A dream Flashcards
What does the speaker describe in ‘A dream’?
A lost and crying out for her family
* The speaker, relating to the ants misery, is moved to tears by her plight
* a glow worm responds to the ants cry and shows hers the way home
What does the poem plant an image of?
a benevolent compassionate natural world
* suggests that help is always available to those who ask
How is ‘A Dream’ an allegorical poem?
it tells a story using symbols to convey a hidden meaning
* the characters are ants and glow-worms it is meant to illuminate a truth about the human world
How are humanity and nature in communication with the divine in ‘A dream’?
the glow worms light and the ‘beetles hum’ are a lifeline for the lost ant
* Blake believed nature could provide guidence
* In blake’s view, feeling, not intellect allows the earths inherent wisdom.
What did Blake believe was impacting humanity’s relation with nature?
the industrial revolution
* people were losing touch with nature and therefore touch with god
How many quatrains does ‘A dream’ have?
Five
What meter is ‘A dream’ written in?
trochaic tetrameter
what Rhyme scheme does ‘A dream’ have?
AABB
* composed of rhyming couplets
What does the simple form and regular rhyme show in ‘A dream’?
- it shows that its an innocent poem, its supposed to evoke innocent delight of childhood
- the poem expresses childlike trust in the inherent goodness fo the wold
What does the use of uncomplicated rhyme in ‘A dream’ reflect?
the fact ‘A dream’ is a reassuring tale of guidance and compassion
Who is the speaker in ‘A dream’?
A child/childlike figure remebering a dream they once had
What do the instructions given by the glow worm reflect in ‘A dream’?
it reflects how the instructions are also applicable to the speaker
What does the speaker see in the dream in ‘A dream’?
the speaker sees a lost ant crying out for her family
What does the speaker seem concerned with in ‘A dream’?
telling the ants tale
* the speaker also seems ‘wildered’ and ‘forlorn’
What might the reader imagine about the speaker in ‘A dream’?
that the speaker awakes in their own ‘angel-guarded bed’ no longer frightened or far-from home
Where is ‘A dream’ set?
in the speakers dreaming mind
Summarise ‘A dream’
*in a dream an ant loses its way
* it is rescued by a glow worm
* we are not told if the ant actually finds its way home
“Troubled wildered and forlorn”
- ambiguous –> it could refer to speaker as well as the lost ant
- shows that both the speaker and the ant can have feelings/troubles of being “wildered and forlorn”
“But i saw a glow worm near”
- The glow worm is a guiding light in the encompassing darkness
What are humanity and nature conencted with?q
the divine
What is the speaker suggesting about the world?
That the world is an inherantly compassionate place, even when one feels lost
What do the ants and glow worms represents?
They are an allegory to illuminate the truth about the human world
* the speaker shares the ants values and feelingss
Anthropomorphism
Makes the poem child like
“Benighted”
Dual meaning
1. Literal darkness
2. metaphorical darkness (ignorance)
What is the religious message in ‘A dream’?
- The ants return home is not as importnat as the world is compassionate
- cried for help will be heard and met
- glow worm can be compared with the “Angel-guarded” in Stanza 1
- With divine guidance the ant finds its way home
“All heart broke i heard her say”
- imitates the imperfect speech of a young child
- also evokes brokenness
- alliteration: evokes ants anguish/tears –> creates a gasping noise made when crying/in anguish
“who replied: what wailing wight/
Calls the watchman of the night”
- enjambment suggests the flow worms confidence
- alliteration: soothing ‘w’ sound creates a soure of comfort -> songlike, comforting, soft
“Hum…/
Home”
- Hum: onomatopoeia = another comforting noise
- slant rhyme = lack of perfect rhyme suggests the ant may not make it back home
“Once a dream did weave a shade”
- Because the speaker is dreaming of the ant
- it suggests the speaker relates to the ant, wandering in darkness
- speaker personifies the dream as a weaver
- shade = an enchantment a
- a dream cast a spell on the speaker so that instead of feeling safe/protected
- the speaker thinks they are lying on ‘grass’
“…Forlorn/
Dark, benighted”
Caesura –> stumbling rhythm that evokes ants weariness / confusion
“Oh my children! do they cry?
Do they hear their fathers sigh?”
- ‘Oh’ evokes her anguish
- caesura draws attention to her main concern, her children
- the stanza begins with the ants cry ( a human emotion)
- rhetorical question expresses her concern for her family
“now/
now”
Anaphora - each moment brings more worries
“Go[ing] his round”
- The beetle is a source of guidance/protection
- suggests that it is his job to keep an eye out for those in need
“Shade” and “angel guarded”
- Contrast - suggests these 2 things are atpdds in the dream
- the speaker is afraid of not being able to find their way back to their own world/their bed
“pitying i dropped a tear”
Speaker sheds compassionate tears over the ants plight
What perspective is ‘A dream’ told from?
a childlike perspective
What does ‘A dream’ suggest about help?
That those who ask for help will receive it
* The world is naturally compassionate and protection/ guidance are always at hand even in difficult times
What does the speaker in ‘A dream’ create an image of about the natural world?
That it is filled with kind creatures that are ready and willing to help each other
