Luci e ombre

4. Poem comprehension

Exercise 1: Choose the correct answer.

1. Who is the speaker?
a. Tom Dacre b. two chimney sweepers c. a chimney sweeper
2. What happened to him when he was very young?
a. his mother died b. his parents died c. his mother died and his father left him
3. Why were children used to be chimney sweepers?
a. because they were paid less b. because of their small size c. because they were orphans
4. Why did Tom Dacre cry?
a. because he got lost b. because his hair was shaved c. because he was hungry

5. Did the little boy comfort him?
a. Yes, he did b. No, he didnТt c. No, Tom comforted the little boy
6. What does the angel in the dream promise Tom?
a. he will get a new job b. he will be happy for ever c. God will forgive him
7. What does Tom do when he wakes up?
a. he goes to work b. he looks for his friend c. he cries again
8. How does he feel?
a. he feels depressed b. he feels better c. he has no hope
9. What part of the day is most of the poem set in?
a. the morning b. the night c. the afternoon

Exercise 2: Read the poem and...

explain the choice of the title
write how many lines there are
write how many times the word УweepФ is repeated in the 1^st stanza
find out time references in the 1^st stanza
find out main character in the 4^rd stanza
find out location in the 4^th stanza
say which adjectives are used in the 5^th stanza to describe the two chimney sweepers

5. Poem sound / language analysis

Exercise 3: Each stanza corresponds to a scene. Say which of the sentences belowrefers to stanza no. 1, 2, etc. And complete the sentences with the right endings.

The first stanza introduces ЕЕ
The second stanza introduces ЕЕ
The next three stanzas recount ЕЕ
The final stanza presents ЕЕ

a. Tom Dacre, a fellow chimney sweeper who is upset about his destiny in life.
b. the speaker, a young boy who has been forced into the occupation of chimney sweeper.
c. Tom waking up the following morning, with him and the speaker still engaged in their dangerous work.
d. TomТs dream of the chimney sweepersТ УheavenФ.

Exercise 4: Find examples of use of...

a. ampersands: lines Е.
b. words that rhyme
in the first stanza Е.
in the second stanza Е.
in the third stanza Е.
in the fourth stanza Е.
in the fifth stanza Е.
c. deliberate repetition of a word in lineЕ.
d. words associated with the following adjectives
white Е.
black Е.
bright Е.
cold Е.

Exercise 5: Answer the following questions.

1. What effect does the rhyming scheme of the poem create?
2. Underline the adjectives, among the following ones, which you would use to describe the sound of the poem: complex, simple, solemn, childlike, sophisticated, melodic.
3. Give at least two adjectives to describe the vocabulary used in the poem.
4. What colours and adjectives of light can you find in the poem?
5. Which adjectives of colour are associated with hope and happiness/ despair and sadness?
6. Write two lists of words from the poem:
a) those associated with light and cleanliness
b) those associated with darkness and dirt.

6. Poem meaning

Exercise 6: Say if these sentences are true or false.

1. Apart from the immediate meaning of the poem, there is an underlying theme. ЕЕ.
2. The treatment the child receives from his father is a good one. Е.Е
3. The black coffins in TomТs dream symbolize the young chimney sweepersТ suffering and hard life. ЕЕ.
4. The chimney sweeper is a symbol of the innocence of childhood. ЕЕ.
5. Night symbolizes purity; white stands for death or evil. ЕЕ