The Fireside Poets

1. What metaphors does Holmes use to describe the ship in stanzas one and two of "Old Ironsides"? He refers to the ship as a meteor in the first, and in the second he calls it an eagle, being chased by harpies. 2. In 1830, the 44-gun American warship Constitution, the inspiration for "Old Ironsides," was scheduled to be scrapped - that is, stripped of everything valuable or reasonable. What proposal is put forth by Holmes, in the last stanza of his poem? Holmes is saying that it would be much more dignified if the ship was to be lost at sea; like to bring the ship to the ocean and sink it. 3. What do you think Holmes wants the ship to symbolize? Im guessing the ship symbolizes the pride of battle. It has experienced so much and it has to be taken apart, but the author feels that it holds symbolic value, so it must either be preserved or laid to rest. 4. The term,"Harpies," in line 15 of "Old Ironsides" is an allusion to predatory flying creatures in Greek mythology, which have bodies of vultures and heads of women. The name meant "snatchers" or "robbers." Why do you think that Holmes uses this allusion in his poem? The ship that the poem is based off of was supposed to be scrapped and stripped of all valuable parts. The strippers are the harpies, as they are picking the ship clean of all that is good. 5. In Longfellow's "The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls," how does the title foreshadow the fact the traveler will not return? Well when the tide falls, it takes and whatever is on the beach away. That implies that the traveler will be taken away, never to return. 6. Do you think Longfellow's poem is about one specific traveler, or could it apply to all in general? Explain your answer. I think it’s about all in general because, like the tide, people come and go to places. They come, stay for a while, enjoy it for a bit, and leave. | | 7. Personification is a figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts,