hiawatha's
and soon the "Black
Robes" (Catholic French Canadian
forever.
lead
marking the end of Hiawatha's
priests) appear,
culture.
He
paddles
Longfellow had recently discovered the national

his
epic of Finland, the Kalevala,
some of its
meter
subject matter
the famous
canoe into the sunset and disappears.
and he borrowed
and
its
The Song ofHiawatha became instantly famous,
distinctive
"tom-tom" beat
or, to use the
eventually the best-selling long
was a
poem
in
technical term, trochaic tetrameter. In his reading
American
about Native Americans in Michigan, the poet
piece for several generations of Americans,
was
especially intrigued
Manabozho,
by the Ojibway hero
a shaman-trickster figure,
it
whom
him
the
an Iroquois lawmaker, Hiawatha
name of
name
would soon be world-famous (though few

of the
poem
that
readers
advertisements. Also
it
THE
BIG
National
Endowment
one of the most widely
memorable and recognizable works.
should be pronounced "Hee-a-
READ
and commercial
Hiawatha remains one of Longfellow's most
wa-tha").
and
parodied poems in the world, The Song of
here or abroad followed Longfellow's
suggestion that
favorite recitation
inspired public festivals, songs, symphonies,
cantatas, paintings, cartoons,
he reshaped into a more sympathetic and peaceloving hero. Longfellow gave
literature. It
for the Arts
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's Poetry
Web site
The most comprehensive
Visit
Longfellow's poetry
and Other
in
is
collection available of
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Poems
Writings, edited
selections
biography and bibliography of Longfellow, along with
by J.D. McClatchy, published
hardback by the Library of America (2000).
It
of
his
many
poems.
includes
from thirteen of Longfellow's collections of
poetry, the unabridged Evangeline and The Courtship of Miles

Standish,
the Poetry Tool at www.poetryfoundation.org for a
and a chronology of the poet's
Landmarks
life.
There are three American landmarks devoted to

Paperback versions of Longfellow's verse include Henry
Wadsworth
Longfellow. Selected
by Lawrence Buell
Evangeline
Poems with an introduction
(New York
and Selected
by Horace Gregory
Tales
(New
Longfellow. Each organization's
Penguin,
site will
provide both
teachers and students with additional biographical material,
988) and
lesson plans, and images.
and Poems with an introduction
www.hwlongfellow.org
York: Signet, 2005).
The Maine
An
Web
unabridged version of Tales of a Wayside Inn
by Longfellow's Wayside Inn (Sudbury, MA:
is
published
childhood
Historical Society preserves Longfellow's
home
Portland, Maine,
in
now
called the
Wadsworth-Longfellow House.
995).
www.nps.gov/long
Selected Books about Longfellow

and His Poetry
The National Park
Service maintains the
occupied from 1837 to 1882
in
home
Longfellow
Cambridge. Massachusetts,
as the Longfellow National Historic Site.
Calhoun, Charles C. Longfellow. A Rediscovered
Beacon
Life.
Boston:
Press, 2004.
www.wayside.org
Longfellow's
Gale, Robert
L.
A Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow Companion.
Wayside
Tavern. Located
Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2003.
in
Inn
was
originally
known
as
Howe's
Sudbury. Massachusetts. Longfellow
visited the tavern in
862.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and His Portland Home.

Portland, ME: Maine Historical Society.
2004
Irmscher. Christoph. Longfellow Redux. Urbana: University of

Illinois
Press, 2006.
Longfellow.
Henry Wadsworth. The
Wadsworti) Longfellow. Ed.
MA:
Belknap.
Andrew
Letters
of Henry
Hilen. 6 vols.
Cambridge.
966-82.
National
Endowment
tor the
THE BIG READ
(NCTE)
National Council of Teachers of English

Students read a wide range of print and
6.
non-print texts to build an understanding of

texts, of themselves,
and of the cultures of
and punctuation), media techniques,
figurative
language, and genre to create, critique, and
new
discuss print and non-print texts.
information; to respond to the needs

