Sunrise on the Hills(H.W.Longfellow) ACTIVITY I(Read and respond): •

Look at the expressions ‘heaven’s wide arch’, and ‘returning march’. What does the poet describe here? What else does it remind you of?

Answer) The poet describes here the sky and the return of the sun in the morning. It reminds me of a king returning after a long absence or even my own returning to life in the morning after the night’s sleep. •

Comment on the expression ‘soft gales’.

Answer) Gale is very strong wind. It cannot be soft. What he means is breeze. Compulsion of rhyme made him thus poetic description. •

What makes the glory of the clouds fade?

Answer) The ever increasing brightness of the sun made the glory of the clouds fade. •

What are clouds compared to?

Answer) They are compared to the army defeated in battle, ready to free from the conqueror. •

What picture of the valley is unveiled?

Answer) The valley is pictured as being clothed in the bright light of the sun. •

How does the valley respond to the rising sun?

Answer) The valley responds to the rising sun in a lively manner. The water in the river is dashing down and currents whirl and flash. The trees of the forest are bending as if to touch the water and the silver sands of the beach of the lake. The valley is filled with the echoing noise of the wild horn, the screeching owl. Thin smoke is rising from the huts of the valley-dwellers through the thick-leaved branches as they are preparing their morning meals. •

What message does the poet convey?

Answer) The poet conveys that nature can bring us relief from all sorrows. •

Are all the three stanzas of equal length? Why do you think the last stanza is short when compared to the previous stanzas?

Answer) No, the three stanzas are not of equal length. The first stanza has 18 lines, the second 12 and the third only 6. The last stanza is short when compared to the previous stanzas because in it the poet is giving us a piece of advice. In the other two stanzas he is describing the hills, the valley, the river, the lake and the beautiful sights and sounds there. Naturally they have to be longer. Descriptions take many lines, but a piece of advice does not have to be so long.

ACTIVITY II(Read and reflect): •

Comment on the musical quality of the poem ‘Sunrise on the Hills’

Answer) The poem has plenty of lyrical and musical kinesthetic beauty with full of visual, auditory and kinesthetic imagery. •

Identify the symbols used in the poem ‘Sunrise on the Hills’

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Sunrise on the Hills(H.W.Longfellow) Answer) The elements glorifying the nature around, have been identified by the poet to describe and symbolize throughout the poem •

How does figurative language, like the simile, make the poem effective?

Answer) The figurative language, has been exploited by the poet to make the poem so attractive and worth reading.

ACTIVITY III(Appreciation) •

Does any image stand out as the most important? Why do you think so?

Answer) ‘Heaven’s wide arch glorius with the sun’s returning march stands out as the most striking image in the poem. The poem is a description of a bright and beautiful sunrise. Through this imagery Longfellow arrestingly suggest the return of the sun after it disappeared the previous evening. •

What is your overall assessment of the poem?

Answer) I think the poem is superb as it depicts some of the most alluring sights, sounds and movements of the nature. Here Longfellow can stand comparison to William Wordsworth, the high priest of Nature. •

Prepare a critical appreciation of the poem ‘Sunrise on the Hills’ by including an Introduction, Brief summary, features, message, concluding comments.

Answer) Longfellow was an influential 19th century American poet. ‘Sunrise on the Hills’ is one of his most famous poems. Here the poet presents his experience as he watches the sunrise amidst the hills. The poet stood upon the hills. The eastern horizon was clothed in the light of the rising sun. The woods were brightened. Soft breeze kissed the valleys. The clouds below were bathed in glory. The peaks were visible above the grey mist. Leafless pines were seen rocking on the cliff. The river flowed down by the forest’s shade. The noisy bittern circled in the sky. The poet heard the waters dashing in the distance. He saw the whirls and flash of the current. In the blue lake’s silver beach the tree branches were bending. One could actually touch them. The music of the village bell was echoing sweetly from the hills. The great horned owl’s voice filled the whole wood land. The poem abounds in visual imagery, in auditory imagery, and kinesthetic imagery. Images like glowing rich valley, brightened woods, vein of clouds, darkened river flow, heaven glorious with the sun’s march paint before us the beauty of the colourful dawn. The picture would remain in our heart for ever. The rhymes, the assonances, the alliterations, make the poem echo the sweet music of nature and reflect her beautiful sights. Rhymes like wide arch and returning march soft gales and sunclad vales, bathed in light and wooded height make the lyric really sweet. Like the great English poet of nature, William Wordsworth Longfellow also is a worshipper of nature. Both believe in nature’s soothing qualities. The message of the poem clearly shows it. The messga is that in times of sorrow and pain we can get peace and comfort in the bosom of nature.

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Sunrise on the Hills(H.W.Longfellow) Here is a poem that gives us a rare poetic experience. It is a glorius tribute to the rising sun. It is an adoration of dawn. The bright dawn is a passage from darkness to light.

NOTES PREPARED BY, www.emptyguide.com Author : Jeswin Antony St. Philominas HSS Koonammavu www.emptyguide.com 2015 copy protected

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