Modern Prose And Poetry; For Secondary Schools / Edited With Notes, Study Helps, And Reading Lists

by Unknown

SUGGESTIONS FOR STUDY

Why is the grasshopper called a "shuttle"? What does the word still mean here? Who are the "elfin clan"? By whom is the sheaf tenanted? What is a reveille? Does the grasshopper chirp at night? Why is its cry called "gainsaying"?

See how simple the meter (measure) is in this little poem. Ask your teacher to explain how it is represented by these characters:

ˉ˘ˉ˘ˉ˘ˉ
ˉ˘ˉ˘ˉ˘ˉ

Note which signs indicate the accented syllables. See whether or not the accent comes at the end of the line. The rhyme-scheme is called a couplet, because of the way in which two lines are linked together. This kind of rhyme is represented by aa, bb, cc, etc.