seasons
Level 1: Recall & Understanding (Direct Facts)
. According to the first stanza, what do the dewdrops look like in spring?
4
. What are the leaves described as in the springtime?
. Where do the "fair birds" roost during the spring?
3
. What happens to the swallows when autumn arrives?
. Why do the swallows fly across the seas?
2
. What is the state of the water in autumn, according to the poem?
. How is the sun described in the winter?
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Level 2: Literary Devices & Language
. Identify the simile used in the first stanza and explain what two things are being
compared.
5
. In the second stanza, the poet uses the phrase "sweet unrest." What kind of literary
device is this, and why is it used to describe summer?
4
. Find an example of personification in the final stanza. How does it change the way we
view the sun?
3
. What does the word "ere" mean in the context of the third stanza?
2
. Why does the poet describe the birds as being "weary of their mother’s breast"? What
1
does this symbolize?
. The word "wan" is used to describe the sun. Based on the poem’s mood, what do you
think this word means?
6
Level 3: Analysis & Interpretation
. How does the mood of the poem change from the first stanza to the last?
5
. Why do you think the poet wishes she could "fly away" with the birds in autumn?
4
. Compare the description of the sun in spring (implied by the gleaming dew) to the
description of the sun in winter.
3
. What is the significance of the birds leaving the nest in summer? How does this relate to
the "cycle of life"?
2
. In the last line, why is the snow described as "starved"? What does this suggest about the
environment in winter?
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Level 4: Creative & Critical Thinking
. If there were a fifth stanza about the return of spring, what imagery do you think Rossetti
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would use to show the cycle beginning again?
6
. Which season does the poet seem to find the most difficult or depressing? Support your
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answer with evidence from the text.
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. How does the poem use the life of birds to represent human life? (e.g., childhood, leaving
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home, old age).
2
. If you were to give this poem a different title based on its themes, what would it be?
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Quick Quiz: Vocabulary Match
Word Potential Meaning
Boughs A) Before
Ere B) Pale, weak, or tired
Wan C) Main branches of a tree
Abroad D) In or to a foreign country/
outside