7.
fulfillment.
Among
these
Students conduct research on issues and

interests by generating ideas
texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and
and questions, and
by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and
contemporary works.
synthesize data from a variety of sources
Students read a wide range of literature from
print
many periods
communicate
many genres to build an

understanding of the many dimensions (e.g.,
philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human
in
their
8.
experience.
and non-print texts,
artifacts,
their discoveries in
(e.g.,
people) to
ways that
Students use a variety of technological and

information resources
(e.g., libraries,
databases,
computer networks, video) to gather and
to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and
synthesize information and to create and
They draw on
communicate knowledge.
their prior
experience, their interactions with other

9.
readers and writers, their knowledge of
word meaning and

word identification
letter
(e.g.,
language use, patterns,
geographic regions, and social roles.
sound-
correspondence, sentence structure,
0. Students
make use
context, graphics).
whose
first
of their
competency
Students adjust their use of spoken, written,
and
in
and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups,
and their
understanding of textual features
Students develop an understanding of and

respect for diversity
of other texts, their

strategies,
suit
purpose and audience.
Students apply a wide range of strategies
appreciate texts.
4.
spelling
(e.g.,
the United States and the world; to acquire
and for personal
3.
Students apply knowledge of language

structure, language conventions
and demands of society and the workplace;
2.
Standards*
in
language
first
is
not English
language to develop
the English language arts and to
develop understanding of content across the
visual language (e.g., conventions, style,
curriculum.
vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a

variety of audiences and for different purposes.
Students participate as knowledgeable,

reflective, creative,
5.
Students employ a wide range of strategies as
and
critical
members
of a
variety of literacy communities.
they write and use different writing process
elements appropriately to communicate with
12. Students use spoken, written, and visual
different audiences for a variety of purposes.
language to accomplish their

(e.g.,
own
purposes
for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and
the exchange of information).
This guide
was developed with
NCTE
Standards and State Language Arts Standards
your application of the curriculum.
20
'
THE BIG READ
National
Endowment
for the Arts
in
mind. Use these standards to guide and develop
'Lives of great
men
all
remind us
We can make our lives sublime,

And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time...
HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW
from
his
poem "A Psalm of Life"
NATIONAL
ENDOWMENT
FOR THE ARTS

The Big Read is an
initiative
ofthe National
Endowment for the Arts designed to

to the center
ofAmerican
materials are
culture.
restore
reading
Longfellow educational
made possible through
the generous
support of the Poetry Foundation.
A great nation deserves great art.
FOUNDATION
www.NEABigRead.org

Poetry of Henry Wad 00 Gio I

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National

Endowment for the Arts

for the Arts

both new and

excellence in the arts

and providing leadership

a public agency dedicated to supporting

in arts education. Established

independent agency of the federal government, the

FOR THE ARTS

annual hinder of the

bringing great art to

the nation's largest

including rural areas, inner

Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine,

organization committed to a vigorous presence for poetry in our culture.

to bring the best poetry before the largest possible audiences.

for the Arts

00 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Calhoun, Charles C. Longfellow:

Rediscovered Life. Boston: Beacon Press, 2004.

'Paul Reveres Ride'

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow."

Used with permission of the author.

and Dana Gioia,

Public Poet, Private

Man: Henry Wadsworth

Longfellow at 200. Harvard Library Bulletin, Vol.

3-4. Fall-Winter 2006.

Henry Wadsworth. Henry Wadsworth

Poems and Other

Writings. Ed. J.D.

Library of America, 2000.

NEA Director of Literature,

Dana Gioia and

NEA Director of Arts Education

Erika Koss for the National

for the Arts; "Longfellow's

The Song ofHiawatha" handout by Charles C. Calhoun

Molly Thomas-Hicks and Dan Brady

Graphic Design: Fletcher Design/Washington,

for the National

for the Arts

Sherffius for the Big Read.

by Vance Jacobs; John

Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

of the Poetry Foundation.

Inside back coven Courtesy of the Longfellow National Historic Site.

Suggested Teaching Schedule

Choice and the Value of a Dictionary

Lesson Two: Biographical Criticism

and the Speaker of a Poem

Lesson Four: Figurative Language

Lesson Five: Form, Rhythm, and Meter

Lesson Seven: Narrative Poetry, Meter, and Voice

Lesson Eight: Narrative Poetry and Characters

Lesson Nine: Analyzing a Poem's Context

Handout One: Longfellow and Mukiculturalism

Handout Two: The Landlord's

Longfellow's The Song of

the dry leaves strew the path;

With the falling of the snow,

Not the sweet, new