1.
What disagreement does the first stanza of "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning"
describe?
The speaker and his love can’t agree on how they should part. He wants a calm goodbye,
but she seems more emotional.
2.
According to the speaker, how should he and his beloved part?
They should part calmly, without tears, because their love is so strong.
3.
In "Holy Sonnet 10," what does the speaker tell Death in the first two lines of the poem?
The speaker tells Death not to be proud, suggesting that Death is not as powerful as it
seems.
4.
According to the poem's speaker, to what is Death a slave?
Death is a slave to fate, and kings according to the speaker.
5.
Cite one inference you made while reading each poem. Did making inferences help you
to unlock the poems' meanings?
In "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning," I inferred that the speaker's love is strong,
which helped me feel the emotions.
In "Holy Sonnet 10," I inferred that the speaker believes in the afterlife. Inferring helped
me see the poem's true meaning.
6.
In "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning," identify two points at which the speaker
transforms the idea of parting into proof of the strength of the couple's love.
The speaker says parting should be calm and compares it to the peaceful death of saints,
proving the enduring nature of their love.
7.
What two points about sleep does the speaker make in "Holy Sonnet 10"? What point
about Death does the speaker make with these comparisons?
The speaker compares sleep to death, saying both are peaceful. This says that, like
waking up from sleep, people will also wake up from death.
8.
How does the purpose of "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning" differ from that of "Holy
Sonnet 10"?
"A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning" shows how strong love is. "Holy Sonnet 10" looks
at death, challenging the fear of it making it seem like a transition. One is about love,
well the other is about death.
