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"On the Receipt of a Familiar Poem" by Paul Laurence Dunbar
To me, like hauntings of a vagrant breath
From some far forest which I once have known,
The perfume of this flower of verse is blown.
Tho' seemingly soul-blossoms faint to death,
Naught that with joy she bears e'er withereth.
So, tho' the pregnant years have come and flown,
Lives come and gone and altered like mine own,
This poem comes to me a shibboleth*:
Brings sound of past communings to my ear,
Turns round the tide of time and bears me back
Along an old and long untraversed way;
Makes me forget this is a later year,
Makes me tread o'er a reminiscent track,
Half sad, half glad, to one forgotten day!
(1913)
Question
The word "breath" (line 1) most clearly serves to evoke
| A. words spoken quietly into the night | |
| B. a faint scent lingering in the air | |
| C. a peace that words cannot convey | |
| D. a memory that diminishes little by little | |
| E. echoes of familiar voices |
Explanation
When a single word is the focus of a question, paraphrase its entire sentence and match your version of it to the answer that best describes what the word evokes (calls to mind).
 |
Use the punctuation in a poem to group ideas together. For example, all the ideas within a sentence should be read together, even if they are on different lines. |
| "To me, like hauntings of a vagrant breath From some far forest which I once have known, The perfume of this flower of verse is blown." |
To me, like the lingering of a breath from a faraway forest I once knew, the scent of this poem, like a flower, floats by. |
According to the first sentence, the received poem is like a "breath" from a faraway forest, carrying the "perfume" of the poem. In other words, a breath hangs in the air like the scent of perfume. Therefore, in this context, the word "breath" most clearly serves to evoke a faint scent lingering in the air.
(Choice A) Words spoken into the night and a breath both linger in the air, but in the context of its sentence, "breath" is compared to a flower's perfume, not words.
(Choice C) Forests and flowers may evoke a sense of peacefulness, but in this context, the breath from the forest calls to mind a lingering scent, not an emotional state like peace.
(Choice D) There are no ideas in the sentence that address slowly fading memories.
(Choice E) Although breath and voices both come from open mouths, the paraphrased context of "breath" shows its connection to a scent—not a sound—lingering in the air.
Things to remember:
Consider a word in its context to determine what it serves to evoke.
Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun1;
If hairs be wires2, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damasked3, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground.
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she4 belied with false compare.
(1609)
Question
Which of the following words or phrases signals the most significant shift in focus in the poem?
| A. "If" (line 3) | |
| B. "But" (line 6) | |
| C. "I love" (line 9) | |
| D. "I grant" (line 11) | |
| E. "And yet" (line 13) |
Explanation
Recognizing the poem's structure as that of an English (Shakespearean) sonnet, you can expect the most important shift to occur in the final couplet (lines 13–14).
The poem's first twelve lines contain a series of contrasts between fanciful descriptions of beauty and the appearance of the speaker's mistress. In line 13, the speaker turns from his mistress's appearance to how he finds his mistress as rare or beautiful as any other woman flattered by exaggerated comparisons. Therefore, the most significant shift in focus in the poem is signaled by "And yet" (line 13).
(Choices A, B, C, and D) Each of these words or phrases is part of the speaker's series of contrasts between fanciful descriptions of beauty and the appearance of the speaker's mistress. Also, as is the case for this poem, the major shift in an English sonnet usually occurs after the twelfth line.
Things to remember:
Use your knowledge of conventional sonnet structures to identify where the most significant shift occurs.
"Happiness" by Christopher Jane Corkery
The two-year old holds a broom, as if a guitar.
He is not far from a place in the stars
Where music is air, food, and water.
The two-year old plays his guitar
And feels the broomstraws brush his fingers.
One day he'll feel the curl and bristle
Of his girlfriend's hair. They'll sit, entwined,
By a river and watch, there, on the water
Swans twirl. It's only May
And the dark asters that will command
His grief in later years are only
Buds. He'll think he is a swan
Upon the water (for they are young).
And she, too, a swan, but something
More. Then that thing's gone, an air
Played, somewhere, under stars.
Yet where? For stars are everywhere.
And to some they always speak, and the man
Always will think, whenever he holds
His guitar, thus, between chest and arm,
Of his first happiness, of the girl, of his sure
Baby grip, and the flick of his fingers.
It was happiness, next to a window he could not
Yet see out of, but which his mother
Had polished, and left, full of stars.
Question
In context, the phrase "first happiness" (line 21) most plausibly suggests both the
| A. value of companionship and the importance of nature | |
| B. playfulness of a child and the thrill of first love | |
| C. necessity for dreams and the comfort from their fulfillment | |
| D. eagerness for maturity and the loss of innocence | |
| E. affection for a girlfriend and the devotion of a mother |
Explanation
Read the lines before and after the phrase to understand its context. Sometimes this means going as far back as the preceding stanza if the poet uses enjambment. Find where the sentence begins and put it into your own words. Since the answer choices have two parts, select both ideas conveyed by the phrase "first happiness."
|
"And to some they always speak, and the man Always will think, whenever he holds His guitar, thus, between chest and arm, Of his first happiness, of the girl, of his sure |
The stars always speak to some people, and whenever the man holds his guitar close to his chest, he will think of his first happiness, which includes his memories of his girlfriend and playing with a broom like a guitar as a toddler. |
When he is a man, holding the guitar will remind him of both holding his girlfriend and playing with the broom like a guitar. Therefore, the phrase "first happiness" suggests both the playfulness of a child and the thrill of first love.
(Choice A) In this context, the word "girl" suggests companionship, but the last two stanzas do not focus on stars as an element of nature.
(Choice C) The lines surrounding the phrase concern imagined memories from a man's life, not dreams that have been fulfilled.
(Choice D) The speaker hints at a loss of innocence earlier with the mention of dark asters, yet the speaker doesn't claim the boy feels eagerness to mature and become a man.
(Choice E) The reference to his girlfriend illustrates the man's past affection for her; however, the mother is mentioned later in the stanza—not in the context of the phrase "first happiness."
Things to remember:
Put the sentence that includes the phrase into your own words and select the answer that is supported by details in the sentence.
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