“George Gray,” from Spoon River Anthology
by Edgar Lee Masters
I have studied many times
The marble which was chiseled for me -
A boat with a furled sail at rest in a harbor.
In truth it pictures not my destination
But my life.
For love was offered me and I shrank from its disillusionment;
Sorrow knocked at my door, but I was afraid;
Ambition called to me, but I dreaded the chances.
Yet all the while I hungered for meaning in my life.
And now I know that we must lift the sail
And catch the winds of destiny
Wherever they drive the boat.
To put meaning in one's life may end in madness,
But life without meaning is the torture
Of restlessness and vague desire -
It is a boat longing for the sea and yet afraid.
Part 2: Finding Figurative Language
Locate three figurative language devices in your poem. Use the devices to complete this chart.
alliteration
idiom
onomatopoeia
allusion
meiosis
personification
hyperbole
metaphor
simile
Figurative Language Device
Which figurative language device is used?
Line from Poem
Copy and paste the line from the poem where the device is used.
Meaning
Explain the meaning of the figurative language in your own words. What does the device add to the poem?
Part 3: Determining Mood and Tone
Respond to the following questions in at least two complete sentences. Use specific evidence from your selected poem to support your response.
What is the tone of your selected poem? Which words, phrases, and figurative language devices contribute to the tone?
What is the mood of your selected poem? How is this mood achieved? Use details from the text to support your response.
