In the comments section of this post, I have posted the comprehension question answers for George Herberts "The Altar" and "Easter Wings." You must write these answers in the notes section of your notebook.
Tonight, you must read "takes talent" by Don Marquis on page 231 and do the comprehension questions.
In one week, I will give you a test covering all the poems we have studied this quarter.
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1. What is the speaker’s attitude toward God in “The Altar”?
The speaker is very humble when addressing God—he refers to himself as a “servant” and says that the altar/poem he is building for God is a “broken” altar, so he is recognizing his own flaws. In addition to that, he also says that only God has the power to construct and cut a heart—this is giving God glory and recognizing God’s power. Lastly, he refers to his poem as a “sacrifice” to God, which is also a sign of him humbling himself.
2. Describe the rhyme pattern in “The Altar.” Comment on the visual pattern used in it.
The rhyme pattern is AABBCCDDEEBBFFGG. The rhyme pattern has a “flaw” in it because it goes from a smooth progression of aa, bb, cc, dd, ee to bb again, which is reflecting in the rhyme how the altar is “broken.”
3. Paraphrase “Easter Wings”
The first stanza of Easter Wings is about the creation and fall of all mankind. God first created man with everything he needed—man was created in a perfect state with a perfect environment surrounding him. However, man foolishly lost all those gifts when he sinned and his state became more and more sinful as time progressed. The poet then asks God to let him rise with Him like a bird and asks God to let him sing of God’s victories—he says that by rising with God, his fall will be transformed into the greatest freedom of all (freedom from his sin in Christ).
The second stanza is about the poet’s personal journey from sin to redemption. He talks about his shame and sickness filled youth, and about how God punished him for his sin. He ends the poem with another prayer, asking God to let him combine with him and rest his strength on God’s strength, so that his weakness will be made strong and he will be set free again in the shelter of God’s strength.
4. How is the visual pattern of “Easter Wings” appropriate to its subject matter?
The two stanzas are shaped like wings. The first stanza is a large set of wings, so they represent God’s powerful wings. The second stanza, which is beneath or resting under the large wings, stands for our smaller wings.
In addition to that, the width of the stanzas also represent how man first was strong, but then became weak and thin, and then becomes strong again once he learns to rely upon God—this is clear in the first stanza where it starts out with a long line “Lord, who createdst man in wealth and store” and then becomes thinner and thinner ending with “ Most poore” and then becoming stronger/thicker again after God is made present again “With thee / O let me rise / As larks, harmoniously…” until it is as long/strong as it was in the beginning.
5. Do you think that writing these poems in the form of prayers made them more effective? Explain your answer.
Writing these poems in the form of prayers made them more effective because both poems are about the glory, power, and amazing qualities of God in comparison to the weakness and sinfulness of man. By putting these poems in the form of prayers, God is elevated and the speaker is lowered—which is the point of the poems, since they are meant to praise God and to sing of His victories.
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