On Finding a Small Fly Crushed in a Book - Charles Tennyson Turner Flashcards
What is the subject of the poem?
The poem reflects on death, legacy, and the passage of time through the metaphor of a fly crushed in a book.
How is the fly’s death described?
The death of the fly is described as unintentional and cruel, with the fly crushed between the pages, symbolizing an untimely end.
What does the speaker mean by ‘the fly has left thine own fair monument’?
The speaker suggests that despite its death, the fly has left behind a legacy in the form of its gleaming wings, symbolizing a lasting impression.
How are the fly’s wings significant in the poem?
The fly’s wings symbolize the legacy one leaves behind after death. They are described as ‘pure relics of a blameless life,’ which contrasts with the speaker’s reflections on the human legacy.
What is the significance of the fly’s wings being called ‘pure relics of a blameless life’?
The wings represent a perfect and innocent life, suggesting that the best legacy is a life lived without fault.
How does the speaker feel about the legacies left by people?
The speaker expresses a longing for their own legacy to be as pure and beautiful as the fly’s wings, indicating dissatisfaction with how human legacies are often less admirable.
What does the line ‘The peril is beside us day by day’ mean?
It refers to the constant threat of death that looms over every human life, reflecting the inevitability and proximity of mortality.
What is the metaphorical meaning of ‘the book will close upon us’?
The ‘book closing’ symbolizes the end of life, much like how a book reaches its final page. It signifies the inevitability of death.
How does the speaker contrast the fly’s death with human death?
The speaker contrasts the fly’s death, which leaves behind a beautiful legacy, with human death, which may end without leaving a meaningful mark or legacy.
What does the speaker mean by ‘the closing book may stop our vital breath
yet leave no lustre on our page of death’?
What is the poem’s overall reflection on life and death?
The poem reflects on the fragility of life, the inevitability of death, and the idea that one’s legacy, or lack thereof, is the true measure of a life well-lived.
How does the poem express the idea of legacy?
Through the fly’s wings, the poem suggests that one’s true legacy is not in grand accomplishments but in the purity and nature of their life, which is remembered after death.
What does the speaker imply about human lives and their potential legacies?
The speaker implies that many human lives fail to leave a meaningful or beautiful legacy, unlike the fly’s, which is remembered with reverence.
What is the tone of the poem?
The tone of the poem is contemplative and melancholic, with the speaker reflecting on the transient nature of life and the permanence of death.
How does the speaker’s view of death in the poem relate to religious ideas?
The idea of a ‘book’ closing and the inevitability of death may evoke religious undertones, where death is seen as part of a divine or fated plan.
What message does the poem convey about the inevitability of death?
The poem suggests that death is inevitable for all, and while some may leave a lasting legacy, many lives pass without making a meaningful impact.
How does the poem use the fly’s death to explore human mortality?
The fly’s death serves as a metaphor for human mortality, showing that life can be extinguished unexpectedly, and questioning whether our lives will leave a lasting, meaningful legacy.
