a wife in london

Question 1

What quote from the beginning introduces the sense of loss and sadness that pervades the poem?

Answer 1

“She sits in the tawny vapour / That the Thames-side lanes have worn.”

Question 2

Which quote reflects the waiting and uncertainty that the wife faces?

Answer 2

“The postman nears and goes.”

Question 3

What quote from the middle conveys the tragic news that the wife receives?

Answer 3

“He - has fallen - in the far South Land…”

Question 4

Which quote reflects the wife’s sense of numbness and disbelief after receiving the news?

Answer 4

“He - is dead - / The night is silent.”

Question 5

What quote from the end describes the irony of the wife’s situation and her loneliness?

Answer 5

“And of his death, / And the message he never knew.”

Question 6

Which final quote reflects the contrast between the wife’s grief and the coldness of the world around her?

Answer 6

“The letter is written in a hand that has passed over her husband’s lifeless form.”