Longfellow Flashcards
Where was Longfellow buried?
Poet’s Corner of Westminster Abbey (first American-born poet interred here)
Which prominent English contemporary did Longfellow outsell in the UK?
Tennyson
What is the slave singing in “The Slave Singing at Midnight”?
Psalms of David / Devotional songs
To who does Longfellow compare the singing slave to in “The Slave Signing at Midnight”? Why?
Religious leaders Paul and Silas.
They were freed from prison by an earthquake sent from God. The speaker wonders who will free the devout slave from his bondage.
From what collection is “The Slave Singing at Midnight” taken?
“Poems on Slavery”, 1843. Longfellow published the poems in support of abolition efforts, despite the fact that it might hurt his widespread commercial appeal.
What does the speaker call for at the end of a long day in “The Day is Done”?
For his companion (likely his wife) to read poetry to him to counter the melancholy the poet feels.
What kind of poetry does the speaker call for in “The Day is Done”?
Not that of the great masters (presumably Homer, Shakespeare, Milton, Pope, etc.), but of “humbler poets” who speak from the heart and simple experience.
For what poetry anthology is “The Day is Done” an introduction to?
The Waif
What types of poems are in The Waif?
Sentimental nature poems
With what movement is Longfellow associated?
American Literary Romanticism
What are some features of American Romanticism?
- Celebration of the individual
- Celebration of beauty and nature
- Emotion and emotional extremes
- Celebration of “noble savages” (Native Americans)
- ## Support for Revolution
Where did Hawthorne and Longfellow meet?
They were in the same graduating class at Bowdoin
What date is commemorated in “Hawthorne”?
May 23, 1864 (the day of Hawthorne’s funeral)
What event does “The Cross of Snow” commemorate?
The death of Longfellow’s second wife, Fanny (on the 18th anniversary of her death)
What is the “Cross of Snow”?
A natural phenomenon that occurs on a mountain in Colorado (“The Mountain of the Holy Cross”) in certain weather conditions. Longfellow had probably seen a famous photo of the phenomenon circulating at the time.
