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Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892-1950)
The Death of Autumn [1919]
When reeds are dead and a straw to thatch the marshes,
And feathered pampas-grass rides into the wind
Like aged warriors westward, tragic, thinned
Of half their tribe, and over the fattened rushes,
Stripped of its secret, open, stark and bleak,
Blackens afar the half-forgotten creek, —
Then leans on me the weight of the year, and crushes
My heart. I know that Beauty must ail and die,
And will be born again, —but ah, to see
Beauty stiffened, staring up at the sky!
Oh, Autumn! Autumn! —What is the Spring to me?
Questions for Discussion
1. According to the poem, what is true of pampas-grass?
During the Autumn months, pampas-grass
A) completely disappears
B) is flattened by the wind
C) blows toward the west
D) invades other areas, like warriors
E) sheds its feather blossoms
2. Which word best describes the mood of the poem?
A) joy
B) loneliness
C) hostility
D) despondency
E) resentment
3. An aphorism is a brief, often-used maxim or statement of principle. Which of the following aphorisms illustrates the same poetic device as the words “I know that Beauty must ail and die” in line 8 of the poem?
A) All humans have a date with Destiny.
B) Dead men tell no lies.
C) Beauty is in the beholder’s eye.
D) Death waits for no man.
E) The meek shall inherit the Earth.
4. What does the poet mean by the question “What is the Spring to me?” at the end of the poem?
By this question, the poet might be inferring that she
A) expects a brief winter season this year
B) expects to die during the coming winter
C) wouldn’t care if Spring never came
D) hopes to see different plant life next Spring
E) wonders why she longs for Spring
Spring [1921]
To what purpose, April, do you return again?
Beauty is not enough.
You can no longer quiet me with the redness
Of little leaves opening stickily.
I know what I know.
The sun is hot on my neck as I observe
The spikes of the crocus.
The smell of the earth is good.
It is apparent that there is no death.
But what does that signify?
Not only under ground are the brains of men
Eaten by maggots.
Life in itself
Is nothing,
An empty cup, a flight of uncarpeted stairs.
It is not enough that yearly, down this hill,
April
Comes like an idiot, babbling and strewing flowers.
Questions for Discussion
1. The speaker's tone in this poem could best be described as
A) cynical
B) babbling
C) scientific
D) reserved
E) unconcerned
2. With which of the following would the speaker in the poem most likely agree?
A) Little red leaves are unattractive
B) The temperature is too hot.
C) The earth smells better than flowers.
D) There are many beautiful signs of Spring.
E) April makes life more ugly.
3. The poem most clearly contrasts which of the following?
A) summer and winter
B) spring and summer
C) new life and death
D) thoughts and human senses
E) flowers and bugs
4. The speaker addresses April directly to say "you can no longer quiet me." This reveals the poem's theme that
A) though spring is beautiful, life is often unpleasant
B) crocuses and led leaves are very interesting parts of nature
C) it is uncomfortable to witness the details of April weather
D) hillsides are more attractice with grass than with flowers
E) spring reveals many ugly things, such as maggots and death
5. The phrase "I know what I know" reveals the speaker
A) is a biologist who has studied the earth and sun
B) knows the local environment and can identify different flowers
C) is affected by the beautiful spring, but cannot forget the harsher parts of life
D) considers a flight of uncarpeted stairs to be more appealing than a hillside of flowers
E) has learned all there is to learn about science
The Courage That My Mother Had [1949]
The courage that my mother had
Went with her, and is with her still:
Rock from New England quarried;
Now granite in a granite hill.
The golden brooch my mother wore
She left behind for me to wear;
I have no thing I treasure more:
Yet, it is something I could spare.
Oh, if instead she’d left to me
The thing she took into the grave!—
That courage like a rock, which she
Has no more need of, and I have.
Questions for Discussion
1. Which sentence BEST describes the theme of this poem?
A) Personal strengths are more important than valuable objects.
B) Only a daughter can truly relate to her mother’s feelings.
C) Having a golden brooch is better than nothing.
D) Unlike jewelry, traits such as courage are not valued.
2. Which phrase from the poem creates a tone of sadness and regret?
A) “Rock from New England quarried”
B) “Oh, if instead she’d left to me”
C) “The golden brooch my mother wore”
D) “That courage like a rock”
3. Which pair of nouns BEST describes the mood of this poem?
A) admiration and longing
B) distrust and jealousy
C) awe and amazement
D) anger and resentment
1. A
2. B
3 .A
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