Essay Questions

Who is Lucifer in the poem "Lucifer in Starlight’’?

The poem presents the rise and the fall of an Angel who was later tasked with ruling over Hell and not being able to ever leave his place. Lucifer breaks free in the poem and returns to Heavens, where he sits among the stars. Because of the context, the poem can be interpreted as a religious one in which Lucifer is Satan who was thrown into Hell after rebelling against God. The poem can also be understood in a broader sense, in which Lucifer represents a person of humble status who wants to rise and be someone. The break from Hell is not described as being something blameful but rather heroic and thus we could argue that Lucifer may actually be the protagonist of the poem instead of being the antagonist.

What could the wind symbolize in the poem "Dirge in Woods’’?

In the poem mentioned above, there are three important elements which appear: the pine trees, the fruits on the trees and the wind which has the power to make the fruits fall down from the tree. The whole poem is an allegory in which the trees are used to symbolize ideas and elements in our society which will survive the test of time and the fruits which eventually fall down, decay and disappear are individual humans who die. The wind is presented as one of the factors which can make the fruits growing on the pine trees fall down before their time and the wind is also an important symbol. The wind is used to represent the adversities we may encounter at one point in our lives or different problems and illness which can shorten out life span. The wind can throw us on the ground, making us powerless to fight against it and its power.

What could the wind symbolize in the poem "Dirge in Woods’’?

In the poem mentioned above, there are three important elements which appear: the pine trees, the fruits on the trees and the wind which has the power to make the fruits fall down from the tree. The whole poem is an allegory in which the trees are used to symbolize ideas and elements in our society which will survive the test of time and the fruits which eventually fall down, decay and disappear are individual humans who die. The wind is presented as one of the factors which can make the fruits growing on the pine trees fall down before their time and the wind is also an important symbol. The wind is used to represent the adversities we may encounter at one point in our lives or different problems and illness which can shorten out life span. The wind can throw us on the ground, making us powerless to fight against it and its power.