HOTS
1. What does Eliot mean when she advises her readers to do "one self denying deed"?
2. What is the main message in the poem?
3. Why does Eliot call the poem "Count That Day Lost" and not "Count That Day Spent"?
4. What dies Eliot mean when she asks the reader if he has done nothing that has "brought sunshine to one face".
5. How is the use of the word "sunshine in the first stanza different from its use in the second stanza?
6. What is the meaning of the word "cost" as it appears in the following line "That helped some soul and nothing cost"?
Extended HOTS
1. The poem has two different stanzas which are similar in their structures, but are different in their content. What message does Eliot wish to send by presenting the two stanzas in this way? (Comparing and Contrasting)
2. According to Eliot, is it very hard to help another person? Explain your answer by giving examples from the text. (Inferring)
3. Elliot encourages her readers to perform "One self denying deed" and "One glance most kind". What are the differences and similarities between these two actions? (Comparing and Contrasting)
4. According to Eliot, in what way can doing good to others affect your life? (Cause and Effect)
Rhyming Scheme
Stanza 1 Stanza 2
sun A day E
done A nay E
find B all F
word C trace G
heard C face G
kind B small F
went D coat H
spent D lost H
A A B C C B D D E E F G G F H H
In what way is the rhyming scheme similar?
In what way is it different?
George Eliot creates a sense of balance in the poem:
· Each stanza has the same number of lines.
· The length of the lines are the same.
· The rhyming scheme is the same, although the rhymes are different.
· The first stanza talks about good things you can do, the second stanza talks about NOT doing good things.
· The last lines in each stanza are almost the same except for the end.
The balanced "shape" of the poem supports the idea of the poem. The idea of measuring and evaluating our deeds is supported by the image of balance.